Archbishop Dolan, Archbishop Weakland, Visiting Bishops, Ecumenical Partners, Civic Leaders, Guests from across the nation, members of the Catholic family of Southeastern Wisconsin ... Friends All:

With the words of Saint Paul to the Romans still echoing in our ears, I rise this evening to offer a word of greeting and warm welcome to you, Archbishop Dolan, in the name of Archbishop Weakland and myself, together with all the clergy and the entire Archdiocese ... over 700,000 strong. We welcome you. We make this ritual our own from the heart as we gather in joy this evening and prepare for the Eucharist of formal installation tomorrow afternoon.

The great Apostle Paul, so conscious of his own limitations and recognizing his own human weakness, was nonetheless filled with profound hope and confidence, as we heard a moment ago. He knew that the first fruits of the Spirit were already present in this age. He knew that even in this life, because of the gift of the Spirit of Christ, he could speak of a transforming grace and wondrous glory ... even here!

Although his human tongue and vision was physically limited by the horizons of earthly existence, Paul still knew that God’s Spirit would supply words for his prayers. Hope can only come into play, he pointed out, when we are not quite able to see the realization of our dreams as yet. Hope can only come into play when we can live in serene confidence that the future by the grace of God does indeed hold what we need. Paul’s words speak for themselves. The limitations of the moment were not of concern for Paul, nor should those limitations be a concern for us ... because the accent of our song falls upon the saving power of God, not on any mere human enterprise or effort. Beneath the surface of everything, the Sovereign action of God is at work, and we can only rejoice and cooperate with that grace.

We gather at Vespers, a time commonly presumed by our modern world as the end of the day and therefore filled primarily with gratitude for whatever work may now be completed. So it is indeed with a humble sense of gratitude for all the wonderful work done here in the Archdiocese over these many decades that I welcome you this evening.

A more biblical mind would see in the stars the first glimmer of a new day yet to come. For the ancient world the day began after sunset, and therefore a prayer at Vespers was already filled with eager expectation as well as gratitude. Evening after evening, for thousands upon thousands of years, at this hour a new dawn for all of us is being prepared by God.

I have lived long enough, Archbishop Dolan, to know that unpacking one’s suitcase is much easier than transplanting one’s heart, but I can assure your Mother and family and friends from Saint Louis that we will do everything we can to help create a home for you here in this Archdiocese. Our generous hard working priests and deacons, our parish directors, our religious, our deeply committed lay ministers, seminary students and parishioners everywhere already live and work rooted in the hope which Paul described this evening. United in the Risen Lord with the Church Universal, and humbly confident in God’s saving presence we look forward to many years of pastoral cooperation with you.

If we have been able to train our tongues to include the name of “Rembert” in our daily Eucharist, “Timothy” should be a snap!

You arrive with an episcopal motto which suggests a question and which initiates a dialogue ... like Peter himself, you ask, “Ad quem ibimus / To whom shall we go?” It is a question we now share, all of us, not out of mindless confusion but out of our common conviction. To the Lord, Risen and Victorious, we turn, now and always.

We look forward to many years of explaining the answer to that question provided by John’s Gospel ... an answer expressed in ways which our world can understand clearly. Once again it is the Spirit of God alone who supplies the words and the faith to utter them with confidence and conviction. They are words which must overflow into our actions to relieve the hungers and hurts of a world bruised by injustice and violence. Our strong Milwaukee heritage of faith and justice, of liturgy and life, our commitment to deal with the evil of racism which, sad to say, still infects our soil, are the garments we wear as we welcome you this evening, Archbishop Dolan, and we pray that our years together may be many and fruitful, filled with hope and very happy. I conclude with the same invitation I raised from this very pulpit on Good Shepherd Sunday last April ... namely, let the Church say “Amen!”

+ Richard J. Sklba