 KINGSTON, Ont. - At his July 25 installation at St. Mary’s Cathedral here, Archbishop Brendan O’Brien explained how his motto — redimere tempus, redeeming the time — would shape his ministry in Canada’s oldest English-speaking diocese.
“‘Redeeming the time’ means both spending time with the Lord so as to discern His will but also spending time with God’s people so that their needs are understood,” O’Brien said in his homily.
He chose the motto 20 years ago when he was first ordained to the episcopate as an auxiliary bishop in Ottawa.
“I chose it to emphasize the need to be alert to the present opportunities that are ours to witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
After six years in Ottawa, he served as bishop of Pembroke, Ont., until 2000, when Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of St. John’s, Nfld.
O’Brien said his first priority will be visiting the various parishes, rectories, schools, religious institutions and homes in the Kingston archdiocese to explore four areas with Catholic faithful in the diocese. The first concerns how well the church is doing in fostering a sense of “responsibility” for the life of the church among its members. The second concerns exploring what is needed for better faith formation to better equip members to be “more informed and enthusiastic about their faith.” The third concerns “solidarity” and how ministry is shared among the clergy and lay people. The fourth concerned “presence” — not only to people of all ages in the parish communities, but also to the broader community, especially the poor.
His installation coincided with the Feast of St. James, so O’Brien expounded on the Gospel text from Matthew about how the mother of James and John sought a high place for her sons in the Kingdom of Heaven. He pointed out that in Mark’s account, the brothers themselves “ask to be singled out for top spots in the Kingdom.”
O’Brien used their example to show that sometimes “grasping who Jesus truly is and what He is about can be a slow process,” but that Jesus took the time to explain to His disciples that His heavenly Kingdom had different principles.
“We share in God’s reign by offering ourselves in humble service and love for one another just as Jesus did for us.”
O’Brien stressed that Jesus is not merely “recruiting workers” to become an “army of labourers, “He was calling people first of all to come to know Him and discover who He is.”
O’Brien recognized that human failings among Christians can turn people away from Christ, so he urged everyone to bring their lives into conformity with what the church proclaims.
He acknowledged the work that his predecessor, the late Archbishop Anthony Meagher, did in helping the archdiocese forge a mission statement that keeps the Christian message at the forefront of their lives and gave thanks for his ministry. Meagher died in January. He also recognized retired Archbishop Francis Spence, who was present.
Apostolic nuncio Archbishop Luigi Ventura praised O’Brien’s rich pastoral experience in different dioceses and thanked him for accepting the call to serve as president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) from 2003-2005.
Ventura noted that the appointment to Canada’s second oldest diocese (after Quebec) returns O’Brien to “Upper Canada” where he was born and will allow him to be closer to his 91-year-old mother and other family members, who were in attendance at the ceremonies.
Founded in 1826, the Kingston archdiocese serves more than 100,000 Catholics through 51 parishes and 20 missions.
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