Bishop Thomas A. Daly Installed as the Seventh Bishop of Spokane, Washington

Bishop Thomas A. Daly receives his cathedra at his Installation Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, Spokane, Washington

Bishop Thomas A. Daly Installed as the Seventh Bishop of Spokane, Washington

In homily, emphasizes the importance of vocations to the priesthood, the necessity of silence and contemplation, and recommends Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

By Anthony E. Clark

“Humility, trust and surrender, all qualities of the Mother of Our Lord and so many saints before us, will lead us to hope, healing, and joy." 
— Bishop Thomas A. Daly, Bishop of Spokane, Washington

After Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, had read Pope Francis’ Apostolic Mandate appointing Bishop Thomas A. Daly to be the seventh Bishop of Spokane, Daly received his new crozier and cathedra, and the cathedral, filled to capacity, erupted in spontaneous applause. Both the crozier and cathedra were used by the first bishop of Spokane, Augustine Schinner, whose episcopal motto was Pro Deo, “For God,” which is inscribed on the cathedra, the bishop’s chair of office.

In his first homily as Bishop of Spokane, Bishop Daly recounted St. Paul’s exhortation to the priests at Ephesus to “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock which the Holy Spirit appointed you overseers” (Acts 20:28-38). He then discussed the role of priests, the importance of vocations to the priesthood, and alluded to Bishop Charles White, the second bishop of Spokane, who ended his last sermon before dying with a plea for prayer and penance. Prayer and penance. Reminding his new flock of the challenges of remaining faithful to the Church and its teachings in our era of secular materialism, Bishop Daly advised prayer and fasting as a remedy to the distractions of this age.

Daly identified the contemporary distraction with technology as one of the principal disruptions in our connection to Christ, and he spoke of the need for silence to facilitate a genuinely fruitful relationship with God.

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