Frank Schuster ordained eighth auxiliary bishop of Seattle

SEATTLE – Frank R. Schuster was ordained the eighth auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle during a Mass at St. James Cathedral May 3.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne welcomed the congregation and those watching the livestream to “this joyous occasion of this local Church.” Those attending included a cardinal, nearly a dozen bishops and archbishops, some 100 priests, 48 deacons and spouses and over 125 invited family and friends of the new bishop.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., read the apostolic letter from Pope Francis appointing Father Schuster as an auxiliary bishop. As is tradition, the bishop-elect then walked around the cathedral showing the letter to the people. Cheers erupted from the various sections of the cathedral as the bishop-elect passed by.

In his homily, Archbishop Etienne told the bishop-elect “you have been given a grace and a privilege to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. May you continually grow in the knowledge and love of Christ, professing this faith and expressing this love to the people of God.” (Read the archbishop’s full homily below.)

After the ordination rite and the celebration of the Eucharist, Bishop Schuster gave his first blessings as a bishop as he processed around the cathedral.

“My ordination today as a bishop … is not a trophy,” Bishop Schuster said in remarks before the conclusion of Mass. “Without a question my ordination today is a gift from God.”

Sacraments change people, the bishop said, and his episcopal ordination “has changed me, I feel it. It is a change, however, that is directed toward mission. I’ve been called to serve the Body of Christ in a new and distinct way.”

In these dark times, the world needs Jesus, and “what this means is the world needs you,” Bishop Schuster told the congregation. “Our sacred duty now is to go out into the world and celebrate our common vocation of pointing people to the Lord.”

And the remedy for dark times, he said, “is forever Jesus, the light of life.”

Learn about Bishop Frank Schuster’s coat of arms and episcopal motto below. Read complete coverage of the auxiliary bishop’s ordination tomorrow on NWCatholic.org.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne’s homily for the episcopal ordination of

Auxiliary Bishop Frank R. Schuster

Today we celebrate the feast of the apostles Philip and James — what a great day to ordain a new bishop! Christ founded the Church through the ministry and preaching of the first apostles, and every church today traces its origins back to these apostles and through them back to Christ — what our creed means when we say we are one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. 

Today’s feast of the apostles Philip and James, and today’s episcopal ordination, give us pause to think of those who were first called by Jesus to be his disciples — to be witnesses of his preaching and great deeds and miracles — and especially witnesses to his passion, death and resurrection. They were the ones to first receive the great commission to go into the world to preach the Gospel and to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And this is still the primary ministry of bishops today, and indeed of every baptized person.

From the Acts of Apostles and the early epistles, we hear of these common characteristics of what it is to be an apostle, and for us to be their successors — but perhaps the two most important aspects of their lives and the life of every bishop can be easily missed and overlooked. And they are these: to know Jesus Christ, and to be known by Jesus Christ.

Jesus refers to the importance of knowing him in the Gospel today: 

“Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

For a bishop, this intimate knowledge of Jesus is essential if our ministry is to bear any good fruit. The depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ is to mirror the relationship Jesus has with his Father. Namely, as those who saw Jesus also saw the Father, those who see us as bishops should readily see Jesus Christ in us. This is only possible if we have first fallen in love with Christ, and daily nurture and share this relationship of love with others.

Sunday’s Gospel from St. John (Chapter 21) recalled the time the Risen Jesus appeared to Peter and some of the other apostles. We heard that great conversation, that dialogue, when Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” After Peter responds “Yes” each time, Jesus instructs him that his love is to be concrete: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Follow me.”

The threefold ministry of the bishop can be heard in these three instructions: We feed God’s people in our principal responsibility of preaching the Gospel, and this is not possible if we do not know Jesus. Secondly, we are called to properly care for the good governance of the Church, which is an act of love to properly “tend to the needs of God’s people.” And finally, we are called to sanctify others, which is to share the life of Christ with them and to invite them to join us as we follow and serve Christ day by day.

To know Christ is to be joined to him in every aspect of his life, including his passion, death and resurrection. St. Paul said it best when he said:

“I consider everything as loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ … to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11)

Loving Christ, following Christ, serving Christ concretely in others, this is the life and ministry of the bishop. This is the life and the process by which we grow in deeper and greater knowledge of Christ.

