Episcopal Consecration of Father Wiesław Śpiewak CR

Bishop elect Spiewak Photo2On October 1st, at the Cathedral of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Hamilton, Bermuda, the episcopal ordination ceremony of Fr. Wiesław Śpiewak CR took place. The main consecrator of the new ordinary of the Diocese of Hamilton was the retiring Bishop Robert Kurtz CR, while the co-consecrators were Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, Apostolic Nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, and Archbishop Patric Pinder, Chairman of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
Bishops from dioceses belonging to the Antilles Episcopal Conference, the Superior General of the Congregation with a group of Resurrectionists representing all Provinces, priests of the local diocese, the Archdeacon of the Anglican Church in Bermuda, and a large number of faithful attended the ceremony.
The ceremony began with a welcome by Bishop Robert Kurtz. After the Liturgy of the Word, the Apostolic Nuncio delivered a homily in which he thanked Bishop Robert for his twenty years of pastoral service and expressed joy at the election of the new Ordinary, confident that Bishop Wiesław's youth, dynamism, and enthusiasm will bear fruit in the Bermudian community. Father Paul Voisin CR, the Vicar General, then read the papal bull, and the bishop-elect publicly expressed his willingness to accept the ordination. After the singing of the Litany of the Saints, the consecrators recited the consecration prayer over the bishop-elect lying prostrate and laid hands on his head. An open book of the Holy Scriptures was held over the head of the one receiving the ordination – as a sign of the Holy Spirit descending upon the bishop. During the rites completing the episcopal consecration, the anointing with holy chrism and the handing over of the Book of the Gospels, the episcopal insignia – the mitre, crosier, and ring – took place. herb biskupa2
At the end, Bishop Wiesław Śpiewak CR expressed words of gratitude to the consecrators, clergy, his sister Alicja, her husband Stanisław, those involved in preparing the solemn liturgy, guests, and all who participated in the ordination. He also gave his first episcopal blessing to those gathered. After the liturgy, the participants of the ceremony moved to the school adjacent to the cathedral for a meal consisting of traditional Bermudian dishes. 

The motto of the new shepherd of the diocese is the phrase "Deus caritas est, Alleluia" (God is love, Alleluia). The bishop's coat of arms includes symbols of Bermuda, his hometown Krakow, and the emblem of the Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here you can watch a five-minute film of the ordination.