With joy in our hearts we gladly welcome the Archbishop, his Excellency Most Revd. Salvatore J. Cordileone to our Parish for the installation of Fr. Ted Magpayo as the new pastor of St. Brendan Parish. As it’s the traditional hymn of welcome for a bishop I say “ecce sarcedos Magnus, qui in diebus suis placuit Deo”.
We also rejoice exceedingly with our new pastor Fr. Ted on his formal installation as our pastor. The ceremony of installation highlights the fact of the unity of the pastor with the Bishop and the unity of the people with their Bishop through their pastor.
All ministerial priests share in the priesthood of Christ just like every baptized Christian, but in a more visible way, the ordained priest participate in the priesthood of the Bishop in whom is found the fullness of the priesthood. In his function, the Bishop teaches, sanctifies and governs the flock entrusted to his pastoral care in his local church. The ceremony of installation confers on the pastor the privilege to participate and carry out these functions for a particular as a coworker with the bishop.
Simply put, the pastor assists the bishop in administering a parish. In his function as teacher, the pastor will teach the people to follow the way of God that leads to salvation by his homilies, catechesis, spiritual talks/direction, confession and in many other ways. He is the teacher of the people in the ways of faith.
In the function of sanctifying, the pastor will faithfully and with reverence celebrate the sacraments for and with the people, calling down the grace of God upon his people. He shall lead them to a solid life of prayer and gently, loving but firmly bring the mercy of God to those who are on the margins of faith and also show compassion to the lowly, the anawims (poorest of the poor) of Yahweh.
In his function to govern, the pastor is to lead the people. He is the custodian and administrator of the church’s goods. He is to prove himself the good shepherd who came not to be served but to serve and to give his live as a ransom for many. When something is installed its needs to fit, if it does not fit either the thing is pruned to fit or the space is pruned to allow it fit. When installing software, there are times some programs will have to be uninstalled for the new program to be able to run well.
Consequently, when a new pastor is installed and he begins to govern, there are obviously some pruning either on one side or both sides and so I invite us to give Fr. Ted our support as he begins his pastorate in St. Brendan and ready to prune and be pruned if need be. Jesus summarizes the whole of the commandments today into love, when we come out and support the parish out of duty it will amount to nothing but if its for love of God it will be sown for an eternal harvest.
And to you my beloved brother Fr. Ted, congratulations on your installation. I want you to see yourself as a “love program” installed in St. Brendan. Lead the people by love not from a sense of duty but out of the immense love in your heart and your intense love of Jesus. Have a pastoral heart that can abandon 99 sheep in search for the one that is missing.
My dear sisters and brothers, beloved parishioners, please support our new pastor, support him with your time, talent and treasure so that the love of God will overflow, that our bond of love will be stronger and our hearts and minds more united.
May God bless our Archbishop, our new pastor and our parish.
Peace.
Fr. Theo
