Yesterday, Bishop Kevin Farrell was installed as bishop of Dallas. There’s nothing much at the diocesan web page yet, but here’s the main article from the Texas Catholic:
Bishop Farrell, who served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington under Cardinal McCarrick, was led to the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, by Archbishop Sambi and Archbishop Jose Gomez, metropolitan archbishop of San Antonio
. He was seated and presented with his crosier, the sign of his pastoral office, and welcomed by Bishop Charles V. Grahmann, bishop emeritus of the Dallas diocese.
The liturgy of the word, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, focused on the readings for the feast day, St. Joseph the Worker. The first reading, from the book of Genesis, focused on the creation story. The second reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, spoke of how the apostles devoted themselves to teaching and to the communal life, holding all things in common. The gospel reading from John (21:15-17) was Jesus’ exhortation to Peter to “feed my lambs.”
In his homily, Bishop Farrell noted that it was the feast of St.Joseph the Worker, guardian and protector of the Holy Family.
“In the Catholic community, the bishop fulfills a task that has many similarities to St. Joseph’s,” he said. This is well expressed in the preface of today’s Mass, which describes Joseph as “…that wise and loyal servant, whom you placed at the head of your family…with fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ, your Son.”
Bishop Farrell acknowledged that to be a guardian of the faith is not an easy task.
“We live in a world where the tendency is to create our own God—a god in our own likeness and image—our own code of doctrine,” he said, “which suits our own particular lifestyle. The gospel of Jesus is not to be accommodated to the culture of the day, but it is the word of God, which must guide our life and culture.”
At an evening vespers service April 30 with clergy of the diocese, Bishop Farrell emphasized the collaborative nature of his ministry, which he said will rely heavily on his partnership with priests and deacons of the diocese. Bishop Farrell said all share in his apostolic mission to lead and sanctify. He referred to the recent trying times across the country for the Catholic Church, especially in light of sexual abuse lawsuits and thanked the clergy for their steadfastness and faithfulness to their ministry in the midst of these difficulties.
He himself pointed out that he has drawn his own bishop’s motto from the Latin “State in Fide,” which translates as “remain steadfast in faith.”
Bishop Farrell quoted the words of the late Pope John Paul II in his apostolic letter “Novo Milennio Ineunte,” when he wrote that “it is not a matter of a new program.” Bishop Farrell said he has been asked in recent days many times: “What new programs or agenda are you going to introduce?” and this has been his answer to that question.
He said a priority in his ministry will be the fostering of priestly and religious vocations. “It is my hope that the whole Catholic community participate in this commitment,” he said. “I ask all of our pastors and priests see to it that every prayer of the faithful include a specific petition for vocations.”
In the Spanish portion of the homily, he said that he felt close to immigrants – and particularly close to the newest arrivals.
"I have something in common with immigrants who just got to this city, because I am also new, and now is the time to reach out and help them," he said. "This is a country that was founded by immigrants from all over the world who came in search of a better way of life."
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