The Installation of a Bishop

The Installation of a Bishop

The Installation of a Bishop is an occasional service of the Reformed Episcopal Church used for the induction, investiture, and installation of a bishop in his office.

Overview

This service orders the ceremonial installation of a bishop, including the reading of authority, induction, investiture, seating, prayers, and blessing.

Full Text of the Service

¶ The Institutor shall be the Presiding Bishop, or a Bishop or Priest appointed by him. The Warden of the service and other Ministers shall be Clergy and Laity of the Diocese, appointed by the Institutor.

The Induction

¶ When Ministers and People have assembled in the Church, all shall stand facing the door. The Warden shall close the door, and wait inside to open it. The Bishop, standing outside with his attendants, shall knock on the door three times, saying,

OPEN me the gates of righteousness, that I may go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord.

¶ The Warden shall open the door, and say,

HE that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the porter openeth.

¶ The Bishop shall enter the Church, stopping inside the door. As he enters trumpets may be sounded or bells may be rung. Then he shall make his Petition, as follows.

I N., whom God hath ordained to be a shepherd and servant, whom also you have chosen, coming before you in all humility, desire to be Inducted, and Invested, as Bishop of ————, and to be Installed in the Chair of this Church pertaining to this Office.

¶ The Warden shall reply,

WE are ready and willing to do so. But that all men may know that we do act according to the Canons of the Church, we require that the Certificate of Election be read in your presence, and in the presence of this congregation.

¶ Then the Clerk shall read aloud the said document. After which the Warden shall conduct the Bishop to the chancel gate. Meanwhile a Hymn may be sung.

¶ Having arrived before the Institutor, who shall sit in a chair at the chancel gate, the Warden shall say,

MOST Reverend Father in God, we present unto you our Bishop to be Inducted, Invested, and Installed in his Office.

¶ Then the Institutor, still seated, shall say,

BY the authority committed unto me, and with the consent of those who have chosen you, I induct you, Right Reverend Father in God, N., as Bishop of ————, with all the temporal and spiritual rights and responsibilities of the same; In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Investiture

¶ Then the Institutor and Warden shall conduct the Bishop before the Holy Table. Meanwhile the Cantor shall say responsively with the people the following Antiphon and Psalm.

Antiphon. I will give you pastors according to mine heart, * which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Dominus regit me. Psalm 23

THE Lord is my shepherd;

Therefore can I lack nothing.

He shall feed me in a green pasture;

And lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.

He shall convert my soul;

And bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of them that trouble me;

Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.

Surely thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

¶ Then the Lector, standing before the Altar, facing the Bishop, shall read the Lesson, as follows.

Hear the words of the Apostle Peter.

The Lesson. 1 St. Peter 5:2-4

FEED the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

¶ Then the Institutor may take from the Altar the Pastoral Staff and give it to the Bishop, saying,

I N the name and behalf of the Diocese of ————, I do receive and acknowledge you, Right Reverend Father in God, N., as Bishop of the same; (and in token thereof give into your hands the Pastoral Staff ).

¶ The Bishop, (holding the Pastoral Staff,) shall place his right hand on a Bible, held by the Warden, and shall take his Oath, as follows.

I N., Bishop in the Church of God, now inducted and acknowledged by you as the Bishop of this Diocese (receive this Staff at your hands, as the pledge of my institution, and of your recognition, and) promise to be a faithful shepherd unto you; So help me God, and the contents of this Book.

The Installation

¶ Then the Institutor and Warden shall conduct the Bishop to his Chair.

Meanwhile a suitable Hymn or Anthem may be sung.

¶ The Hymn or Anthem being ended, the Warden shall bow to the Bishop, and say,

RIGHT Reverend Father in God, we Install you in the Chair pertaining to your Office, and we salute you as Bishop of ————, in which may our Lord Jesus Christ preserve and keep you.

¶ Then the people shall say,

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

¶ And the Bishop, still seated, shall reply,

And with thy spirit.

¶ Here trumpets may be sounded or bells may be rung. Then the Clerk shall say,

SO now is our Right Reverend Father and Faithful Pastor really and lawfully Inducted, Invested, and Installed.

Wherefore it is incumbent upon us to thank God upon the occasion, and to petition the Divine Majesty: that this his servant may be blest in the execution of his office, and that he, together with the people committed to his charge, may at last attain unto eternal life.

The Prayers for the Bishop

¶ Then all still standing, the Bishop alone kneeling at his Chair, the Institutor, standing before him, shall say with the people the Kyrie and the Lord’s Prayer.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

O Lord, save thy servant;

Who putteth his trust in thee.

Send him help from thy holy place;

And evermore mightily defend him.

Be unto him a strong tower;

From the face of the enemy.

Lord, hear our prayer;

And let our cry come unto thee.

O GOD, great in power, unsearchable in understanding, wondrous in counsels towards the children of men: Do thou fill with the gift of the Holy Spirit him whom thou hast willed to undertake this ministry; that he may be worthy to stand before thy holy Altar unblameably, to announce the Gospel of thy kingdom, to administer the Word of thy truth, to offer gifts and spiritual sacrifices unto thee, and to renew thy people in the font of Regeneration; that, at the second coming of thine only-begotten Son, he may go forth to meet him, and by the multitude of thy mercies receive his reward;

through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

¶ Then the Institutor shall bless the Bishop, saying,

THE God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

¶ Then the Te Deum or a Hymn may be sung, and the Bishop, or someone appointed may deliver an Address.

The Prayers of the Bishop

¶ Then the Bishop shall go to the Altar and kneel before it, all others kneeling with him, and say this Prayer.

O LORD, attend our supplications; and graciously hearken unto me, who am the first to need thy mercy; and as thou hast made me the Minister of this work, not by choosing me on account of merit, but by the gift of thy grace, so give me confidence to perform thine office; and do thou thyself, by our ministration, fulfill the purpose of thine own lovingkindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ If the Holy Communion is to follow, this office shall end here, the following Collect being used as the Collect of the Day in the Liturgy.

Otherwise, the Bishop, standing, shall say the following.

O LORD, we beseech thee, graciously to cast thy light upon thy Church; that thy flock may everywhere go on and prosper, and its pastors, by thy governance, may become acceptable to thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

¶ Then, turning to the people, the Bishop shall give them his Blessing, saying,

THE Almighty Trinity and one true God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, grant you to desire him wholly, to know him truly, and to love him sincerely; and bestow upon you such perseverance in his faith and love that he may bring you hereafter to himself and his unchangeable glory, world without end. Amen.

¶ When the Bishop is to be Installed at the time of his Consecration, the Acts of Induction, Investiture, and Installation, and such other parts of this service as the Presiding Bishop shall think convenient, shall be used immediately after the Consecration and before the continuation of the Liturgy.

Notes on Use

• Use when a bishop is formally installed under the direction of the Presiding Bishop or appointed institutor.
• Diocesan clergy and laity should be assigned their parts in advance.
• Prepare documents, symbols of office, seating, and procession carefully.

Liturgical Structure

• Induction at the door
• Reading of authority
• Presentation to the institutor
• Investiture and installation
• Psalm and lessons
• Prayers and blessing

Theological Themes

• Apostolic oversight and pastoral charge.
• The church's public reception of a bishop's ministry.
• Shepherding, teaching, and guarding the flock of Christ.

Source

This text is transcribed from the official Reformed Episcopal Church PDF.

See Also

• Book of Common Prayer
• Reformed Episcopal Church
• Anglican liturgy
• Book of Occasional Services (Reformed Episcopal Church)