Sermon Preached by Right Rev'd Peter Barrett at his enthronement in St Edans Cathedral Ferns.

31st Jan 2003

The Feast of Saint Edan
Saint Edan's Cathedral, Ferns

"On this special Festival Day for the Diocese of Ferns, when we give thanks for the life and witness of Bishop Edan the founder of Ferns, my opening words echo this note of thanksgiving to God the Holy Trinity. I wish to give thanks for the enormous privilege of his call to serve as a Bishop of the Church in this United Diocese.

I wish also to thank you Mr. Dean for your friendship over the years, and for your helpfulness and hard work in preparing and arranging this evening's Service. Thank you to all those, "seen and unseen", who have assisted you in tasks large and small, not least those who lead our praise. Thank you, the parishioners and clergy of the Diocese of Ferns, for your welcome to me, my wife and family and for the promise of your support, just declared.

Thank you to our ecumenical brothers and sisters in Christ for your encouragement and prayer. In particular, Bishop Walsh for his supportive letters.

Above all my friends in Christ, we give thanks for, indeed we enthrone, the Gospel of the Love of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To God be the Glory.

I so much look forward to visiting your parishes and to journeying with you into a fresh discernment of God's loving purposes for us in our Diocese, in our parishes, at this time. In particular, I look forward to coming alongside my fellow servants of the Gospel, the clergy of the diocese. I look forward to listening to them, to learning from them; to sharing in worship with them, and with you. My brothers and sisters, in Holy Orders, your hopes and fears; your joys and sorrows will be a special concern of mine.

I wish also to acknowledge and give thanks for the ministry of Archbishop Neill throughout the United Diocese, and to thank him personally for his encouragement at this time of transition in my life and the life of my family.

In all things as I begin my ministry as your Bishop, I ask for your continued prayer and understanding and where and when necessary, your forgiveness when I fail you. Of one thing you can be certain: this particular Bishop will not get it right all the time !

On reflecting that I am to be enthroned on six occasions in six cathedrals of the United Diocese, apart from the shock of the discovery, there is also the question of choice. Shall I preach the same sermon six times? Or shall I preach a different theme on each separate occasion? I've opted for the latter not only because of the challenge, but because I wish to keep in with my clergy who may, by 'dint of office', be present at all six. For example, Chaplain, Registrar and Archdeacon. We don't want a clerical coup just yet!
However, to save me in fact from saying the same thing six times in spite of my best intention, I've decided to explore my ministry in a rather novel way:

I'm going to examine an 'instrument', a symbol, of the Bishop's Office at each Service, and see what it tells us about the "office and work of a bishop" in the Church of God today. In short, to explain how I see my role at this 'tender stage'; what you can expect of me. For example, the Pastoral Staff, or the Pectoral Cross will be chosen. Tonight in Ferns, I wish to explore the rich symbolism of the gift presented to me on your behalf by your Diocesan Council (in conjunction with the Diocesan Council of Cashel & Ossory) for which I say a most sincere 'thank you'. It is the ring worn by a Bishop. Why is he presented with one? Why does he wear one? What is its purpose and meaning?

Originally a bishop's ring was engraved with a fish or a cross; a symbol of faith in other words. Later, it bore the mark of the seal of the diocese, and was indeed a kind of signet ring used to authenticate legal documents, letters and the like. Whilst rings still bear the mark of a diocesan seal, the common appearance of a Bishop's Ring in Anglican circles contains a precious stone, usually an amethyst. Amethyst, (a-methusko in Greek), means 'not to be intoxicated'; not to get drunk, and is specifically related to the belief by some onlookers (as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles 2:15), that the Apostles, after Pentecost, had all the appearance of drunkards.
But Peter is at pains to point out that they are not drunk for 'it is only 9 o'clock in the morning'. If they are inebriated it is with a spirit of praise in the Holy Spirit.

So the amethyst stone is intimately related in Christian symbolism to the work of the Holy Spirit. However, there is something else which the ring symbolises and about which I wish to focus upon this evening. For this ring, my friends, like any other ring, is a symbol of affection; of faithfulness; in all circumstances, it is a symbol of loving unity. The ring worn by a bishop symbolises, stands for, Unity. Unity in the Faith, unity in the Diocese, unity in the Church. What does this mean for my ministry amongst you? How does this aid us in our understanding of the role of the Bishop in the Church today ?

The ring symbolises unity in the Faith. The Bishop is solemnly charged to be both a proclaimer of the Gospel of the Love of God in Christ, and to be a guardian of the Faith as this Church has received it. Listen to these words spoken by the Archbishop to the Bishops-elect: 'Bishops are to guard the faith of the Church and to promote its mission throughout the world. To teach and govern after the example of the Apostles, speaking in the name of God and interpreting the Gospel of Christ".

