By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI � A knock, a papal bull, and a chair: Those are the ingredients of a bishop�s installation.

The chair is the reason why the ceremony takes place at the cathedral, explained Msgr. Terence Hogan, rector of St. Mary Cathedral and director of the archdiocese�s Office of Worship.

�In its role as the �mother church� of the archdiocese, (the cathedral) is the site of the archbishop's cathedra or chair. The cathedra serves as a sign of unity for the faithful and reflects the archbishop's teaching office as well as his pastoral authority. It is from this chair that he leads prayer, proclaims the faith, and gathers his priests around him to celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments,� Msgr. Hogan said.

When he is installed as Miami�s fourth shepherd June 1, Archbishop Thomas Wenski will begin by knocking on the great oak doors of St. Mary Cathedral.

Photographer: FILE PHOTO

St. Mary Cathedral is the site for Archbishop Thomas Wenski's installation ceremony because it is there that the archbishop's "cathedra" or chair, a symbol of his teaching office, is located. "Cathedra" is the root of the word "cathedral."

When the doors open, �he will be welcomed, presented with a crucifix to venerate and given holy water to sprinkle upon all who have gathered within the cathedral,� Msgr. Hogan said.

Archbishop Wenski will be accompanied by Archbishop John C. Favalora. They both will proceed to the cathedral�s Blessed Sacrament Chapel, where they will spend a moment in prayer. Then they will move to the sanctuary for the beginning of Mass.

After the greeting, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, will read out loud the apostolic letter� also known as papal bull � by which Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop Wenski as archbishop of Miami.

Msgr. Michael Souckar, the archdiocesan chancellor, will take the letter and show it to the College of Consultors, a group of priests who advise the archbishop on the governing of the archdiocese.

Immediately after that, the nuncio and Archbishop Favalora will take Archbishop Wenski to the cathedra, or chair, and hand him the crozier or bishop�s staff.

At that moment, with that simple gesture, Msgr. Souckar said, Archbishop Wenski will officially assume his duties as chief shepherd of Miami�s 1.3 million Catholics and metropolitan of the Province of Miami, which includes the seven dioceses of Florida.

After that, �The Ceremonial of Bishops� calls for representatives of the archdiocesan clergy and members of the faithful to formally greet �and offer some sign of obedience and reverence� to their new archbishop. The Mass then continues as usual, beginning with the �Gloria.�

Archbishop Wenski�s installation ceremony will be televised live on EWTN in English and Spanish and can be viewed as well on CatholicTV and on the Internet, at www.miamiarch.org, the archdiocesan website.

Admission to the cathedral June 1 is by ticket only, but the large number of bishops, priests and dignitaries expected leaves none available for the general public.

�Not only because of the historical importance of these ceremonies, but also because of the significance of the archdiocese within the Americas and the Caribbean, especially Haiti and Cuba, we are expecting a large number of bishops and priests, perhaps as many as 400,� Msgr. Hogan said.

The cathedral can squeeze in around 1250. The choir alone, composed of choir members and music directors from parishes throughout the archdiocese, numbers 60, not including members of a Polish choir who � in recognition of Archbishop Wenski�s heritage � also will sing at the ceremony.

�Since the space is limited, the seating has been designated for members of his family, those associated with Archbishop Wenski during his many years of ministry, and then there will be representatives from each parish and the various other ministries from the archdiocese,� Msgr. Hogan said.

�Realizing that there will be limited seating,� he added, �it was Archbishop Wenski's request that during the weeks following the installation Mass there would be opportunities for the faithful of the archdiocese to celebrate the Eucharist with him and share some private moments with him at receptions following the welcome Masses.�

The dates and times of those Masses are posted on the home page of the archdiocesan website, www.miamiarch.org.

Photographer: FILE PHOTO

A papal bull such as this one will be read at the installation Mass. It is the decree of Pope Benedict XVI appointing Archbishop Wenski to Miami. The bull pictured here is the one issued by Pope Paul VI when he elevated Miami to an archdiocese and metropolitan see in 1968.

WHY IS IT CALLED A PAPAL BULL?

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:

�A bulla was originally a circular plate or boss of metal, so called from its resemblance in form to a bubble floating upon water (from the Latin bullire, to boil). In the course of time, the term came to be applied to the leaden seals with which papal and royal documents were authenticated in the early Middle Ages, and by a further development, the name, from designating the seal, was eventually attached to the document itself. � For practical purposes a bull may be conveniently defined to be �an apostolic letter with a leaden seal,� to which one may add that in its superscription the pope invariably takes the title of episcopus, servus servorum Dei (bishop, servant of the servants of God).