The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-10-21
Bishop Mahoney's Installation Sermon

fruitful ones and his name will ever
be associated with the progress which
he inspired. -
The Third Bishop of The Diocese.
The third Bishop of Sioux Falls
stands before you today with nothing
to recommend him but the mandate
which he brings from the Vicar of
Christ. You have heard that mandate
read In other words you have lis
tened to the publication of the Bulls
that made known to you that have
been sent here as the Bishop of this
diocese, and your Catholic faith makes
it easy for you to receive me as one
sent by God.
Naturally, you are interested in
knowing what manner of man i am.
You are justified in your desire to
learn something of my disposition, my
ideals, my plans, my policy. You
have right to an expression of opin-
ion from me on this occasion in order
that We who are strangers may be
strangers no longer
My dear priest and people, / make
| no secret of the fact that coming
| among you I have one ambition. I
am axious to verify in my dealings
with you the wish contained in the
official document of the Church read
| here this morning. You must have
| noted what that wish was. You must
have been delighted to hear that in
the mind of the Church, which is the
infallible index of Gods own will,
have been sent here to be your Fa-
| Their in Christ.
! This sums up my ambition. l want
the priests and people of this diocese
1 to look on me as their father. / want
them to know that they can command
my time and service without limit.
am interested i'm every detail of their.
lives. In sunshine and in gloom, in
times of prosperity and in moments of
| adversely they are welcomed to come
to me with all the freedom of chill
| dren. l can think of nothing that
will be a barrier to their approach to
my heart While I must do what
can to safeguard the good of religion
1 can sympathize with human weak
ness because my hope of mercy is con-
tingent on the mercy / show to others.
! The Meaning of Father.
Therefore, whatever is crystallized
in the appeflation Father" has a
meaning for me. Solicitude, interest,
anxiety, patience are words that sug-
gest to my mind qualities that are pa
ternal and they bring out the char
acteristics that I hope to manifest in
my relations with you. / am anxious
for your affection and good will. The
reputation i cherish is that of being
in every sense of the word, a father
to the priests and people of the do
cese of Sioux Falls.
With this thought before us, would
ask favor of you on this occasion
that means so much for you and me.
1 would ask you to join with me in
pledging our love and loyalty to the
Common Father Of us all, Our Holy
Father Plus XI. / would have you
subscribe to the sentiment that he has
no more obedient children than those
who honor him as the Vicar of Christ
in the diocese. of Sioux Fails. would
| have you aeqiiesce }iirtHe desire to let
him know that orr hearts beat in uni
son with his and that our prayers are
descending on high that God may guide
him in this tremendous moment when
he is the centre Of all interest and the
hope of salvation stoaa world we'll nigh
lovercome with chaos would have
| Won 1ot hin, Euauy5 Y that hic q cry for