"Fan into flame the gift of God" and courageously live out the gifts of the Holy Spirit to a world currently crying out for hope, Archbishop Richard Moth exhorted the faithful on Feb. 14 at his installation Mass at Westminster Cathedral.
In his first homily as the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, and to a packed cathedral filled with clergy, religious leaders, civic leaders and lay faithful, Moth recalled the words of St. Paul to Timothy, insisting that God's call is not a summons to worldly power or domination, but to a life marked by self-control "guided, empowered by the Holy Spirit" and by a love that mirrors Christ's total self-giving on the cross.
He noted that he had heard that same passage from Scripture when he attended the episcopal consecration of one of his predecessors, Archbishop Cardinal Basil Hume, in 1976.
Describing this path as "Christ-like service," he said it brings faith, love and hope "to a world that, in our present age, cries out for hope."
The grace of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, he noted, is given to all the faithful, and their gifts are "fanned into flame" as they live out the mission entrusted to them
Moth, 67, had served as bishop of Arundel and Brighton in southern England for the past decade until Pope Leo XIV nominated him in December. Best known for his work on prisons, criminal justice, and life issues, as well as his expertise in canon law, he succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols as archbishop of the leading diocese of England and Wales.
Drawing on the Gospel image of Christ calling the 72 disciples, the new archbishop continued his homily by calling on Catholics to go out into "the world of our own age" bearing the message of the Gospel of peace and ensuring that its light shines in parish communities, homes, schools, universities and workplaces.
At every opportunity, he urged believers to "shed the light of the Gospel on the world of our day," including the public square.
He quoted Pope Benedict XVI from his 2010 address in Westminster Hall, when the late pontiff spoke of how faith and reason "need one another," should be in dialogue "for the good of our civilization," and that religion was "not a problem, but a vital contributor to the conversation."
This encounter will, at times, "require the boldness that we see in Paul and Barnabas in today's first reading, but we need not fear," Moth said, and he linked the Church's evangelising mission directly to the "great questions of our time," naming them as the quest for peace, human dignity, the right to life at every stage, the protection of the vulnerable, the plight of refugees and the dispossessed, and the safeguarding of "our common home."
All these issues, he insisted, are "intrinsic to the work of evangelization."
Evangelization requires patience
Marking the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the archbishop stressed that it is "from the Eucharist and from prayer that our work of evangelization flows, for evangelization is a call to a relationship, the relationship with the person of Jesus Christ."
Evangelization requires patience, he said, adding that "we need not be concerned to seek for results according to our own timescale."
But he drew attention to reports of a "quiet revival" of faith and expressed hope that the depth of this revival will show itself, adding "it is certainly the case that this is a good moment to be a Christian, a Catholic, a disciple of Christ."
If this flame of the Holy Spirit is to be fanned, he added, it must be nurtured through prayer and a deepening understanding of the gift of Faith, helping mission to grow "ever more effective."
At the same time, the archbishop acknowledged that this work is "fragile and adversely impacted by our failures in love, power and self-control," and he spoke of his keen awareness of occasions when members of the Church, or the Church as a whole, have failed, especially in relation to the vulnerable.
Those failures, he implied, make the call to Holy Spirit-led self-control, humble service and courageous witness all the more urgent as the diocese embarks on a new chapter of its life.
Moth gave thanks for the long witness of the local Church and in particular his predecessor, Cardinal Nichols, saying there is "so much for which to be thankful, so much on which to build."
He expressed joy that the Lord has called him to share with the people and clergy of the diocese the same mission once given by Christ to the seventy-two disciples.
Solemn installation
The rite of installation began soon after noon when the cathedral bells were rung and the Great West Door opened to mark his arrival.
The archbishop, dressed in gold vestments featuring Byzantine-inspired designs and a gold mitre, knelt at the threshold in silent prayer for a few moments, surrounded by great marble medallions on which are representations of twelve Archbishops of Canterbury, each of whom were saints.
A trumpet fanfare sounded and the archbishop entered the cathedral narthex to be greeted by the Provost, Canon Shaun Lennard. The cathedral choir sang a Responsory accompanied by the music of contemporary Scottish composer, Sir James MacMillan.
After Pope Leo XIV's apostolic letter formally announcing the appointment was read out, the solemn installation began. Canon Lennard, standing in front of the archbishops' throne, read out a prayer and the words of installation, asking that "our Lord Jesus Christ guard your going in from henceforth, now and for evermore."
Cardinal Nichols then formally handed the archbishop his crozier, a symbol of his office as bishop.
Dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Catholic politician Edward Leigh then greeted the new archbishop, which was followed by a few words of welcome from Dame Sarah Mullally, the newly confirmed, though not yet enthroned, Anglican archbishop of Canterbury.
Speaking on behalf of the ecumenical group Churches Together, Mullally said she very much looked forward to working with the new archbishop "to deepen our relationships and to strengthen our shared Christian witness."
Following the conclusion of the installation rite, Moth celebrated a Pontifical Mass, with readings of the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Gospel reading on the sending of the 72 disciples in Luke.
The cathedral authorities said the principal chalice used during the Mass dated from 1529 and was crafted in silver-gilt during the reign of King Henry VIII, just predating the Reformation.?
Towards the end of the Pontifical Mass, the Te Deum was sung, and Moth was led around the Cathedral to bless the faithful, pausing briefly for prayer at the tomb of one of his predecessors, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
In concluding words, the papal nuncio, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, shared words from Pope Leo XIV and expressed his gratitude to Cardinal Nichols. Noting that the installation fell on Valentine's Day, he prayed to the Lord that "love would flourish over all" during Moth's ministry in Westminster.
Speaking in December about his appointment, Moth said his first priority would be to listen widely rather than carry out preconceived plans, and underlined that everything in the archdiocese must be rooted in prayer and especially the Eucharist.
He also spoke of a renewed commitment to bringing the Gospel into today's world, adapting how the faith is presented without altering its substance, and continuing "the great adventure that is the life of the Church and witness to the Gospel" in Westminster.
