It is a little under two months until Bishop Julian Porteous is installed as eleventh Archbishop of Hobart, on the commemoration (EF) of the stigmata of St Francis (17th September), which is the optional memorial (OF) of St Robert Bellarmine, bishop and doctor; in the meantime, it would be only fitting to pray a blessing upon his incipient ministry, as famously the newly-elected Bishop of Rome asked the crowd in St Peter's Square some few months ago.
Of your charity, do pray for Tasmania's Archbishop-elect, that he may rightly handle the word of truth (II Tim. ii, 15) and stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord (Mich. v, 4), that with St Ignatius of Antioch men may thank God and say "blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop." (Eph. i, 3.)
Any and all prayers are heartily desirable; but, having consulted the Roman Missal in its new translation, four suitable collects were found therein; to which may be prefixed those age-old mainstays of prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation, the Lesser Doxology, plus the Invocation of the Holy Spirit; and the invocations of a few saints – the patrons of Australia, of Tasmania, and of bishops – seem apt as a conclusion:
Prayers for Archbishop-elect Julian Porteous
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O Lord, who for the feeding of your flock have set your servant Julian over it as a successor to the Apostles, grant him, we pray, a spirit of counsel and fortitude, a spirit of knowledge and piety, so that, by faithfully governing the people entrusted to him, he may build up in the world the sacrament of the Church.
O God, who in each pilgrim Church throughout the world make visible the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, graciously grant that your faithful may be so united to their shepherd and gathered together in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, as to worthily embody the universality of your people and become a sign and instrument in the world of the presence of Christ.
O God, eternal shepherd of the faithful, who tend your Church in countless ways and rule over her in love, grant, we pray, that Julian, your servant, whom you have set over your people, may preside in the place of Christ over the flock whose shepherd he is, and be faithful as a teacher of doctrine, a Priest of sacred worship and as one who serves them by governing.
O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favourably on your servant, whom you have set at the head of your Church of Hobart as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides, so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Patrick, pray for us.
St Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
St Mary of the Cross, pray for us.
