Cardinal Fabio Baggio CS, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD), was ordained bishop in his hometown of Bassano del Grappa. Presiding over the rite was the Prefect of the Dicastery, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, with the participation of Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi and the Bishop of Vicenza, H.E. Monsignor Giuliano Brugnotto. Also present at the ceremony was Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of DPIHD.
During the Holy Mass about 50 priests concelebrated, many of them belonging to the Scalabrinian family and coming from various parts of the world to share the moment of joy, among them were the Superior General, Fr Leonir Mario Chiarello, the Vicar General, Fr Carlos Caetano Dias and the Bishop of Charleston (USA) Mgr Scalabrini.
Many were the faithful who showed their affection and gratitude to the new bishop, civil authorities, relatives, friends and colleagues. All crowded into the small church of the Holy Trinity and those who could not find a seat, followed the live broadcast in the theatre next door set up for the occasion.
The ceremony was conducted according to the usual rites of episcopal ordination with the presentation of the elected, dialogue with the celebrant, the laying on of hands, anointing with the sacred chrism, the handing over of the book of the Gospels and the ring, the imposition of the mitre and the handing over of the crosier.
During the homily, Card. Czerny commented on the Gospel of St Luke, emphasizing three verbs, three ‘musical notes that form a single harmonic chord’, a ‘key to indicate three essential aspects of the episcopal ministry’: to touch, to witness and to pray. Three verbs that the Prefect turned into as many deliveries entrusted to Card. Baggio, addressing him directly: ‘to deepen the capacity for listening that you have already shown yourself to exercise during your ministry as a Scalabrinian missionary’, ‘to let the Holy Spirit work more and more in you, making your existence a prism through which the light of Christ is reflected in the world’, and ‘to preserve in prayer your familiarity with God’.
At the end of the celebration, after hearing the greetings of Bishop Brugnotto, the deputy mayor of Bassano del Grappa Mariano Scotton and Sr Smerilli, Card. Baggio - Appointed titular bishop of Urusi by Pope Francis with the personal title of Archbishop - thanked all those present, recalling the special bond that brought each one of them to be part of his personal history and that, in various ways, marked the most important stages of his life: from childhood to adolescence, from the seminary to the missions, from work in the Holy See to episcopacy.
