A journey with the faithful and the Holy Spirit

Most Rev Robert McGuckin, Bishop of Toowoomba. Photography: Bev Lacey and Nev Masden.

Catholic Outlook, August 2012

The Episcopal Ordination of Most Rev Robert McGuckin DD MCL JCL as the sixth Bishop of Toowoomba was celebrated in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Toowoomba, on Wednesday 11 July 2012, the Feast of St Benedict. His appointment was announced by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 May 2012.

Bishop McGuckin is the first priest of the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta to be raised to the episcopacy. Prior to his appointment to Toowoomba, he had served as Vicar General in the Diocese of Parramatta and Moderator of the Curia since 1997.

Four archbishops, 24 bishops, more than 80 priests and five deacons took part in the ordination Mass and ceremony.

The Archbishop of Brisbane, Most Rev Mark Coleridge, was the ordaining prelate with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, and the Bishop of Parramatta, Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, the co-consecrators.

It was at Bishop McGuckin’s request that his predecessor, Bishop Bill Morris, handed him the crozier and walked him to the cathedra.

Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See, John McCarthy QC, attended the ceremonies along with civic and community leaders, representatives of other Christian denominations and other faiths.

Interstate guests joined delegates from parishes of the Diocese of Toowoomba. The ceremonies were witnessed by 1500 of the faithful, both inside St Patrick’s and in a marquee that was erected in the cathedral grounds.

The ceremony included a presentation by Lusiana Kuriuci of the Tribunal Office of the Archdiocese of Suva of a lei she had made in honour of Bishop McGuckin’s service to the Fijian Church.

Bishop McGuckin paid tribute to Bishop Morris. “I wanted Bishop Morris involved (in the ceremonies),” he said. “He's been bishop of the diocese for many years. He's a wonderful man.”

Bishop McGuckin said he identified with the words of St Augustine: ‘For you I am Bishop, but with you I am a Christian.’

“I am not daunted by this because I know I don’t journey alone. You also journey with me, as does the Holy Spirit,” he said.

“To all of you in this vast Diocese, I pray God’s blessing upon you and I hope to visit and meet as many of you as soon as possible as together we work to build up the Kingdom of God in this special place.

“Please pray for me as I will for you.”

The web stream of the Mass and photos are archived on the Diocese of Toowoomba’s website at: www.tbw.catholic.org.au

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