When Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez first introduced himself to the faithful of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, he told them, “I do not bring much with me — only myself, and my faith in Christ Jesus.”
“For this reason, I make my own, the words of St. Peter: ‘I have neither silver nor gold. But what I have, I give you,’ ” Bishop Rodríguez said during an introductory press conference, following the Dec. 19 announcement of his appointment by Pope Leo XIV.
Now, two months later, Bishop Rodríguez officially arrived as the sixth bishop of Palm Beach. And in remarks at his ordination and installation Mass — celebrated on Feb. 24 at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach — he again emphasized to the faithful of his new home that he is there to serve them.
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“It is now my vocation and solemn responsibility to be, for you in this Diocese of Palm Beach, a shepherd and guardian of the faith we hold in common,” Bishop Rodríguez said. “Thus, I am a bishop for you — meaning that tonight a new relationship has been born.”
“We are in this together,” he continued. “From this day forward, until the Lord wills otherwise, I am your bishop, and you are my people, united for the sake of the one faith we profess as members of the family of Jesus Christ.”
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, the metropolitan archbishop of the region, was the ordaining bishop. Other ordaining bishops were Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barbarito of Palm Beach; Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn; and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros of Brooklyn; Archbishop Héctor Rafael Rodríguez Rodríguez of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic; other bishops; and priests from the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Palm Beach were concelebrants.
More than 1,000 attendees filled the cathedral for the Mass, including Bishop Rodríguez’s mother, the mayor of his hometown of Moca in the Dominican Republic, and parishioners from the Diocese of Brooklyn.
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The night before, Bishop Barbarito presided over vespers (evening prayer) at the cathedral, for which Bishop Brennan was the homilist. With Bishop Rodríguez also in attendance, Bishop Brennan advised him on how to serve faithfully in his new mission.
“The Church seeks for you to be configured to Christ even more deeply in humble, loving service in the ministry of teaching, sanctifying, and governing,” Bishop Brennan said. “You will take up this mission, not conform to the world, not as the world sees leadership, but rather serving as a shepherd to this local Church here in Palm Beach.”
“How?” he asked. “Deeply rooted in prayer in a loving union with Jesus Christ, while an imitation of him walking courageously before the flock to lead and to guide, walking in the middle of the flock, gently listening, encouraging, learning the needs of your people, and shouldering their burdens, and walking patiently behind to seek out the lost and to assist those who find the journey difficult.”
Following the Gospel at the ordination and installation Mass, Archbishop Wenski asked aloud whether Cardinal Pierre had the papal mandate naming Bishop Rodríguez as the sixth bishop of Palm Beach and authorizing his ordination to the Office of Bishop, which Cardinal Pierre read. Showered with cheers and applause, Bishop Rodríguez then walked through the cathedral, presenting the papal mandate to the people of God.
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Archbishop Wenski then gave his homily. He noted how the Gold Coast of Florida has been described as the sixth borough of New York City, and therefore “Bishop Rodríguez will quickly come to feel at home here among the palm trees and warm breezes that will also remind him of the Dominican Republic, the land of his birth.”
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Like Bishop Brennan, Archbishop Wenski noted the calling of a bishop.
“You are asked to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ — to go ahead of and lead God’s people,” he said. “You are asked to teach the sacred heritage of our past, to defend and promote the doctrinal unity of the faithful, to show mercy and charity to the needy and the poor, and you are asked to pray without ceasing.”
Concluding his homily, Archbishop Wenski encouraged the faithful of Palm Beach to embrace their new shepherd, advising them to “respect him, love him, obey him, and pray for him that his ministry as bishop among you will be fruitful.”
Then came the promises of the elect, in which Bishop Rodríguez made eight promises regarding his future life as a bishop and his willingness to live his episcopacy in imitation of Christ. In his homily, Archbishop Wenski said the question preceding the promises “points out a path for you to follow in the exercise of your episcopal ministry.”
After the promises were made, following tradition, Bishop Rodríguez prostrated (lay face-down) “in humble submission as the Church calls upon all the Angels and Saints to watch over him,” as explained by the ordination program.
Archbishop Wenski, as the ordaining bishop, as well as Bishop Emeritus Barbarito, Bishop Brennan, and all other concelebrating bishops, then individually laid their hands on Bishop Rodríguez’s head ahead of the Prayer of Ordination.
Following the prayer, in a series of rituals, Archbishop Wenski anointed Bishop Rodríguez’s head, placed the episcopal ring on the ring finger of his right hand, and invested him with the miter and crosier.
The ordination concluded with the traditional kiss of peace, during which Archbishop Wenski, Bishop Barbarito, Bishop Brennan, and the other prelates in attendance approached Bishop Rodríguez to welcome him into the episcopacy.
The College of Consultors, the body the local bishop consults on governance matters, then approached Bishop Rodríguez and signed the mandate acknowledging that he has taken canonical possession of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Bishop Rodríguez then blessed many faithful from the diocese who approached him.
Mass then continued as normal, including with a hymn, titled “Corazón de Pastor (A Pastor’s Heart),” composed by Emmanuel Roque, a parishioner of the Diocese of Brooklyn who attended school with Bishop Rodríguez in the Dominican Republic.
“May Mary watch over your steps, may the saints intercede today, and at the end of your journey, may you say, ‘It was all for love,’ ” one verse of the song declared.
Following Communion, Bishop Rodríguez was guided through the cathedral, vested in the miter and crosier, and blessed the people of God who were present.
He then addressed the congregation before imparting the final blessing. In his remarks, Bishop Rodríguez encouraged the faithful of the Diocese of Palm Beach to continue to proclaim the Gospel, but even more fervently.
“This diocese must continue to adore and reverence the Lord with ever-greater devotion and zeal,” he said. “Through our apostolic boldness, the Word of God must be proclaimed more widely, the sacraments must be celebrated abundantly, charity must be lived intensely.
“Ours is the vocation and the mission to make present in Palm Beach the Kingdom of God — beautiful, flourishing, expansive, united and radiant.”
Bishop Rodríguez gave individualized messages of support, gratitude, and eagerness for their upcoming journey together to the diocese’s deacons, parents, grandparents and elderly, schools, youth, children, staff, and Catholic Charities.
To the priests of the Diocese of Palm Beach, he said, “Guys, here I am. … Use me and count always on my full support.”
In closing, Bishop Rodríguez acknowledged the uncertainty of the outcome of his journey in the Diocese of Palm Beach, or “how the Lord will choose to unfold its course.”
“Yet,” he said, “in his holy name, let us begin.”