I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. ~ Jeremiah 3:15

Saint Ildefonso Receiving the Chasuble from the Virgin I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudentl...
72 downloads 0 Views 2MB Size
Saint Ildefonso Receiving the Chasuble from the Virgin

I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. ~ Jeremiah 3:15

In the Church and on behalf of the Church, priests are a sacramental representation of Jesus Christ -- the head and shepherd -- authoritatively proclaiming his word, repeating his acts of forgiveness and his offer of salvation...showing his loving concern to the point of a total gift of self for the flock, which they gather into unity and lead to the Father through Christ and in the Spirit. In a word, priests exist and act in order to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to build up the Church in the name and person of Christ the head and shepherd. Blessed John Paul II, PASTORES DABO VOBIS

THE CELBRATION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST On the Occasion Of the Installation of

THE REVEREND ROBERT T. COOPER As the Sixth Pastor of

ST. BENILDE CATHOLIC CHURCH By

THE MOST REVEREND DOMINIC CARMON, S.V.D. Retired Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans

St. Benilde Catholic Church Metairie, Louisiana Sunday, the Fourteenth day of July in the year of our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen at Eleven O’clock in the Morning

His Holiness Pope Francis

The Most Reverend Gregory Aymond Archbishop of New Orleans

The Reverend Robert T. Cooper Pastor of St. Benilde Catholic Church

Lord It Is Good To Be Here A Statement from Reverend Father Robert T. Cooper to the Parishioners of St. Benilde Catholic Church

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord: “Lord it is good to be here.” With these words on my lips, I begin my ministry as the sixth pastor of St. Benilde Catholic Church. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has lead me, according to His holy and divine will, to this wonderful parish family to serve as your priest and pastor – to truly be a good shepherd for His flock. As our Holy Father of happy memory, Blessed John Paul II wrote in the conclusion of his Apostolic Exhortation, PASTORES DABO VOBIS, “Dear brother priests, you do this [serve His flock] because our Lord Himself, with the strength of His Spirit, has called you to incarnate in the earthen vessels of your simple lives the priceless treasure of His good shepherd's love.” While none of us knows what the Lord has planned for each of us, faith calls us to see God’s hand at work in our lives and to recognize God’s call in the concrete manifestations of His holy Church. In that context, it is most fitting that I thank, His Excellency, The Most Reverend Gregory Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, for his paternal solidarity and for his confidence in me by requesting that I accept my first pastorate. It is humbling to be given this new responsibility by the Chief Shepherd of our local Church, and I thank our Archbishop for the great example of pastoral solicitude, paternal care, and personal witness that he has given to both the priests and the people of God in New Orleans. As a spiritual leader, as a pastor of souls, and also as a man engaged in the wider community, I know I can speak for all of you in expressing great appreciation and affection for our Archbishop. I have pledged to Archbishop Aymond that I will give my very best to fulfill this office of paternal service as we journey together in faith, hope, and love. I also want to express appreciation to your good pastor of almost thirteen years, Reverend Father Patrick Wattigny for the warmth of his welcome, for his guidance during this time of transition, and for giving this parish family a shepherd's care – strengthening the foundations upon which we shall build. My heart is filled with gratitude to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon me, and I renew my commitment to serve each of you with total fidelity and paternal charity. Considering the weighty responsibilities of being a pastor, I am more than ever conscious of my own weakness and of my total dependence upon the help of divine grace, in order that I may fulfill worthily and generously, with every ounce of my strength, the responsibilities which will be

