Bishop Philip Moger, who will be Installed Bishop of Plymouth on 9 November, has said that despite the challenges of contemporary society, he sees many things in his new diocese that give him hope.
Speaking in an interview after the Pope’s announcement, he explained how he is committed to the people of the diocese – the Catholic faithful of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, and also their priests.
Turning his attention to young people, he explained how ‘crucial’ Catholic schools are in ensuring the faith is passed on:
“I can remember people saying back in the ’60s and ’70s, before the Berlin Wall came down, that in Russia, the only people in churches were old people. But they were saying that in the ’20s, the ’30s, the ’40s. So somehow the faith was retained and spread.
“The mission of our schools, I think, is to introduce children to Catholic living, to Catholic truth, and to the knowledge that God loves them, and that is something they can pass on.”
He also explained that, first and foremost, he is a parish priest and that this will inform his ministry as a bishop:
“I am a priest with you, and that’s the most important thing. I’m not some special being. God has called me to this ministry. I haven’t chosen it myself. It’s God’s will, and we’re all in it together, and I’m there to support you and to get to know you and to love you.”
Mindful that the faithful of Plymouth have been looking forward to getting a new bishop, Bishop Moger had a positive message for them:
“I could do no better, really, than to use the words from the theme for next year’s Holy Year, that we be ‘pilgrims of hope’. There are many things, both in our world and in our country, and no doubt in our own lives, that can dampen hope. But the Lord is with us. He has promised to be with us until the end of time.
“So as we try to live our Catholic lives and reach out to others and encourage others to come to know Jesus Christ, we have to be confident that the Lord is with us always.”
