Cardinal McElroy installed as eighth archbishop of Washington
Cardinal Robert McElroy was installed on March 11 as the eighth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, during a nearly two-hour liturgy in which he encouraged the faithful of his new archdiocese to be “pilgrims of hope in a wounded world.”
“What hope we could bring to our world as the Church of Washington if we could truly help our society to see others more as God sees them — beloved children, sisters and brothers,” Cardinal McElroy said during the Solemn Mass of Installation at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Referencing the Jubilee Year and its theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” Cardinal McElroy called on his new flock to “unswervingly understand our vocation as disciples of hope.”
“It is all too easy for every one of us to let the limits of earthly worries and perspectives erect prisons in our souls that shut us off from the expansive presence of the Resurrection in its fullness,” he said. “We must refuse to be overpowered by these prisons, and instead journey together as a local Church, companions in faith and in fragility to embrace the same risen Lord that Mary of Magdala encountered in the garden so many centuries ago.”
Cardinal McElroy, the former bishop of San Diego, was named by Pope Francis on Jan. 6 to replace the retiring Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, who served as the archbishop of Washington from 2019 until this year and is now archbishop emeritus.
A packed installation Mass
About 3,500 people packed the National Shrine for the installation Mass that was offered in both Spanish and English. Among those in attendance were officials from the federal government, the District of Columbia, Maryland and California.
More than 1,300 additional people followed the Mass virtually via the National Shrine’s livestream. The Mass was also broadcast over the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).
In his homily, Cardinal McElroy also thanked his family “for their nurturing of my faith and my life”; his fellow priests and religious who “have been so critical to my formation as a priest and a bishop”; and to his friends who “have enriched my life and taught me much.”
For more than 20 minutes before the Mass, prelates processed to the shrine’s altar to participate in the installation. More than 280 priests — including those from the Archdiocese of Washington, the Diocese of San Diego and others — led the procession that included about 70 bishops and archbishops and eight cardinals.
Eight cardinals in attendance
The participating cardinals — in addition to Cardinal McElroy and Cardinal Gregory — were Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop emeritus of Washington; Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York; and Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston.
In remarks at the beginning of the Mass, Cardinal Gregory noted that “with jubilant hearts, we say welcome” to Cardinal McElroy and that “the Church of the Archdiocese of Washington rejoices today at the gift of a remarkable new shepherd.”
“We have been graced with the blessings of a man of wisdom, hope and gentility in Cardinal Robert McElroy,” Cardinal Gregory said. “Soon all of the community of faith and our neighbors everywhere will all come to know him as one who stands in our midst as a genuine servant of the Gospel.”
Cardinal Gregory also told Cardinal McElroy that the faithful of the Archdiocese of Washington are “hopeful souls all in search of Christ Jesus and who will follow your lead in pursuit of him.”
“A venerable brother”
Prior to reading Pope Francis’ proclamation appointing Cardinal McElroy, Cardinal Pierre encouraged the new archbishop of Washington to “familiarize yourself with the people who make up this Church: the clergy, the consecrated, and all the baptized.”
“You will enjoy many opportunities to affirm the works of grace and the expressions of discipleship that are alive within this Christian community,” the apostolic nuncio told Cardinal McElroy. “Through a genuine encounter with the people of God, and with their priests, you will share with them the life of the risen Christ, and journey with them to the house of the Father.”
In his official letter of appointment, Pope Francis called Cardinal McElroy a “venerable brother” and urged him to “commit yourself diligently to the work of preaching the Good News … (and) devote yourself to the growth of the People of God both in the theological virtues as well as in a humanity worthy of the Lord’s disciples.”
At the end of the Mass, Cardinal McElroy led the faithful in reciting a decade of the rosary for the health of Pope Francis. “Today we are especially joyous that the pope seems to be doing better,” the cardinal said.
This article was written by Richard Szczepanowski of OSV News.
Featured image: Cardinal Robert McElroy acknowledges the assembly after his installation as Archbishop of Washington. (OSV News photo/Mihoko Owada, Catholic Standard)