mine. I count upon the continued intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Communion of Saints, and the prayers of each of you as I enter into this next chapter of my priestly life and ministry. With my few talents and gifts, I pledge to you, with all my heart and energy, to make this journey of faith with you and for you. As Jesus taught and prepared His followers for His departure to the Father, He said two very significant things: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I shall be there with them” (Mt. 18:20); and: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28:19-20). These words were addressed directly at those first disciples of His who were to become the foundation stones of His Church. These apostles understood from the very beginning that they were called to be a people, a family and a community, that by the love and care of its members for one another would be the most powerful witness of Christ’s on-going presence in the world. Yet this community was not meant to center its attention on itself so as to ignore the needs of those outside. It was meant to be a community gifted and sent to the world in order to save it. The Church is therefore always anxious to reach out and seek to bring Christ’s healing and reconciling words and actions to those who most need His love and mercy and to welcome newcomers that they too might gather around the altar of the memorial of His redemption and share in the full sacramental life. Where the Church’s mission must be most visible and most alive is in the church parish. The parish is the privileged place where people are “gathered in the name of the Lord” and where they receive the challenge to go to the world as active participants in God’s plan and as living witnesses to the one Lord. It is the parish where the Church is actualized, made real, visible and tangible. On the parish level, the vast majority of Catholics experience the Church and are given the opportunity to be active in the Church’s mission. It is at the parish where Jesus is encountered and where the Catholics’ personal relationship with Him is nurtured and made fruitful. It is at the parish that inter-personal relationships are born and lived out as in a family. There the members of the parish interact, mutually support, and sacrifice their time and resources for one another. Above all, it is in the parish where we gather to hear God’s Word that sharpens our Gospel vision; where we eat the Body and drink the Blood that revitalizes our strength to continue our journey together as pilgrims in a land that is not our permanent home. As a matter of fact, the word designating God’s people in the Old Testament is PAROKIA, which refers to a people on a sojourn in a foreign country. St. Peter referred to this concept when he admonishes Christians to live righteous lives, “as long as you are living away from your home” (1 Peter 1:17). In other words, we belong to a community, a family, whose true country and citizenship is not in this world but in the horizons beyond those we now see. The parish serves as a reminder that we presently live as pilgrims and that we are not alone in our journey through life. We travel together, encouraging one another, binding the wounds of those who get hurt along the way, reminding one another of the promises made by the One Who keeps promises and Who is always faithful and Whose love is forever. As the family of God here at St. Benilde Parish, it is my hope that we may always have an appreciation for our parish as a gracious gift from God, as a unique instrument of grace in our lives. All of you have something to bring to parish life. Many of you bring talents, not only of a material nature, but also spiritual, ministerial, intellectual and organizational, administrative and leadership skills. It is as a people that we are called to carry out our mission and ministry in the world. It is my earnest prayer that we may always work together to bring the light and love of the Gospel to a world that desperately needs to see the face of God. As His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, so beautifully said in his encyclical letter, God is Love, the essential mission of the Church is expressed in the charge: “Proclaim the Gospel, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministries of charity.” (Deus Caritas Est, 25a). And I look forward to

working with each of you in manifesting, to the best of our abilities, the Kingdom of God here in this portion of God’s vineyard. As we celebrate a “Year of Faith and Family” in our archdiocese, allow me to touch briefly on each. Let us never imagine that the faith we profess in the pews, with such personal conviction, is merely a private matter. By its nature, the Profession of Faith is a public matter – for the faith is meant to be spread far and wide and acted upon in and through our parish and in the witness of each of us as individual believers. Let us not shrink from entering the public square to proclaim the Person of Christ, to teach the values that flow from reason and faith, to uphold our right to go about our daily work in accord with the teachings and values of the Gospel, to defend the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, to defend the institution of marriage, and to serve effectively those in great need with convictions borne of the moral law. How intensely we should pray that the Lord, who willed to be born into a human family, will bless our families, and give us the grace to renew family life within our parish. Let us be a church parish that honors our elders, sustains those in the prime of life, but indeed a parish that welcomes our young with enthusiasm and joy and forms a sacred entrustment with parents in the task of educating and forming the next generation. I thank our parents and educators who, at considerable sacrifice, sustain the mission of our parish school, and who support our religious education ministry, our youth ministry, as well as adult faith formation opportunities, and so much more. All these exist to sustain you in your beautiful but challenging vocation as married men and women, as fathers and mothers of families who are the bedrock of our society and at the same time the strength of our parish. And so today, as I become your spiritual father, I entrust myself to your prayerful support and spiritual solidarity that I may fulfill generously and well my new pastoral responsibilities. God will always provide, even despite our own limitations and inadequacies. For this reason, I am confident that the hand of Divine Providence is directing my course so that I may always be a humble instrument in service to the Lord. I place my whole heart, together with the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, into the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, I am confident that I will find the zeal and wisdom which I will need to carry out the new responsibilities confided into my hands. I ask for your support, your cooperation – and, most of all, I ask for your prayers. Getting to know each other is a great adventure. Our life together is part of the story of salvation, which God continues even into our own time. Today we begin a new chapter in the history of this magnificent parish family – and so, this is the time for all of us – to assess our fervor and to find fresh enthusiasm for the spiritual and pastoral responsibilities that lie ahead of us. Before us is a path illumined by the light of Christ, with us is the risen Eucharistic Lord strengthening us, and beyond us is a future that only God can see. But our faith journey together, beginning today, our faith journey as a part of the glorious history of this great parish family of St. Benilde is the blessing we give to one another, and it is the blessing we share with one another. We must look ahead and, like St. Peter, trusting in Christ’s words, “put out into the deep.” Duc in altum. The Lord has already assured us: “I am with you always.”

