Spiritual Corner -- Rite of the Installation of the Parish Pastor

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters in Christ!

Thank God for His blessings, and the dispatch order of our Superior General, I am able to come back to St. Agnes Kouying Tsao again to serve all of you. We also thank Rev. John A.
Boissonneau, the Auxiliary Bishop, for coming to our Parish this Sunday, October 27, to celebrate at 12 noon a Pontifical Mass to officiate the rite of installation for me.

The rite of installation will start after the bishop’s homily. First of all, the pastor will lay his hand on the Book of the Gospels to make the oath in accordance with cl. 833 of the Canon Law. The oath includes the profession of faith, the oath of fidelity to the bishop, the communion with the Catholic Church, and the faithful performance of the various ministries and evangelization.

Then, the bishop will take the pastor to the baptismal font, the confessional room, to the table of the holy oils, the ambo and the altar respectively and ask the pastor questions at each of the above.

At the baptismal font, the bishop will ask the pastor if he would instruct and prepare the faithful for baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist.

Upon arriving at the confessional, the bishop will ask the pastor if he will carry out the sacrament of reconciliation for the faithful.

In front of the table of the holy oils, the bishop will ask the pastor if he would take care of the sick and the dying, pray for them, anoint the sick and offer the Viaticum to the dying.

At the ambo, the bishop will ask the pastor if he will regularly meditate upon the Word of God and preach it to the people.

The bishop will then stay at the ambo and ask the pastor if he would respectfully pray the Liturgy of the Hours together with the faithful.

Then, the bishop will arrive at the altar, asking the pastor if he would celebrate thanksgiving mass for the faithful.

From the above details of the rite of installation, we can easily recognize the basic duties and mission of the pastor. First of all, the pastor must be a person of prayer and one in constant contemplation of the Holy Word. Subsequently, he will sanctify God’s people with the celebration of the sacraments, build the mystical body of Christ, lead His people to God, to serve God. Last of all, join hands with God’s people to spread the good news of Christ, and to be witnesses of the heavenly kingdom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, please pray for me, so that I can faithfully achieve all the missions God entrusts in me. At the same time, let us build an even better parish with our concerted effort. I would also like, on behalf of the parish, to take this opportunity to thank Fr. Thomas Loh for his contributions to the Parish in his 7 years of office as our pastor. Let us pray for God’s blessings, wishing him a fruitful sabbatical year.

Your Pastor,
Fr. Francis Chong