Convocation in Europe Has Audience with Pope, Consecrates First Elected Bishop
Episcopal News Service. November 27, 2001 [2001-337]
Nell Toensmann, Press officer of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe
On November 17, participants meeting in Rome for the Convention of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe were granted an audience with Pope John Paul II, joining participants in the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, which had just concluded a week-long plenary session.
During his salutation to the Pope, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold brought greetings from the Episcopal Church and the Convocation and informed the Pope of the consecration of Pierre Welté Whalon as the next Bishop in Charge of the Episcopal churches in Europe, to take place the next day.
The Pope's communiqué was first addressed to the Pontifical Council, after which he addressed the Convocation with a greeting. He then personally greeted the bishops and other church leaders present in both of the delegations.
Whalon addressed the Pope with a traditional Christian greeting in Polish, to which the Pope responded in Polish. George Packard, suffragan bishop for the Armed Services, Healthcare and Prison Ministries, presented the Pope with a New York Fire Department pin at the request of the firefighters. Jeffery Rowthorn, Bishop in Charge of the Episcopal churches in Europe until the end of December, then offered a gift on behalf of the Convocation --a bronze designed by the sculptor, Peter Rockwell, a member of St. Paul's Within the Walls, Rome, the host church for the Convention.
Prayer and a papal blessing
The nine young people present, with ages ranging from almost four to 17bb, came forward and were each personally greeted by John Paul II, who was visibly delighted with their presence, offering an occasional hug. Nina Meigs of Emmanuel Church in Geneva read a prayer, written especially for this occasion:
"Holy Abba,
In a world filled with chaos and hatred,
we beg you to send peace and unity.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us,
so that all who are marked as Christ's own
may overcome the scandal of division.
Open the eyes of every woman and man,
that we may see that we are all children of the one Father,
alive solely to bring glory to his holy name.
Grant those beginning their walk of Faith
strength to persevere and wisdom to realize
that nothing surpasses chasing after you.
Help us all to remember that there is
no strength except the strength of love,
no power except the power of the humble,
and no relief except in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
The Pope then joined the joint delegation for photographs before he conferred his blessing on the approximately 220 participants in the audience.
First European consecration
The day after the audience with the Pope, Whalon was consecrated in Rome to serve as the first-ever elected Bishop in Charge for the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. Prior to Whalon's election, the bishop had been appointed by the presiding bishop, and from 1974 until 1994, this position was held by a part-time retired bishop.
Whalon, who is the 973rd bishop of the Episcopal Church, assumes his duties January 1, 2002, succeeding Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn, who has held the full-time position since January 1994. At the time of the election, Whalon, who has both French and American citizenship, was serving as rector of St. Andrews Church and School in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Before the overflowing multinational and multicultural congregation assembled at St. Paul's Within the Walls, Whalon was presented for consecration by members of the Convocation who represented the five European countries in which the Episcopal churches are located (Belgium, France, German, Italy and Switzerland), by a representative of the other-language ministry that is expanding in Europe, and joined by the president of the Board of Foreign Parishes.
In addition to Griswold, who presided as chief consecrator, six bishops--representing not only five different countries, but five different churches either within the Anglican Communion or in communion with the Anglican Church--were invited to participate as co-consecrators.
Lessons were offered in English and Spanish, the Gospel was read in English, French and Italian, and the music was offered by both a special Convocation Choir representing the churches and mission congregations within the Convocation, the singer Deborah Bly, and musicians from the Latin American congregation in Rome.
Transcending boundaries
In his consecration sermon, Griswold spoke of how the ordination of a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States taking place in Europe transcends national and ecclesiastical boundaries and cultures and reminds us that we live not to ourselves alone, but within binding relationships. He also spoke of the importance of moving beyond a world of self interest to establishing new relationships, which has been very much in evidence since the events of September 11.
The service continued with the new bishop celebrating the Eucharist and a special sung Lord's Prayer in Spanish. At the conclusion of the service, the Canterbury Cross, which began its pilgrimage in Canterbury in August 1997 and visited all of the Convocation churches and mission congregations during the celebration of the 1400th anniversary of St. Augustine's journey to England, was then presented to representatives from Emmanuel Church, Geneva, host to the 2002 Convocation convention. Whalon then pronounced the blessing in the six languages of the convocation: Italian, Chinese, German, Spanish, French and English.
In addition to the consecrating bishops, other participating bishops included Edward L. Lee, Jr., Diocese of Western Michigan; J. Michael Garrison, Diocese of Western New York; William J. Skilton, suffragan of the Diocese of South Carolina, representing the Standing Commission on World Mission; Christopher Epting, deputy for ecumenical relations; George Packard, suffragan of the Armed Forces, Health Care and Prison Ministries; as well as Richard Garrard, the new director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See, installed just two days before at All Saints' Church in Rome.
Clergy participating in the service included the Rev. George Werner, president of the House of Deputies; the Rev. Carlson Gerdau, canon to the presiding bishop, and the Rev. John Peterson, Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council An additional 39 priests and deacons from the Episcopal Church, resident in Europe with the Convocation or as military chaplains, in addition to visitors from the United States, the Church of England, and Old Catholic Church were vested and joined the lengthy procession into the church.
The gifts to the new bishop included a crosier presented by the Convocation of American Churches, designed and created by the Italian artist David Maria Massei, who specializes in custom woodwork. It was carved from iroko, a hard, resistant African wood, with nine inlaid crosses shaped from wood common to or characteristic of the region of each of the parishes of the Convocation: olive from Florence, grape vine from Wiesbaden, cherry from Frankfurt, fir from Paris, beech from Waterloo, Swiss Alpine pine from Geneva, chestnut from Rome, horse chestnut from Munich, and beech from Clermont-Ferrand.
Click here to read the sermon by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold on the consecration of Pierre Wahlon.