So the Bishop is to hold together, to balance, as it were, the guardianship of "the faith once for all delivered to the Saints " (Jude 3), with the need to proclaim the Gospel by interpreting it in the context of the society and times in which we live.

In short, 'Christ the same, yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) will be the beginning and end of his preaching and teaching. But within an understanding of Tradition that values the past, yet also recognises within its riches, fertile soil for fresh imaginings in the Spirit. Such a joyful proclamation, must be so interpreted to each generation, by each generation, that the Church, you and me, become people who by grace make a loving difference in our communities for the good of all. You have every right to remind me of this solemn charge to be both a guardian and a proclaimer; a teacher and an interpreter in the service of the Kingdom to the glory of God, and you can do so by pointing to my episcopal ring.

Secondly, there is the unity of the diocese expressed by the Bishop's ministry. So the archbishop adds that a Bishop's duty is "to watch over and pray for all those committed to their charge….. and is to know their people and be known by them".
In a sense, this emphasises that the unity of the diocese is a marriage between prayer and pastoral care; between contemplation and action. As we pray with and for one another, we are in the same breath, led out towards one another, and others . Here then worship merges with service; and silence with outreach. But something else is hinted at here concerning our life together in Christ in the diocese as one family under God: There is an important stress upon our partnership in listening to what the Holy Spirit is calling out of us; is beckoning us towards. The Bishop, clergy and faithful parishioners undertake together to be open to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

This is often a slow and sometimes difficult process. Sometimes too, a rather painful one, not without wider interest because it may be intimately connected with the 'whys and hows' of life: with its nuts and bolts, its practicalities if you like. Sometimes patience will be called for; on other occasions, the time for decision-making, even risk-taking will be more urgent. In all things humility will be needed under God. Sometimes, the balm of forgiveness is badly needed.

Encourage me to develop, not to obstruct, this vital task relating to the call of the future as well as the needs of the present, by committing yourselves to prayer for God's guidance for all of us in positions of leadership in the Diocese, clergy and laity. I know that leadership can be lonely on occasions and sometimes, a bruising experience too. But the ring you have given to me will be a constant reminder that change when necessary must be set within the demands of unity wherever possible. Indeed, within the call to "make every effort to maintain the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4V3).

The unity of the Faith; the unity of the Faithful and thirdly, the unity of the Church. Dear Bishop Edan would be humbly proud of the Diocese of Ferns through its understanding and expression of ecumenical witness. What an example of Christian togetherness you all set, both within the diocese and to the Church at large, especially in the loving but delicate sphere of inter-church marriage.

I commend all so involved and pledge myself wholeheartedly to our ecumenical pilgrimage in Christ, as alongside the leaders of the other churches in the area, and with all men and women of goodwill, we seek to be part of the answer to the call of the Lord to hasten the coming of God's Kingdom in earth. As the Swiss Theologian, Dr. Hans Kung once put it: "God's kingdom is creation healed".

In God's Kingdom, there must also be the healing of the divisions between the world's great Religions, never mind the wounds of the Church.
As the clouds of war gather on the horizon of the Middle-East, this is a vital part of the ecumenical imperative as urged by our blessed Lord. But my friends in Christ, how can the Church authentically speak peace with, never mind to, the other great Faiths of the planet ?; how can the Church authentically speak peace to the leaders of the nations?; how can the Church authentically speak peace on this island, when it fails to speak harmoniously ?; when the Church herself is not at peace in the unity which only the Holy Spirit can bring? The time is late and the task is urgent. The call to holiness, by which each of us grows deeper into Christ and He into us, is what we must live and celebrate, albeit in penitence and sorrow for our many failings. Only a holy church has the hope of becoming a united church. About this holy urgency; about this holy restlessness, the Bishop's Ring speaks, shines, "loud and clear".

Dear Friends in Christ, thank you for your welcome and the assurance of your support. In prayer, hold me before the Lord, as together we seek to draw closer to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In all things, 'blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1st Peter 1:3). To him be the glory to the ages of ages."

AMEN

Other Links

Sermon Series to be preached by Bishop Peter at his enthronements

Pictures from the enthronement in St Canice's Cathedral Kilkenny

Pictures from consecration at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin

Details of Consecration and Visitors present

Sermon preached by Bishop of Portsmouth at consecration in Christ Church Cathedral

Parishes & Cathedrals in the United Diocese of Cashel Ossory and Ferns

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