Diocese installs new bishop

Bishop Thomas Daly

Installed as the seventh Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane on May 19, the Right Rev. Thomas Daly was seated in the cathedra chair of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes and was handed the crozier, a tall pastoral staff with a crook at the top, symbolizing the bishop’s role as the Good Shepherd.

In his homily, he spoke on John 17 when Jesus prayed before his death that his followers would be kept from the evil one as he sent them into the world to share love.  Jesus reminded them to remain united by the one faith and put aside their own interests for the sake of God, remaining in the world for the sake of the world, but not belonging to it.

Bishop Daly cited Pope Francis speaking of cultural encounters of “engaging the world.”

The night before his installation, he was at Bishop White Seminary, where he will live.  He found a book on the history of the Catholic Church and read of the need for prayers and penance for “sinners to turn back to God.”  The U.S. church needs prayers for strength to face complex challenges that can “be overwhelming if we think we are alone,”Bishop Daly said.

“Today, listening to the Lord can be a luxury. In the midst of prayer and healing, we can have blessed moments of silence,” he said.  “Coming from the Silicon Valley, I’m aware we have too much noise and an information overload.  We need time to be quiet with the Lord, so we can live with Jesus in our hearts forever.

“The problem is not the church being in the world, but the world being in the church related to the sanctity of life and marriage,” he said.  He said there is need for prayers for conversion, more priests, protecting the vulnerable, and for “the lonely and lost to be filled with the love and light of Christ.”

For information, call 458-7300 or visit dioceseofspokane.org.

Copyright © June 2015 - The Fig Tree