Richard Henning was officially welcomed into the Archdiocese of Boston as the tenth bishop and seventh archbishop at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
“I don’t have the words to express all of the emotions I feel this day, but I hope and pray that I will find the wisdom and the strength to give myself away completely to this beautiful church and to serve you with all my strength for the years to come,” Henning addressed a massive crowd of clergy and congregation in the cathedral Thursday.
Pope Francis announced the appointment of Henning, 59, former Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, on Aug. 5. Henning takes over for Cardinal Sean O’Malley, 80, the long-time head of the Catholic church in Boston.
Over 1,400 gathered in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Thursday, including the “Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, five additional cardinals, five archbishops, more than 50 bishops, nearly 500 priests, religious, deacons, seminarians, and the laity,” the archdiocese said. Interfaith community leaders, government officials including Mayor Michelle Wu, Henning’s parents and others also joined.
Henning began the ceremony with the traditional knock on the door of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, met with a hug by Cardinal O’Malley.
O’Malley was appointed archbishop in Boston in 2003 and made a cardinal by by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, serving over 20 years as the head of the Archdiocese of Boston before reaching the customary age of retirement this year. He took over in the midst of Boston’s clergy sex abuse scandal and served as a member of the Council of Cardinals and head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
“(O’Malley) has done remarkable things here and in a lot of ways, I think it’s not so much the skills as the authenticity of the man that guided his flock through really difficult days and helped them to find healing in the Lord,” Henning said on Catholic TV. “I stand in awe of that legacy. I have no illusions that I will replace him. I will do my best to follow him.”
Henning declined to list priorities, saying his first instinct is “to visit, to listen, to see,” but said some broader key areas are the priests, Catholic education and formation of the faith.
Henning also spoke to the lasting impact of the sex abuse scandal, saying protecting children is a “central commitment that I’ve made in my life” and telling survivors “they matter to us.”
“Many victims feel as though the retirement of Cardinal O’Malley and installation of Archbishop Henning will create a new layer of irresponsiveness,” said Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney for people sexually abused by members of the Archdiocese of Boston. “Archbishop Henning may say the right things about clergy sexual abuse but will not put into place any meaningful programs to protect children from being sexually abused or to help victims try to heal.”
The new archbishop also touched on the upcoming election, encouraging people to pray, look for wisdom and vote.
Before ending the ceremony passing out free Halloween candy, Henning also noted one frequent question since the announcement of his appointment is his baseball allegiances.
“I will count on your prayers,” Henning told the congregation gathered. “I will count on our partnership with the Lord in His work of healing and reconciliation. I guess the best thing I could say to you is that as of this day, I am yours, and you are mine. I’m going to hold off on that question about the Red Sox though.”