Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois
October 1, 2022
Your Grace Bishop Daniel, I greet you today with joy, joy for you and joy for your flock. But it is not just I who have come to visit the cathedral for your enthronement.
The kontakion for today’s feast speaks of the holy hierarchs coming to stand together with us in the Church, praying for us together with the Theotokos.
It is therefore perhaps especially appropriate, on the occasion of your enthronement as Bishop of Chicago and the Midwest, to recall the words of one of those holy hierarchs who stands together invisibly with us today.
These are a few of the words of the holy hieroconfessor Anthony (Abashidze), then known as Bishop Demetrius, at the time of his episcopal ordination:
My entire being entered a state of trepidation and turmoil when I heard the voice calling me to the episcopate… The Lamb of the Eternal Testament, who was slain for the sins of the world, the Savior God, the only Shepherd of our souls, our one Teacher and Instructor, Jesus Christ, is now calling me to himself on Golgotha…
Of course, Your Grace has already experienced something of the burdens and trials of the episcopal ministry prior to being enthroned as a diocesan hierarch. Your Grace knows that this ministry involves an intimate identification with the Savior, an intimate association with the Crucified.
But each of us who is called to the hierarchical ministry does not act alone. We are not lonely heroes, going to meet our fates. We are instead links in a chain, connecting Christ and his apostles with the Body of Christ assembled around us today in the Orthodox Church in America.
The grace we possess has been passed down to us by the laying on of hands, and the teaching with which we are entrusted has been vouchsafed to our care by word of mouth and by letter. It is up to us, with the assistance of our presbyterate and other clergy, to pass on the grace of the sacraments and the preaching of the Gospel to all the faithful, to all the crowds who hunger for the heavenly Bread and thirst for the Water of life.
In this, we are assisted by the prayers of our brother-bishops, and by the intercessions of our clergy and faithful. We can look to the Mother of God and all the saints. But most especially, we can look to those who came before us and served as bishops and high priests in the Church of Christ and who are now glorified in heaven and on earth.
The troparion to Saint Nicholas, which serves as a general troparion for all bishop-saints, tells us some of the characteristics that all these men had in common.
Their very life was a rule of faith. They did not deviate from the saving Gospel, from the faith delivered once and for all to the saints.
They were icons of humility. They did not rule by the letter of the law, by despotic power, by ego and self-righteousness. Rather, they crucified their desires, their pride, their vainglory. They were meek when it came to their own prerogatives but strong when it came to the truth of the faith and the well-being of their flock. Thus they humbled themselves before God and man.
Finally, they were teachers of abstinence. The Church sojourns in this world awhile, but it is not of this world. The bishop must always be the first to direct his eyes toward our heavenly homeland rather than strictly earthly concerns, whether these concerns be personal or institutional.
The holy hierarchs whose names we know are very numerous, and how many are unknown? They range from the famed, like Saint Nicholas, to the somewhat obscure, like the aforementioned hieroconfessor and schema-archbishop Anthony, to those who are, to us, completely anonymous.
And so, even as you look continuously to cultivate a good relationship with your brother-bishops on the Holy Synod, I urge you also to foster your devotion to some of the holy hierarchs who have run a good race before you. Deepen your pastoral relationship with your flock, and also deepen your friendship with some of your holy forebears in your episcopal ministry.
It is with the help of the whole Church, living and departed, on earth and in heaven, that you accept the throne of Chicago and the Midwest, this Golgotha of the ego to which Our Lord himself calls you.
As you ascend this throne—as you ascend the cross that Christ has appointed for you—it is my prayer that you, too, Bishop Daniel, will always truly appear to your flock as a rule of faith, an icon of humility, and a teacher of abstinence, taking as your model the holy hierarchs down through the centuries.
Rely on their prayers, on the prayers of your flock, and on the intercessions of the Mother of God, putting your ultimate trust in the Crucified Savior, whose minister you are. And as you rely on the prayers of others, so always pray for others.
We rejoice in this joyful occasion. The ministry you have received is a cross, but it is through the Cross that joy and salvation have come into the world. And I, together with all your brother-bishops, your clergy and your faithful, and the entire Orthodox Church in America are available to support you in your ministry.
Through the prayerful protection of the most holy Theotokos and the intercession of all the holy hierarchs, may Our Lord Jesus Christ keep you, have mercy on you, grant you many blessed years on the throne of Chicago and the Midwest, and vouchsafe you salvation and a place in the mansion of the righteous in the age to come.
With this exhortation, I bless you to:
[Here follows the prayer of the bestowing of the Pastoral Staff]
Receive this pastoral staff that you may lead the flock of Christ entrusted to your care. May the Lord Himself be your strength and support in your exercise of the archpastoral ministry in this God-Protected diocese. We ask you now to ascend the Episcopal Cathedra and give your blessing to those who have taken part in this celebration and to all Christ’s flock.