It was good be at the Installation of Bishop Alan Hopes as Fourth Bishop of East Anglia on Tuesday. What a magnificent Cathedral they have in East Anglia; it’s hard to believe it was built just to be a parish church.
The heart of an episcopal ‘installation’ is just that: you install the bishop, you put him where he is meant to be, like a household appliance or a new piece of computer software.
The ‘place’ where he is meant to be is the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, which signifies his authority as the chief shepherd and teacher within the diocese. A cathedral, remember, is not just the biggest or most beautiful church in a diocese, but the one that contains the cathedra; and in Rome, for example, it is therefore St John Lateran and not St Peter’s.
The photo shows Archbishop Vincent Nichols addressing Bishop Alan just after he has been led to the cathedra.
This text gives you a flavour of this central moment:
The Archbishop leads the Bishop-Elect to the cathedra and says:
In the name of God, I, Vincent Nichols, Archbishop and Metropolitan of Westminster, do install you, Alan Hopes, Bishop in this Church of East Anglia. May our Lord Jesus Christ watch over you now and always.
The Archbishop installs the Bishop in the cathedra.
The Archbishop presents him with the Book of the Gospels saying:
Bishop Alan, receive this Book of the Gospels and preach the Word of God to the Church of East Anglia, teaching always with zeal and love.
The Archbishop then presents the Crozier to Bishop Alan saying:
Bishop Alan, at the wish of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, you have assumed the pastoral charge of the Church of East Anglia. I hand you this Crozier, the sign of the shepherd’s office and ministry. May the Lord sustain you in your care for the people of the Diocese.
Bridges and Tangents 
It was a splendid occasiojn
What simple and beautiful words.
May Brentwood be blessed next.
How wonderful! I have never been to the Installation of a Bishop but the simplicity and beauty of the words included are an inspiration.
And perhaps the next Bishop of Brentwood will do something with that truly awful Cathedral.
Actually I Love the Cathedral, I Love the complimentary contrast between the ancient and the contemporary architecture – together its stunning. However the acoustics are appalling and the sight lines are not brilliant with the pillars, but the stations of the cross are breath-taking. Infact her elegance is sublime. Though I wouldn’t want to be the person responsible for changing the light-bulbs.
Why is it that the Catholic Church is full of absolutely divinely beautiful churches, and at the same time, absolutely ugly, dreadful churches, as well (even the church at Lourdes is a bit ugly, i think – but don’t mean to put people off, Lourdes is a holy place and great place). And the exact same can be said for Catholic statues, paintings and interior decor, too (including priests’ vestments, some of which are beautiful and others the opposite).
Heaven is beautiful. But often the place of worship doesn’t help to inspire this. And rather than spending loads of money on tack, much better to keep things simple and charming (including if you don’t have money, keep it simple and charming).
This is important, in a sense, because if it bugs Catholics like me (a bit!) then it makes it just that bit more challenging to get converts into our churches.
Sorry, still ranting … and instead of so many tacky statues and paintings (with many exceptions, of course) would be much better to have more Christian Orthodox icons and, indeed, decorate the churches like in traditional Christian Orthodox churches, or if you want to play safe, just keep it simple and charming (candles, flowers and icons) but so often you just see dreadful tack (trying to copy the great masters but failing to the point that we have to look at tack instead of beauty). This is important, i think, as it can affect evangelization and worship to a degree (but don’t want to make too big a deal of it either!)