On the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, has ordained two new auxiliary bishops in St Chad’s Cathedral.
Bishop Timothy Menezes and Bishop Richard Walker were ordained bishops in the presence of their families, friends and guests.
Former Archbishop of Birmingham, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, attended alongside the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. The Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía presented the mandates, issued by Pope Francis, to all present.
Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship travelled from Rome, as did Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States at the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. Bishop Ken Howell from the Diocese of Toowoomba in Australia was also in attendance.
A number of ecumenical guests were in the congregation including Bishop Michael Volland, the Bishop of Birmingham, Bishop Michael Ipgrave, the Bishop of Lichfield, and Bishop Anne Hollinghurst, the Bishop of Aston.
In his homily, Archbishop Longley likened the two bishops ordained in Birmingham’s mother church to “episcopal twins”:
“While the grace of this sacrament will build upon the natural gifts of these two priests and shape their lives and ministry, its primary and lasting purpose is for the service, sanctification and guidance of the faithful of Christ, lay and ordained together.”
“I would invite you in your new episcopal ministry to listen obediently to the Word of God in the scriptures and in your prayer,” he continued. “Try to tune your ear to what you may hear of God’s voice speaking not only through those you respect and trust but also through people whose words or attitudes you may not always find it easy to accept.”
Bishop Timothy Menezes, Titular Bishop of Thugga, has been given pastoral responsibility for the Catholic parishes of Staffordshire, Wolverhampton and the Black Country and Bishop Richard Walker, Titular Bishop of Mortlach, for the parishes of Warwickshire, Coventry and Oxfordshire – while Bishop David Evans continues to serve the parishes of Birmingham, Solihull and Worcestershire.
Please keep the bishops and faithful of the Archdiocese of Birmingham in your prayers.
The Archbishop of Birmingham encouraged the congregation to ask Our Lady of Mount Carmel to pray for the new bishops.
Flower of Carmel,
Vine blossom laden,
Splendour of heaven,
Child bearing, yet maiden,
None equals thee.
Mother so tender,
Whom no man didst know,
On all Carmel’s children
Thy favours bestow.
Star of the sea.
You can read Archbishop Longley’s full homily here:
We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure.
Today’s celebration is truly notable on several counts. It is a moment of exceptional joy for the life of our Archdiocese to receive from the Holy Father the gift of two new bishops who will serve our parishes and school communities and be available to support their brother priests and deacons.
For bishops-elect Timothy and Richard their vocations have arisen and been nurtured within the diocesan presbyterate to which they have each belonged for twenty-nine years and twenty-four years respectively. They know that they can rely upon the prayers of the clergy whom each of them has served as Vicar General and who have just presented them for ordination here in the Cathedral.
Timothy and Richard, you will also appreciate that today you are being welcomed into the College of Bishops by Bishop William and Bishop David, alongside Bishop Stephen and your brother bishops from within and beyond England and Wales who are present here in the Cathedral, as well as Bishop Philip Pargeter who is following the ceremony online from Grove House.
The ordination of two bishops together – like episcopal twins – in the mother church of our Archdiocese serves to emphasise the ecclesial nature of what is taking place. While the grace of this sacrament will build upon the natural gifts of these two priests and shape their lives and ministry, its primary and lasting purpose is for the service, sanctification and guidance of the faithful of Christ, lay and ordained together.
In his Second Letter to the Corinthians St Paul reminds us: We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. That insight keeps us humble and it causes us to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – the patient and careful listening that bears fruit when we pray – the listening that lies at the heart of obedience.
The disposition of obedience is precious to everyone who is ordained, whether bishop, priest or deacon. It enables him to discern the compass points of God’s will in his own life and in the lives of others. We know that there will be occasions when we have to sacrifice some of your own preferences to remain faithful to our vocation to serve. The commitment to celibacy is for us an expression of our wholehearted wish to be available and ready to serve.
Bishops-elect Timothy and Richard, I would invite you in your new episcopal ministry to listen obediently to the Word of God in the scriptures and in your prayer. Try to tune your ear to what you may hear of God’s voice speaking not only through those you respect and trust but also through people whose words or attitudes you may not always find it easy to accept.
As a pastor you will naturally feel drawn to some people more than to others, whether clergy or lay faithful – perhaps those who share your philosophical, spiritual or liturgical outlook or your sense of the Church’s mission and its priorities. Try to recognise those natural inclinations so that you can be a dispassionate and compassionate friend to all. This will help you to be a servant and promoter of unity within the Archdiocese and in the Church at large.
In a few moments time you will bow your heads beneath the Book of the Gospels, submitting yourself to the authority of the Word of God. It is the same Word of God, Christ Himself, who pours out upon you His Holy Spirit, anointing your head with Chrism and calling you to teach, to sanctify and to lead the flock in His name – in faithful continuity with the ministry of the many bishops who have cared for the faithful of this Archdiocese before you.
As you prostrate yourselves today recall the humility of St Paul whose life was laid low on many occasions on account of his fidelity to the Word of God and his concern for all the churches in his care: We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure. And when you kneel for the laying-on of hands offer Our Lord the devotion of an obedient heart, ready to be anointed and invested with the symbols of your new office.
Today is the Memoria of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, linking us with the Sisters of the Carmel of the Magnificat in Wolverhampton who are praying for you especially today – and they are participating in this Mass through the live-streaming. This venerable title of Our Lady also unites us with the Christians of the Holy Land. As bishops you will share a collegiate concern for all the Churches in Israel and Palestine – especially as we seek in England and Wales to support them through the ecumenical work of the Friends of the Holy Land.
In a few moments, in the Litany of the Saints, we shall invoke the prayers of Our Lady, alongside those of our patron St Chad and of St John Henry Newman. By their teaching, but also by the example of their priestly ministry, these two pastors offer a model for everyone ordained to serve in the Church today.
The bishop’s ministry of teaching, sanctifying and governing after the heart of Christ is illustrated in one of Cardinal Newman’s sermons. Reflecting on the ministry of St Paul, he said: He loved his brethren, not only “for Jesus’ sake” but, to use his own expression, for their own sake also. He lived with them and for them; he was anxious about them; he gave them help, and in turn he looked for comfort from them. His mind was like some instrument of music, harp or viol, the strings of which vibrate, though untouched, by the notes which other instruments give forth, and he was ever, according to his own precept, “rejoicing with them that rejoice, and weeping with them that wept”; and thus he was the least magisterial of all teachers, and the gentlest and most amiable of all rulers.
Like Cardinal Newman, your pastoral concern for others will tune into their needs and be directed according to what is best for them. You will share and foster a concern for the worldwide mission of the Church across the seven cities and the five counties that we serve. I know that you will also seek opportunities to befriend and to witness to the Gospel with all our fellow Church leaders and to work for the common good with those who lead the other faith communities.
May the young people you will confirm become co-responsible with you and with all our clergy and Religious for living and sharing our faith in Christ with courage and confidence. May those you will ordain to serve as Deacons and Priests become faithful co-workers and companions along the way. And may the prayers Our Lady, St Chad and St John Henry Newman strengthen you as, through this Sacrament, you receive a share in the priesthood of Christ.