And my final point seems a bit obscure, being known by Christ, but this too is essential for a full and healthy life in Christ. We might think, and to some degree rightly so, that of course Christ knows us. But what I am speaking of here is the conscious process by which we invite the Lord into the mystery of our own life. Being known by Christ is being completely vulnerable with Christ, about our weakness, our fears, our sinfulness, our loneliness. In allowing ourselves to be known by Christ, the Lord helps us to know ourselves and thus to grow in maturity and grace.

It would be somewhat similar to the conversation of Jesus with Philip in the Gospel today, or his conversation with Peter in Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus does not shy away from speaking to his disciples, nor to his bishops, about their shortcomings, nor will he be bashful about speaking to us bishops today about ours, if we humbly allow him the opportunity. 

Jesus taught Philip that to see him was to see the Father, and that to believe in Jesus allows him to do great things. He taught him that “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” When we allow ourselves to be known by Jesus, he helps us know and accept ourselves, and teaches us to trust him and to be confident in our dependence upon him for everything.

Similarly, as the Risen Jesus spoke with Peter in Sunday’s Gospel, by asking him three times “Do you love me?” Jesus was helping Peter forgive himself for denying Jesus three times during his passion. Jesus did not rub Peter’s face in this painful abandonment, but rather invited him to renew his love to accept Jesus’ mercy and call to follow and serve him in a manner Peter would otherwise have felt utterly incapable of.

Father Frank — perhaps this is the last time you will be addressed by this title — you have already heard the pope’s mandate that you be ordained a bishop — a successor to the apostles. In just a few moments, the bishops present will lay hands on you, conferring upon you the Holy Spirit which we received from Christ.  Your head will be anointed with chrism oil, consecrating you for this ministry. The Book of the Gospels will be held over you, symbolizing the primary mission of a bishop to preach the Gospel, the Good News, to God’s people. As the Acts of the Apostles reminds us today, it is by this Gospel that we are being saved, if we hold fast to the word of God and not believe in vain.

You will also receive a ring to symbolize your fidelity to and love for the people of God. A miter will be placed on your head to symbolize the holiness of life to which you are called. And finally, you will receive the shepherd’s staff, the crosier, as a sign that it is Christ who leads you, as you lead the people of God closer and closer to Christ and eternal life.

Bishop-elect Frank, you have been given a grace and a privilege to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. May you continually grow in the knowledge and love of Christ, professing this faith and expressing this love to the people of God.

God bless you!

Sts. Philip and James, pray for us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Apostles, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

Bishop Frank Schuster’s coat of arms

According to the Church’s heraldic tradition, a bishop’s coat of arms is normally composed of:

• A shield with its symbols coming from family, geographic, religious and historical meanings.
• A golden processional cross, with one transverse bar, to represent the rank of the bishop, placed vertically behind the shield
• A green hat, called a “galero,” with its six tassels arranged in three rows on either side of the shield
• A scroll bearing the bishop’s motto. 

In his coat of arms, Bishop Frank Schuster wanted to represent the two most important moments of our faith: the birth of Christ, represented by the star of Bethlehem, and the Paschal candle, symbol of the resurrection of Jesus after his passion and death on the cross for our salvation.

The blue represents the sky and symbolizes the ascent of the soul toward God; it recalls the celestial virtues, which raise our minds from worldly values and the things of the earth toward heaven. The gold, the most noble metal, symbolizes the first virtue, faith, for it is by the gift of faith that we are enabled to comprehend the message of love and redemption symbolized by the Paschal candle.

Source: Order of worship for the episcopal ordination of Bishop Frank Schuster

Bishop Frank Schuster’s episcopal motto

Iesus lux vitae (“Jesus, the light of life”), comes from St. John’s Gospel when Jesus reveals himself as the light of the world saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

The motto reflects Bishop Schuster’s conviction that in dark times, we need to look to Jesus for light and hope to guide us and give us joy and peace. The motto also echoes the passage from the prologue of St. John’s Gospel where Christ, the Word of God, is described as “the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5).

Source: Order of worship for the episcopal ordination of Bishop Frank Schuster