Given at the Mass of Episcopal Ordination of Canon Peter Collins, Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of East Anglia, on the Feast of St John of the Cross, 14th December 2022
Dear Bishop-elect Peter,
In a few moments all of us, gathered here on this splendid day, will act as witnesses as you solemnly promise to undertake the duties of a bishop until the end of your life. These promises, one by one, detail the tasks that lie ahead: preaching the Gospel, teaching in truth, sustaining the unity of the Church, serving others in charity and compassion, reaching out to those on the margins, and practising constant prayer, all fulfilled ‘so as to afford no grounds for reproach.’
Peter, this is no easy task! In 1846 the Benedictine Bernard Ullathorne was facing the prospect of becoming a bishop in the Western District. In a letter to him from Cardinal Acton, the appointment was described a bringing ‘pain, trouble and labour’, to be accepted ‘through love of Christ and His Church’. Little wonder that Bishop Ullathorne later wrote these words: ‘There is nothing less desirable to flesh and blood than an English mitre under any circumstance in this age!’ And Peter, for a Welshman, too!
I prefer, however, to linger on the words of St Paul with which he opened the 12th chapter of his Letter to the Romans, from which we have just heard. He wrote:
‘I urge you then, my brother(s), remembering the mercies of God, to present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God’ (Romans 12:1).
And this is what you will do, very shortly, as you lie prostrate before the Lord, your last act before becoming a bishop.
Your act of prostration is our keenest moment of prayer. We beseech for you every grace and blessing for we know and believe that all this, all that is good, is the work of the Holy Spirit. For that gift we pray with all our hearts.
St Paul continues his letter, as we heard, by instructing us about how we are to conduct ourselves, in lives given in service of the Lord.
He tells us not to exaggerate our own importance. Now that’s advice well chosen by a bishop.
He tells us always to strive for the unity of the Body of Christ, his Church. We do so by recognising that we belong to one another, whether recently arrived or long in possession of our place and that this bond of unity excludes factionalism and the provoking of divisions.
He tells us to judge soberly by the standards of faith, a task in which every bishop needs wise counsellors.
He tells us to recognise and make good use of the variety of gifts given by the Holy Spirit: a spirit of ready cooperation lies at the heart of the life of a diocese.
He tells us that only love, without any pretence in its make-up, can hold us together and that this love is expressed in a ‘profound respect for each other’, in an ‘untiring effort’ and in a willingness to serve ‘with great eagerness of spirit’. Our motivation in this life of service cannot remain at the level of fulfilling a duty but has to rise from an unambiguous love of our Blessed Lord himself.
Then, with great realism, St Paul reminds us that trials and tribulations will be part of our lot. Yet Paul also highlights the joy that is ours too, rooted in our Christian hope.
As the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham is present among us today, I cannot help thinking of the designation of that Shrine, as described in 1485, as ‘a perpetual memorial to the great joy of the Annunciation, ground and origin of all Mary’s joys’. At the Shrine of Walsingham, we celebrate and remember all the joys of Mary. We hold her to be the Mother of our joys, especially as we approach the great joy of the birth of her Son, the eternal Word of God in our flesh. May Our Lady of Walsingham sustain you, Peter, and always keep your heart filled with joy, no matter the trials that may come.
Now as Peter takes up his crozier Bishop Alan lays his down, or rather hands it over. So, we take this opportunity to salute you, Bishop Alan and to thank you most sincerely for your tireless leadership during these ten years at the helm of this Diocese. You have fulfilled your ministry with dedication and care, never slacking in pace even as age brought on its additional demands, as we all know! Bishop Alan, thank you. Thank you so much! Enjoy the years ahead and keep us all in your prayers!
Today, then, is a day of work for the Holy Spirit, who never steps down or misses a mark. Today we affirm that through the actions of the Church, this same Holy Spirit is granted to our new bishop, never leaving his side, giving us all the confidence of faith in the bishop’s leadership. St John makes this so clear in the words from his Gospel that we have just heard: ‘You did not choose me, no, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last.’ (John 15:16). And Jesus never abandons those he has chosen.
But I want to give the last word to another John, St John of the Cross whose feast we celebrate today and who has a special place in the life of our new bishop. In the darkest days of his life, this John never lost sight of the presence of the Lord. He is an example for us all. He expressed his unwavering faith in poetry:
How well I know the spring that brims and flows
Although by night.
Its deathless spring is hidden, Even so
Full well I know from where its sources flow
Although by night.
The eternal source hides in the Living Bread
That we with life eternal may be fed
Though it be night.
This living fount which is to me so dear
Within the bread of life I see it clear
Though it be night.
Today, though, is not a day of darkness. It is a day of great light. In both joy and trouble the faith that sustained John of the Cross guides us too. With this same steadfast faith in the work of the Holy Spirit, in this great gift of the Eucharist, let us now proceed with the episcopal ordination of Peter Collins, to serve here, in East Anglia, in the joy of God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.
✠ Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster