Story By Mary Kay McPartlin
The sun shone on the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 6 for the installation of Most Reverend Andrew H. Cozzens as the eighth bishop for the Diocese of Crookston. Archbishops and bishops, priests and deacons, Bishop Cozzens’ family, and the lay faithful from multiple dioceses and archdioceses braved the aftermath of a weekend blizzard to gather and celebrate a new shepherd taking charge of his flock.
Before Mass Bishop Cozzens’ family led a rosary to pray for priests and vocations.
A brass quintet performed “Memorare” by Christine Heidgerken as a prelude to Mass. The processional hymn “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven,” began the celebration.
After the clergy processed to their places, Bishop Cozzens knocked on the cathedral door. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis opened the door and presented Bishop Cozzens to Father Joseph Richards, rector of the cathedral, who received the bishop. Accompanied by his entourage, Bishop Cozzens entered the cathedral.
Given an aspergillum and aspersorium, Bishop Cozzens processed through the nave and blessed those in attendance with holy water. While Archbishop Hebda went to the cathedra, Bishop Cozzens assumed his place around the altar.
The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Christophe Pierre also took his seat in the sanctuary. Archbishop Hebda made the sign of the cross and greeted the congregation before introducing Archbishop Pierre who presided over the Rite of Canonical Possession.
He recognized the gift of Bishop Cozzens’ service in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Pierre referenced Pope Francis’ Beatitudes for Bishops, highlighting the seventh beatitude,
Blessed is the bishop that works for peace, who accompanies the paths of reconciliation, who sows in the heart of the presbyterate the seed of communion, who accompanies a divided society on the pathway of reconciliation, who takes by hand every man and every woman of good will in order to build fraternity: God will recognize him as his son.
“Give your heart to God, the Virgin Mary and your people,” Archbishop Pierre said to Bishop Cozzens.
He then commanded the diocesan priests to announce the news of their new shepherd to all the Catholic faithful as soon as possible.
“As soon as possible,” he repeated a second time, pointing at the clergy and smiling.
Archbishop Pierre read a translation of the Apostolic Mandate. He handed the mandate to Bishop Cozzens who received it with a smile and showed the document to the consultors before walking it through the congregation. Multiple rounds of clapping and cheers accompanied his journey through the cathedral.
As Bishop Cozzens returned to the altar, Archbishop Hebda escorted him to the cathedra where he was formally seated. Another joyful round of applause rang out.
As the new bishop for the Diocese of Crookston, community and diocesan representatives processed to the altar to offer individual greetings and welcome.
A spirited Gloria was sung by the congregation preceding the Liturgy of the Word. The first reading, Is 54:1-10 was proclaimed by Robert Durant, a representative of the Native American Catholics in the diocese.
Psalm 89, “The Goodness of the Lord,” was sung, followed by the second reading, 2 Cor 5:14-20, proclaimed in Spanish by Sr. Lucy Perez-Calixto.
After the gospel, Jn 15:1-8, was read by Deacon Tom Cerar, Bishop Cozzens blessed the congregation with the Book of the Gospels. He began his homily by greeting in Spanish the Hispanic faithful.
Switching back to English, Bishop Cozzens shared how in medieval times on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day, a boy would be ordained as bishop. Although he didn’t choose Dec. 6 for that reason, his hope is to serve the Diocese of Crookston well beyond St. Stephen Day, when the boy bishop would relinquish his office.
With warmth and a smile, Bishop Cozzens spoke of how Christians are blessed by God’s love and always have hope they are watched over by the Father.
“Our God is a God who saves,” he said. “We have hope because God has come to save us.”
Hope, a powerful weapon for Christians, is different than many people think.
“Hope, however, is not mere optimism, nor is it Pollyannish positive thinking,” Bishop Cozzens said. “You know those things we tell ourselves when we don’t want to face sadness or evil … ‘It will all work out. It is all going to be okay. It is not that big of a deal.’ These sayings may numb our feelings of sadness for the moment, but they are not hope.”
“Christian hope does not ignore or downplay the reality of evil,” he continued. “We proclaim a hope that is stronger than evil. Christian hope is rooted in the paschal mystery, it is rooted in the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God has shown us that he will be faithful to his promises.”
Although evil is in the world, Christian joy through hope will lead the faithful through all battles. “Thus, we are not afraid to face evil, not afraid to expose evil, not even afraid to acknowledge our sins and weakness, for Christ has conquered all this evil through his death and resurrection and has given us reason to hope,” said Bishop Cozzens.
The path forward is clear to the bishop. “The Diocese of Crookston has been through real difficulties and struggles – it will not help us to pretend these did not happen or do not exist,” he said. “To have real hope we must face difficulties and struggles head on. With your help we will do that together. Where there have been failures, we must repent for them. We must be ready to seek and to give forgiveness. This means each of us looking at the wounds in our hearts and being willing to seek God’s healing through forgiveness. In the Church we call this work reconciliation.”
The work of reconciliation in the diocese is just beginning. “This is what we do in the Church, we seek to reconcile ourselves to God and through God to each other,” said Bishop Cozzens. “We do this by facing our sin, seeking forgiveness for sin, receiving the mercy which flows from the cross of Jesus. And we know that through this reconciliation, God forgives, heals, and makes new. My brothers and sisters, this is the source of our hope. Healing and reconciliation are possible, no matter the sin and failure. I have seen this to be true even for victims of sexual abuse of the clergy, which as we know is the worst kind of abuse. In God all things are possible.”
Bishop Cozzens encouraged the Catholics of the diocese to accept God’s call to be missionaries and evangelize as Christ and the apostles did, something Pope Francis has emphasized throughout his papacy.
“ My brothers and sisters, today is not about me, it is about the Church of Crookston. Somebody needs to be the bishop, and that is me, but we are all called to be missionaries, and this is what the world needs from us! It is what the people of Northwestern Minnesota need from us. It is the one thing that only we can do — proclaim the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.”
At the closing of his homily, he referenced this year’s sugar beet crop. Bishop Cozzens explained this was a record year for sugar beets despite the drought that gripped the region.
The beets had to dig down deep to get the water they needed, which made them grow larger. Bishop Cozzens said, “Lord Jesus, this is our prayer. Rain down your grace upon the Diocese of Crookston. Let the stretching and pain we have experienced lead to a deep harvest of your grace. Let us grow deep roots in you, so that you may bear abundant fruit for the salvation of souls in us.”
Mass continued with petitions. During the preparation of the altar and the presentation of the gifts by Bishop Cozzens’ nieces and nephews, the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus vocal ensemble sang “Totus Tuus (Praebe Nobis Cor Tuum)” by Christine Heidgerken.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Cozzens, as all the clergy in attendance recited the Eucharistic Prayer with him. After singing The Lord’s Prayer, a joyful exchange of the sign of peace was shared.
After Communion, Bishop Cozzens thanked everyone for celebrating with him, and had a special thank you to his parents.
“I’m very grateful to my mother and father for all you have given me,” he said.
He also shared with the people of the diocese, “I look forward to many many days with you.”
Mass concluded with the Invitation and Episcopal Blessing, and Bishop Cozzens left the nave to “Oh God, Beyond All Praising.” As he passed through the sanctuary doors another round of applause greeted him, as friends and family, old and new, shared their happiness at the joyful conclusion to the Installation Mass.
Bishop Cozzens’ ministry within the diocese began in the cathedral school gymnasium with special cookies to mark the special day.
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