ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Praised be Jesus Christ!

With humility, joy and gratitude to God I accept the nomination of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI to become an auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia. In accepting this nomination I am conscious of the great responsibility that has been entrusted to me but I am even more aware of the providence of Almighty God in calling me to the priesthood and sustaining me happily in the priesthood these past thirty years. It is in that Providence that I continue to place my trust as I answer a new call of the Church to serve the People of God as a bishop.

I thank Pope Benedict XVI for the honor of calling me to the episcopate. As he daily leads the Church in wisdom, faith and charity I pledge to him my complete fidelity and loyalty, and thank God for the gift of his selfless pastoral ministry on behalf of the whole Church and indeed, of the whole world.

I thank Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy Father to the church in the United States of America for his wise counsel and fatherly support. When he called to inform me of my nomination he told me that my life would change when I become a bishop, but that I must follow the example of the first apostles who left everything behind once they received the call of the Lord and followed Him without reserve, trusting in his grace to sustain them despite their human frailties. This advice gives me comfort as I prepare for ordination as a bishop.

In a particular way I thank our Archbishop, Cardinal Rigali. Your Eminence you continue to shepherd the church in Philadelphia with great compassion, dedication and zeal. Your concern for, and availability to your priests are exemplary and I am most grateful for your example as a bishop and for the trust you have placed in me. I look forward to collaborating even more deeply with you as an auxiliary bishop, and assure you of my total dedication to the Church and to the Archdiocese.

I look forward to serving with my soon to be brother auxiliary bishops - Bishops Thomas, Senior and bishop-elect McIntyre. I also offer my congratulations and prayers today to Bishop Joseph Mc Fadden as he becomes the tenth bishop of the diocese of Harrisburg.

In the rite of Baptism of the Church new parents are reminded that they will become the first teachers of their children in the ways of the faith. They are then admonished to become the best of teachers, not only by what they say, but by what they do. I am blessed to say that my own parents, Dot and Ed Fitzgerald, did this quietly, unselfishly and with great love over the years for my eight brothers and sisters and me. How grateful I am and will always be for the example of faith, love and family life that they have given to us. My mom is with us today as are several of my brothers and sisters. To them and to my many nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins I thank you for the many ways you have supported me over the years and continue to do so now.

It was my great privilege to be ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia thirty years ago. Over these years my own priesthood has been enriched by the friendships, example and fraternal support of countless brother priests of this great Archdiocese. To my classmates, the priests I have lived with over the years, those with whom I have worked and collaborated,  I extend my thanks, my admiration and my prayers today, for who you are, what you represent, and for your unstinting and self sacrificing service to the Church. Your prayers, friendship and support have been a great gift on which I will continue to rely in the days ahead as we share in the great mission of the Church to labor in the Lord’s vineyard for the salvation of souls.

My assignments as a priest have been many and varied over the years. It was a joy to serve as a parochial vicar in Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Callistus parishes, and as an active resident priest in Immaculate Conception, St. Thomas Aquinas, Annunciation B.V.M. and St. Patrick’s parishes, all in Philadelphia. I have learned much about faith and life from the wonderful people to whom I have ministered, and who in turn have reciprocated by their love for the Church and the priesthood which they generously express in countless ways. My ministry in the Marriage Tribunal of the Archdiocese has shown me that our brothers ans sisters who have undergone the pain of separation and divorce have much to teach us about suffering, reconciliation and redemption through cooperation with God’s unfailing mercy mediated to us through the Church. In my long service in founding and working in the Office for Legal Services of the Archdiocese at the request of Cardinal Bevilacqua, I gained a heightened appreciation and enduring respect for the wisdom, dedication and generosity of the laity as they cooperate in the mission of the Church by putting their talents and gifts at the disposal of the Church. A particularly surprising and happy assignment was my three brief years as vice-rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. It was a singularly humbling and joyful experience to participate in some small way in the formation of future priests for the Church. The seminarians I have taught and worked with continue to give me great hope for the future of the priesthood and of the Church. Their courage and generosity in answering and  following the call of the Lord have encouraged me and strengthened me to continue to follow the Lord’s call without hesitation or reserve. Please pray for them and that the Lord of the harvest will bless our Church and our Archdiocese with many new vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

In a special way I want to recognize and thank the people in this room today, as well as the many others you represent who share in the work of the various offices of the Archdiocese. Under various titles and in different capacities I have personally benefitted from your work, your collaboration and your assistance over the years of my service to the Archdiocese.  It gives me both solace and support to confidently trust that your invaluable and cheerful collaboration will continue in the days ahead.

Finally, and most importantly, I sincerely ask for your prayers. Pray that I will be a good bishop and heed the words and example of the Good Shepherd who said to his first disciples and to us: I have come not to be served but to serve and to give my life in ransom for the many.

Be assured also of my own prayers for you and your families as we each continue to live out our individual vocations in service to the Church we love, and to one another.