THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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February 20, 2011 The Good News... . . .Words of Welcome Evening Prayer Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We gather together tonight with great joy and excitement. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has sent a shepherd to lead us safely on our pilgrim journey of faith. In a spirit of great joy, we thank Almighty God for His watchfulness and care for each of us. We are especially thankful for His great gift of our holy Catholic Church. I am pleased to extend my very best personal greetings and a special word of welcome to you, Archbishop Paul Coakley. Moreover, on behalf of all who are present here tonight and on behalf of all the Catholic people of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, I extend our most sincere and warmest welcome. The Lord is indeed good and gracious to send us a holy and faithful and happy servant to be our archbishop. There is no question but that we are all excited about your appointment and arrival here in Oklahoma City. This is a vibrant community, joyful in the practice of our Catholic faith and grateful to the Lord. Archbishop Coakley, you are a blessing for us and we hope we will be a blessing for you. Above all, we plan to walk together with you, under your leadership, to life everlasting in heaven. Welcome, Archbishop Coakley, and may God bless you most abundantly all the days of your life. Introduction Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: With firm faith in the Lord Jesus and with gratitude for His countless blessings, we gather together for this installation ceremony. Archbishop Paul Coakley — the Lord, through His holy Catholic Church, has designated you to be the Fourth Archbishop of Oklahoma City. We rejoice! The most dynamic and meaningful way for us to celebrate your ap-pointment and installation is through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we profess our most fundamental belief and our firm conviction that Jesus has redeemed us and offers us eternal life. To assist us on our daily pilgrimage, Jesus remains with us in a special sacramental way in the breaking of the bread. Through the ministry of ordained priests, bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. Thus Christ is made visible as He forgives us, heals us, nurtures us and sanctifies us. Since the Eucharist is God’s gift of Himself to us, it is the Most Blessed of all the sacraments. The Eucharist is therefore the central liturgical action of the Church. In the Eucha-rist, the bishops ministry is most evident. By presiding over the Eucharistic celebration, the bishop makes fully visible this sacrament of the Church. Thus the bishop forms and unites the community of believers in and through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Bishops are successors of the Apostles by divine institution. There-fore, they are authentic teachers of doctrine when they are in hierarchical communion with the head of the college of bishops, who is our Holy Father, the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI, as successor of the Apostle Saint Peter, is the Supreme Pontiff of the Church. It is he who freely appoints, confirms or transfers bishops. How very blessed we are today to have among us the representative of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in the person of His Excellency, Most Reverend Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. Please join me in welcoming Archbishop Sambi! Most Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran, Archbishop Emeritus of Oklahoma City |