Ordination rehearsal culminates weeks of planning

Participants, under the direction of Father Albert Kenney, director of the Liturgy, reviewed their roles in the ordination rite.

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, principal ordaining bishop, began the rehearsal with a prayer in thanksgiving for the gift of a new auxiliary bishop.

“It is a very special and historical day for our diocese,” Bishop Tobin said, thanking all those who were responsible for planning the ordination liturgy and other events.

Father Timothy D. Reilly, vice chancellor, and one of the six masters of ceremonies, remarked that the new bishop is a devoted pastor who will grow in holiness.

“In the old days, they would have said that Bishop-elect Evans is a ‘priests’ priest,” he said. “His kindness, humor and love of the priesthood will only be deepened by his new office. It is a joy and a privilege to be here today.”

During the rehearsal, participants reviewed the sequence of events contained in the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop, including the Presentation of the Elect, Reading of the Apostolic Mandate, and Promise of the Elect, in which Bishop-elect Evans was questioned by Bishop Tobin about his resolve to uphold the faith and fulfill the responsibilities of the episcopal ministry.

Bishop-elect Evans noted that he had been preparing for his new office by attending a private retreat recently held at St. Anselm Abbey, Manchester, N.H., and by reading spiritual readings about the office and ministry of a bishop.

Father Kenney noted that diocesan officials have been preparing for a month and-a-half for the episcopal ordination.

“After weeks of preparation, it was just wonderful to come to the final day before the ordination, to walk through a beautiful ordination rite, and to see how excited and prayerful Bishop-elect Evans has been through the whole process,” said Father Kenney.

He added that it was “wonderful” to see the new bishop’s “inner peace” and the joy-filled interaction between Bishop Tobin and Bishop-elect Evans during the rehearsal.

“They very much complement each other,” Father Kenney added.

In preparation for the ordination, the Gregorian Concert Choir, under the direction of Msgr. Anthony Mancini, had been practicing for several weeks, and was joined at the Mass by the La Salle Academy Choir, led by Paula Fontes.

Msgr. Mancini noted that he composed a new musical piece for the ordination entitled “Saved in Hope,” or “Spei Salvi,” which is Bishop Evans’ motto and the title of an encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI. The musical piece was sung at Communion.

“It is a great day for the diocese,” said Msgr. Mancini. “The music will be very uplifting.”

Craig Seaman of Andover Organ Co. in Methuen, Mass., was busy last week tuning the cathedral’s massive Cassavant organ, built in Canada in 1972.

“Occasionally there are some mechanical issues, but this time every thing is working,” he acknowledged, adding that company employee Jon Ross was to be stationed in the Cathedral during the ordination to remedy any problems that arose.