DETROIT (OSV News) — The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament was abuzz with those wishing to celebrate and welcome Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton as the 32nd auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit on Nov. 7 during a special “Liturgy of Welcome and Inauguration of Ministry.”
Hundreds of lay faithful, priests, deacons, religious and his fellow bishops — including Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States — gathered together for the 2 p.m. Mass, followed by a reception at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
“As always, when the Holy Spirit gathers God’s people together, we rejoice and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord’s Passover mystery by which we have life,” Archbishop Vigneron said at the start of the Mass. “But today, the special joy is to celebrate the inauguration of Bishop Monforton’s ministry here in the archdiocese, and so we offer this Holy Eucharist with him and for him.”
The liturgy was attended by friends, family and well-wishers from both the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, which Bishop Monforton had headed for the past 11 years.
Unleashing the Gospel
During his homily delivered in both English and Spanish, Bishop Monforton, who is a Detroit native, exclaimed that it is “good to be home,” declaring that the Church’s witness to Christ’s love is “all for Jesus.”
“To be all for Jesus is to unleash the Gospel, and to unleash the Gospel begins with three simple words: encounter, encounter, encounter,” Bishop Monforton said. “We cannot share someone we do not know.”
Bishop Monforton used an example to demonstrate the necessity of teaching and learning the Gospel, saying when he visited Catholic schools in the Diocese of Steubenville, he would make a point to eat lunch with the students and answer their questions.
“One year, I went downstairs when the students were eating and I sat down with the second graders. They looked at me with eyes wide open as if to say, ‘The bishop eats?'” Bishop Monforton laughed. “I picked up my hot dog, and just before I bit into it, the 7-year-old gentleman in front of me said, ‘Remember to chew with your mouth closed.'”
As the congregation chuckled, Bishop Monforton brought the point home.
“But he had to learn that from somebody,” Bishop Monforton pointed out. “And that’s what we’re meant to be (as Christians). We’re meant to be contagious with the Holy Spirit. That is to unleash the Gospel. When we unleash the Gospel, we celebrate the joy of the Gospel, and who knows what positive influence we may be with others we encounter.”
‘A humble laborer’
During the Mass, Cardinal Pierre read the apostolic mandate from Pope Francis making Bishop Monforton the newest auxiliary bishop of Detroit. After being presented with the mandate, Bishop Monforton processed through the cathedral to show the mandate to the clergy and faithful.
“In a homily last Friday, Pope Francis recalled the very first words with which Pope Benedict described himself following his election: ‘a humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord,'” Cardinal Pierre said. “Pope Francis said, I quote, ‘Indeed, Christians, especially the pope, the cardinals, and the bishops, are called to be humble laborers, to serve, not to be served, and to put the fruits of the Lord’s vineyard before their advantage.'”
Addressing Bishop Monforton, Cardinal Pierre said Bishop Monforton’s many years of episcopal ministry have shown him the truth of these words. He also noted the bishop’s episcopal motto: “Faith Comes From Hearing.”
“You will listen both to the voice of the Holy Spirit and to the people of God in order to serve this local church in the manner to which our Lord is now calling you,” Cardinal Pierre added.
At the end of Mass, Bishop Monforton thanked all those present, particularly Cardinal Pierre, Archbishop Vigneron and his brother bishops, for joining in the celebration.
“I am delighted to serve you as one of your auxiliary bishops. I am yours,” Bishop Monforton said. “And in the words of St. Augustine of Hippo, ‘For you, I am a bishop, and with you, I am a Christian.’ Amen.”
Bishop Monforton joins three other Detroit auxiliaries in serving the archdiocese: Bishops Gerard W. Battersby, Arturo Cepeda and Robert J. Fisher.
Gabriella Patti is a staff reporter for Detroit Catholic, the online news outlet of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
