Saying that he was ready to lay down his life for the people of Long Island, Bishop John O. Barres was installed Jan. 31 as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
The ceremony took place at St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre, in the presence of three cardinals, more than 60 bishops, and priests, religious and laity who filled the church.
Catholics of the Rockville Centre Diocese were joined by many people who arrived by bus from Bishop Barres’ former Diocese of Allentown, Pa., where he was bishop since 2009. Others in attendance included local government leaders and several ecumenical and interfaith leaders of Long Island.
Archbishop Christoph Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, read the letter of appointment from Pope Francis and Cardinal Timothy Dolan handed Bishop Barres the crozier, the symbol of his authority, and led him to the cathedra, the bishop’s chair in the sanctuary.
Also present were retired Cardinals Theodore McCarrick and Justin Rigali.
Representing the Diocese of Brooklyn were Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Auxiliary Bishops Octavio Cisneros, Raymond Chappetto, James Massa, Witold Mroziewski and Neil Tiedemann.
Bishop Barres, 56, succeeds Bishop William Murphy, whose resignation because of age limitations was accepted in December.
In his homily, Bishop Barres reached out to all segments of the diocese but had special words for the priests and for young people.
“My dear brother priests of the Diocese of Rockville Centre… I am looking forward to seeing your faces for the first time and experiencing the grace of Jesus that flows through your priestly faces, young and old, priestly faces illumined by your daily pastoral charity and zeal, priestly faces illumined by hours upon hours spent in silent contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament,” he said.
“I am looking forward to discerning together with you our priests, deacons, religious and laity, the movement of the Holy Spirit in our parishes, parishes that are schools of prayer, holiness and the New Evangelization.”
To the youth of the diocese, he said, “I am ecstatic about your futures in Jesus Christ and the way you, in the words of Pope Francis, ‘shake up the Church and the world’ with your enthusiasm and desire to dedicate your lives to Jesus and the mission of the Catholic Church in the world. I cannot wait to meet you. I cannot wait to serve you.”
He also challenged every Catholic in the diocese, between Jan. 31 and March 1, to invite an inactive Catholic friend or family to come with them to Mass and “to gently, humbly, compassionately, non-judgmentally witness to the beauty of your intimacy with Christ and your love for the mission of the of the Catholic Church and how it enriched and inspired your life.”
‘Communion and Mission’
Bishop Barres also told the congregation that he and they are called to be “men and women of communion and mission.”
“We are called to be saints,” he said.
Bishop Barres said he looked forward “to experiencing the vibrant, welcoming, new evangelizing parishes of the diocese” and getting to know as many people as possible.
In addition to greeting the active Catholics in his new diocese, Bishop Barres reached out to those who have been away from the Catholic Church.
“I appeal to every inactive Catholic in the diocese to gently come back to the power of the Word of God, the power of the sacrament of penance, the power of the Catholic Mass,” he said. “I am so very sorry if you have been hurt or disappointed by the church in any way, and we stand here today to support you, to listen to you and to love you.”
During his tenure in Allentown, Bishop Barres initiated a pastoral planning process for parishes across the diocese. He called on every parish to establish a parish council and made support for Catholic schools a priority; enhanced evangelization and pastoral ministries; and encouraged use of social media to spread the Gospel and evangelize.
On the national level, he is a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis and is the USCCB’s episcopal liaison to the Pontifical Mission Societies.
On Dec. 9 when Bishop Barres was named to head the Rockville Centre Diocese, Bishop Murphy said of his successor: “It is my deep conviction that he will be a bishop for all of us without exception. He has shared with me his love of youth and his care for the elderly. He has a keen sense of parish life and has a special expertise in education. He has a deep love for the poor.”
Bishop Murphy also said Rockville Centre’s new bishop “will be a good neighbor to our brothers and sisters” in other Christian denominations as well as members of the Jewish and Muslim faiths, and the many civic and political leaders with whom the church works “in building up Long Island for future generations.”
He described Bishop Barres as “a man of prayer” above all.
Contributing to this article were Ed Wilkinson of The Tablet and the staff of The Long Island Catholic magazine.