Christ is risen!

Yesterday was a great day for the Diocese of Oakland with the Installation of our new Bishop Salvatore Cordileone. There were so many blessings!!! I will only focus here on the great joy I felt when I saw Father Thomas Loya of the Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church, and Father Moses of Holy Resurrection Monastery in the procession. I couldn't believe my eyes!

They of course were very obvious in their Eastern liturgical garb in the sea of Roman Catholic vestments. And Fr. Loya being well over 6 feet is easy to spot.

So many people spoke to me later in the day about seeing "those priests, who/what were they?" Their presence made such an impact. I am so, so grateful they made the trip, both really had long trips to get here.

I was aware of Bishop Cordileone's connection with ECCs in San Diego Diocese, his attendance at the Orientale Lumen Conference in San Diego and his having spent retreat time at the Holy Resurrection Monastery. Fr. Loya said he and Bishop Cordileone had been students together in Rome.

Father Loya was able to stay for the fiesta after the Mass so many people got to talk with him I believe, again from all the people who mentioned his presence to me. I saw him for a few short moments when I got breaks from my volunteer duties. I was so happy to be able to introduce one of my former parish priests, Fr. Ray Z, to him. I'm always teasing Fr Ray that he is really Byzantine and just doesn't know it. They are both artists and were starting to chat about their art when I ran back to my post.

I spoke to the person in charge of Theology of the Body instruction for our Diocese and asked if he'd gotten to talk to Fr Tom. He said yes and that they're planning on Father coming to do some TOB teaching here!

It was raining all morning, but during Mass the rains broke up and by the time of the fiesta people were able to roam the plaza and only the food was under the big tents. It was Cinco de Mayo, a perfect day for celebrating our new Bishop in a way he and we are used to-- lots of great Mexican food, dancing and mariachi musicians!

Keep our "heart of a lion" bishop in your prayers.

(I know we do have some bi-ritual priests in our Diocese. I wish they would wear their Eastern Rite vestments to such occasions, make others aware of the presence of the ECC communities here. The First Reading in the Mass yesterday was read in Eritrean which was great. So I imagine some others from our local Ge'ez Catholic community were present, besides the lector.)

Thanks for sharing.

I know Fr. Loya through the site of his Parish.

Many years to the new Bishop!

May God grant many years to Bishop Salvatore.

The Eritrean Catholic community in Oakland is among, if not, the oldest in the US and possibly the largest and best served, as well as being parent to the other 2 Eritrean communities in the Bay Area.

As regards bi-ritual clergy, unless the occasion was an Eastern liturgical celebration, it would technically be inappropriate for them to wear Eastern vesture (and it's also likely that few have a vestment set of their own).

Many years,

Neil

Neil- Thanks for both those pieces of information.

I now think it also wasn't Father Moses of Holy Resurrection Monastery in the procession with Father Loya. The Dominican Deacon who is assisting with Divine Liturgy yesterday mentioned one of the monks stayed with them at their priory. I think he said it was Fr. Abbot Nicholas, so probably he was the monk in attendance.

One of the local Eritrean priests celebrated Mass, ie Latin Rite, for us this year at a training program I'm in so I guess he is bi-ritual as well.

I'm still crazy excited about what a wonderful day it was and how blest I felt to be able to be present as a volunteer helping is some small way to help it happen.

-Marylouise

Fr Maximos stayed with the OP's in the Bay Area while doing his Masters.

I gather various of the monks have stayed at St. Albert's Priory over time. It's a lovely place.

I know Father Maximos so had it been him I'd have recognized him. We spend a long time chatting in the San Diego airport after the Orientale Lumen conference last summer. Is he originally from your area? The HRM monks I only know from print and from the "Word from the Wise" YouTube interviews, and "Cooking with Abbot Nicholas & Fr. Moses" on Eastern Christian Media :-)

the new issue of our Diocesan paper "The Catholic Voice" just came with lots of photos: http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org

MaryLouise,

Many, if not most Eritrean priests - and those of their parent Ethiopian Church - are biritual due to the curious canonical structure in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In Ethiopia, all 3 of the diocesan level jurisdictions are Eparchies. The only Latin jurisdictions are either Vicariate Apostolics (5) or Prefecture Apostolics (2). The Vicariates and Prefectures are geographically distinct as to their areas of pastoral responsibility, as are the Eparchies - there is no overlap between Eastern and Latin jurisdictions - perhaps the only place in the world where such is the case (I can't think of another instance).

In Eritrea, there are no Latin jurisdictions at all, only 3 Eparchies.

This came about because there are virtually no indigenous Ethiopians who are Latin and the resident Latin communities principally inhabit particular areas of the country. Latins are likewise virtually unknown among Eritrea's indigenous population and its foreign Latin comunity is very small. However, the necessity to pastorally serve those of the 'other - minority - Church' (whichever it might be) living in a given area has created a nearly seamless presbyterate among both those of the Ge'ez Tradition and the Latins - biritualism is the order of the day on both sides.

The only other place of which I'm aware where one finds bi-ritualism to this extent among Eastern clergy is in India, where its common among both the Malankara and, most especially, the Malabarese, who have an incredible vocations base and fill clergy voids all over the world.

Many years,

Neil

HRM informs that Archimandrite Nicholas (Abbot) attended the installation ceremony. The bishop is a close friend of the monastic community.

Gracias! I'm sorry he wasn't free to stay for the fiesta but so glad he was there for the installation! Are he and Father Maximos from your area originally?

Not quiet the same area. Continent might be a better description. Fr Nicholas was brought up in Melbourne in the state of Victoria and Fr Maximos close to Sydney in the state of New South Wales (rival states from way back). While I come from the other side of the continent on the shores of the Indian ocean. We have been described as the most isolated capital due the ocean and huge uninhabited deserts cutting us off from the world.

Sort of like some coming from Florida and someone else coming from northern Alaska, all are USA but one hell of distance (in more ways that just geography) from each other.

The Cathedral website has put up video of the Installation. I've only had time to watch the first clip: Preludes by the Installation Choir, Procession of Clergy. Judging by the little tracker, about half way into the clip, during the Procession of Clergy, you can see Father Abbot Nicholas and Father Loya a couple times, first outside and then entering the church.

http://www.ctlcathedral.org/videos/may2009/videos.shtml

This is how i saw what I did see of the Installation, by camera. They had big screens up in the conference room downstairs at ground level for the overflow crowd and those of us who needed to come and go to watch our posts. It brings tears to my eyes again watching it.

As I mentioned before it was raining all morning so it was great that the rains stopped when the clergy had their fairly long procession outdoors at a rather slow pace from down where I was, along the side of the property and up the Pilgrim's Path.