PRELUDE MUSIC Hymn To Joy …………………………………………………………………… Instrumental Veni Sancte Spiritus ……………………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble Surely the Presence of the Lord ………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble Laudate Dominum ………………………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble

INTRODUCTORY RITES Processional Hymn The Church is One Foundation

Sign of the Cross and Greeting The Most Reverend Dominic Carmon, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans

Rite of Installation of the Pastor This solemn act includes the Presentation of the Pastor-Elect, The Proclamation of Appointment, Welcome by the People, and the Presentation of the Parish Clergy and Staff and the Parish Pastoral Council.

Gloria Mass of Renewal

Opening Prayer

LITURGY OF THE WORD Old Testament Reading Book of Deuteronomy (30:11-14) Moses said to the people: “If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul. “For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, ‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out? ’Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117

New Testament Reading First Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (1:15-20) Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (10:25-37) There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Homily The Reverend Robert T. Cooper

Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity Following the Profession of Faith, the pastor recites the Oath of Fidelity. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, (All bow during these three lines) and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Universal Prayer of the Faithful

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Preparation of the Gifts All Creatures of our God and King

Sanctus Mass of Renewal

Benedictus Mass of Renewal

Great Amen Mass of Renewal

COMMUNION RITE The Lord’s Prayer and Doxology Sign of Peace

Agnus Dei Mass of Renewal

Communion Procession Lamb of God …………………………………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble I Am the Bread of Life

Panis Angelicus …………………………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble

Prayer After Communion

CONCLUDING RITE Act of Consecration of the Parish to Our Lady The Reverend Robert T. Cooper

Ave Maria …………………………………………………………………… Cantor/Ensemble

Solemn Blessing

Dismissal Recessional Hymn Lift High The Cross

Cover image: Saint Ildefonso Receiving the Chasuble from the Virgin, by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, (c. 1618-1682), Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain. Image courtesy of: Museo Del Prado-Pintura, Madrid / Art Resource, New York. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

THE COAT OF ARMS The coat of arms of the Reverend Robert T. Cooper represents his cultural heritage and his journey to the ministerial priesthood. The lower portion of the shield contains twelve raindrops symbolic of the torrential floodwaters which, for twelve heart-wrenching days, decimated the City of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. These raindrops are also emblematic of the overflowing “tears” shed by the men and women of this local Church during a time of great suffering and loss. The center portion of the shield contains the “golden sunburst” symbolic of the rising of the Son of Man, the victory of Christ Jesus, a victory of love in the midst of suffering. Death, sorrow, and pain, once so powerful, have been defeated by the triumph of the Lamb who was slain. This golden symbol of the resurrection is a sign of assurance that the tragedies and disasters of this life will never have the final say: “God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The upper portion of the design contains the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, “Alpha” and “Omega,” emblematic of Jesus Christ who is at once the beginning and the end, and who will bring all things to perfect harmony and completion. The fleur-de-leis, a three-pelted lily, is symbolic of the Three Divine Persons of the Most Holy Trinity and is employed to reverence the Feast Day upon which Father Cooper celebrated his First Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving for the gift of the ministerial priesthood. In addition, the fleur-de-leis stands as a symbol to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary upon whose motherly protection and intercession all rely. Lastly, this image is representative of French Royalty and thereby acknowledges the cultural heritage of the founding of the City of New Orleans and the patron of its Cathedral, St. Louis IX, King of France. In the heart of the design is the chalice symbolic of the Eucharistic Sacrifice which is the central mystery of our Catholic faith and at the heart and soul of the ministerial priesthood. Within the chalice is placed a simple Cross, the Christian symbol of faith in eternal life. For his priestly motto, Father Cooper uses the Latin phrase, “A CRUSE SALUS” (“From the Cross comes Salvation”). This phrase is a profound summation of the writings of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: “The world is in flames. The conflagration can also reach our house. But high above all the flames towers the Cross. They cannot consume it. It is the path from earth to heaven. It will lift one who embraces it in faith, love, and hope into the bosom of the Trinity.” The achievement is completed with the traditional external ornament of the priestly hat, called a “gallero,” with its single black tassel on either side of the shield. This is the heraldic insignia of a cleric of the rank of presbyter. The coat of arms was a gift of Mr. Andrew Jamieson, a Heraldic Artist of London, England .

Suggest Documents