EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION OF MAR BOSCO PUTHUR

EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION OF MAR BOSCO PUTHUR

Saturday, 13 February

Your Eminence (Beatitude) Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Your Excellencies Archbishops and Bishops, newly consecrated Bishop Bosco Puthur, Honourable guests, My dear priests, religious and friends,

First of all I extend my sincere congratulations to the newly consecrated Bishop Bosco Puthur, the first Curia Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church. From his biodata, I see that he is a man of vast knowledge and diverse experience. He has many years of pastoral engagement behind him: in the parish ministry, in the Major Seminary, at the Archdiocesan Curia and here at the Head quarters of the Syro-Malabar Church. I am sure that his appointment to this new service will add strength to your Church and greater efficacy to its administration. I wish him a very fruitful Episcopal ministry as a successor of the Apostles!

I also take this occasion to express my great appreciation for the Syro-Malabar Church. During the past few days I have had the privilege of experiencing and enjoying the well known traditional Indian hospitality, and especially these past two days here in Kerala, known to the world as "God's own country". Your generous hospitality is second to none in the world.

And today I have this opportunity to personally experience the vitality and the religiosity of your apostolic Church. You have had the privilege of receiving the faith from one of the Apostles of Jesus, St. Thomas. Your forefathers lived that faith with dedication and handed it over to the successive generations. Your parents, grandparents and forefathers, in spite of various challenges of history, have kept the precious flame of faith continually burning and handed

it over to you. I am confident that this flame will continue to burn brighter and brighter till the end of time, and coming generations will bring this flame to various parts of the world, as so many sons and daughters of your Church are already doing, with an admirable spirit of sacrifice. Be proud of your apostolic and spiritual heritage and remain faithful to it. The Syro-Malabar Church with its 29 dioceses, 9000 priests, 35000 religious sisters, and nearly 4 million (36,74,115 ) faithful is known internationally for its great missionary zeal and social commitment.

The two newly erected dioceses and the newly appointed Bishops are clear signs of the vitality of your Church. I shall be most happy to share this beautiful experience with our beloved Holy Father when I next meet him.

This is my first visit to India. For three days I was participating in the "Indian Priests Congress", organized by the Clergy Commission of the CCBI, at Velankanni. There I could see a large group of enthusiastic Indian priests, full of missionary and pastoral zeal, in spite of the challenging situations in which many of them are ministering. The three Rites of the Indian Church - Syro-malabar, Syro-Malankara and Latin - displayed the unique richness of the Indian Church. All three must work hand in hand to bring the Gospel message of universal love and brotherhood to all your fellow citizens.

The Indian Priests Congress was organized in the context of the Year of the Priest, proclaimed by our beloved Holy father, Pope Benedict XVI, to encourage greater efforts towards holiness by remembering the simple parish priest of Ars, in France, St. John Maria Vianney. I cannot but say a word to my beloved brother priests on this occasion. You are called by the Lord to be his messengers, to be his apostles, to be the instrument of his love and mercy, and to be martyrs for his sake. Challenges, suffering and martyrdom are integral to our Priesthood. Jesus needs your feet today to reach out to those who have not yet received his message; he needs your hands to wipe out the tears of those who are suffering and mourning; he needs your hearts

to love and console those who are afflicted.

ln short, Jesus lives in the present society through you. The theme of this Year of the Priest is "Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of the Priest". The Lord who called us is always faithful. Let us also be faithful to him, let us be faithful to our calling. I am sure that you are aware of the scandals and the great spiritual harm that priestly infidelity has inflicted on the Church. My dear priests, please be faithful, and pray for the grace of perseverance.

On this occasion how can I neglect acknowledge the active role of religious and the laity in the Church. All the baptized have a special and concrete role to play in the work of evangelization, always in communion with the Church and with its Hierarchy. The Second Vatican Council has clearly underlined the mission of every faithful, so much so that it is impossible to be an authentic Christian without being a true missionary. Each one, in his or her context of life, is called by the Lord to be his messenger, to be his apostle, to be the Christ-bearer to all those whom they meet in their daily life. It is through you that the world today will see Christ. Unless your life becomes a shining witness to Christian life, this mission that Christ has entrusted to the Church cannot be fulfilled. The light that St. Thomas brought to your beloved country is still burning providing light and warmth to millions; let this light continue to burn brightly through you and through future generations. This morning I have had the privilege of visiting the places associated with St. (Sr.) Alphonsa and Blessed (Fr.) Augustine Thevarparambil. I know that there are other beatified holy men and women in your Church. They tell us and the world that your Church is authentic and rich. They are almost your contemporaries and the Church has placed them before you and before the whole Christian community as models of sanctity. Follow them as your models, and your Church will become richer in sanctity.