Last Saturday, September 10, 2011 His Eminence Jean Claude Cardinal Turcotte, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Montreal presided over the Episcopal ordination of Bishop-elect Christian Lépine and Bishop-elect Thomas Dowd, the new auxiliary bishops for Montreal.
On Saturday evening, the Montreal Catholic diocesan community gathered at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral “to petition the Holy Spirit to fill these new bishops with the grace they need to fulfill their Episcopal ministry” in the words of Cardinal Turcotte. The liturgical rite in which a priest becomes a bishop is very impressive. There are two essential moments, which constitute the very heart of the celebration: the imposition of hands and the prayer of ordination.
Cardinal Turcotte together with the present faithful asked the Lord our God to pour out his power upon Bishop-elect Lépine and Bishop-elect Dowd: the power of his sovereign Spirit that he gave to his beloved Son, who imparted the Spirit to the Apostles.
On behalf of the Armenian Church Canadian Diocese, Reverend Father Vazgen Boyajyan, Pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral of Montreal and Dn. Hagop Arslanian attended this religious ceremony and conveyed the greetings and congratulatory wishes of Primate Bagrat Galstanian to Cardinal Turcotte and the two Bishops.
The Episcopal ordination of Bishop-elect Lépine and Bishop-elect Dowd was a great source of spiritual joy. May they continue to live only for Christ and His Church.
