Newly ordained Archbishop Joseph Augustine DiNoia, O.P., was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Benedict XVI on June 16th 2009 and at the same time named titular Archbishop of Oregon City. On Saturday, July 11th, he was ordained at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. William Joseph Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the principal consecrator, with Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and retired Archbishop Thomas Kelly, O.P., of Louisville as co-consecrators.

 

His ordination was a celebration for the entire Church, as more than a thousand people gathered at the National Shrine to witness this historic event. Also present were cardinals and bishops from across the United States, including Justin Cardinal Rigali, of Philadelphia, and retired Archbishop of Washington, William Cardinal Baum and members of the Roman Curia, other prelates, with religious and diocesan clergy concelebrating. The Order of Preachers was well represented in the large assembly of faithful, with many Dominican priests, sisters, brothers, as well as members of the Dominican Laity present. Archbishop DiNoia was especially happy to be ordained in Washington, D.C.; having spent more than 25 years teaching and serving the Church here in Washington, he considers it his second home.

 

The liturgy was beautiful and inspiring. In his homily, Cardinal Levada expounded upon the doctrines of the church concerning the ordination of Bishops and apostolic succession.  He said: “Bishops, in an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as His representatives.” He then discussed the rites of ordination, which “illustrate in a dramatic fashion the three-fold role of the Bishop modeled on Christ.”

 

Cardinal Levada also spoke about the challenges facing those who preach the Gospel and are faithful to it, tying his words to the rite of ordination, during which the book of the Gospels is held above the Bishop-elect's head (pictured below) while the prayer of ordination is said. Following the homily, Cardinal Levada and all the bishops present laid their hands on Archbishop DiNoia’s head in imitation of the ritual recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.

After communion, the congregation chanted the Te Deum and the newly ordained Archbishop processed through the church, bestowing his blessing (pictured above). Then he spoke, briefly but powerfully, to the entire congregation, saying that we must not congratulate ourselves, “but it is to God that the glory belongs.” He concluded, praying, “May the Order of Preachers, under the mantle of the Mother of God, continue to flourish in fraternal love purified in obedience to the truth. To God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be glory now and forevermore.”

 

Cardinal Levada in his homily and Archbishop DiNoia in his remarks commented on how fitting it was for the ordination to take place on the Feast of St. Benedict, as it honors the patron saint chosen by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The admiration expressed by Archbishop DiNoia is also based on his having worked directly with Cardinal Ratzinger as the Under-secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before the Cardinal was elected pope.

 

Here in Washington, Fr. DiNoia was as a member of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology of the Immaculate Conception for 25 years and also its president for a year. This task was cut short when he was appointed to work at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also served as the first Director of the Intercultural Forum at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.

 

♦  To watch the entire mass, please visit Catholictv.com.

♦  To see photos of the mass, please click here.

♦  To see the program for the mass, please click here.

♦  For more information about Archbishop DiNoia, and for his archived lectures and articles, please click here.

♦  For more information about the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, please click here.

 

 

INTERPRETATION:

The shield adopts the classical arms of the Dominican Order (gyronny of either Sable and Argent with a cross fleury couterchanged.) It is surrounded by a smaller shield (inescutcheon), reminiscent of the coat of arms of the Dominican Province of Saint Joseph with a blue field honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, and with two charges: (1) the carpenter's square in sliver honoring Saint Joseph after whom Archbishop DiNoia was named at his baptism at Immaculate Conception Church, Bronx, New York on 18 July 1943. (2) the golden scallop shell, repeated three times in honor of the Blessed Trinity and recalling the infused theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.  The shell itself has a triple symbolism.  First, it refers to Saint Augustin of Hippo, Bishop and Doctor of the Church whose name was given to Archbishop DiNoia when he recieved the Dominican habit in 1963 and who, according to legend, recognized the futility of his own endeavor to encompass the infinity of God within the limits of the human mind when he came upon a child trying to scoop the sea into a hole in the sand with a shell.  Secondly, the shell reminds us of our baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Finally, recalling the main charge on the coat of arms of His Holiness Benedict XVI, the shell is meant as a devout tribute to Cardinal joseph Ratzinger who called Father DiNoia to be under-secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2002, and to Pope Benedict XVI who in 2009 named him Titular Archbishop of Oregon City and Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

 

MOTTO:

In Oboedientia Veritatis: In Obedience to the Truth

The phrase "In Obedience to the Truth" is taken from 1 Peter 1:22: "Having purified our soul in obedience to the truth, let us love one another intensely from the heart."

The Holy See has announced that our brother, Very Rev. Augustine DiNoia, OP, has been appointed to be the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Previously, Father DiNoia had served the Holy See as Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a position he held when the current Holy Father was its Prefect.

Father DiNoia has been a member of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception for 25 years and severed as President the Faculty from 1985-1986. He has also served as the director of the Intercultural Forum for Studies in Faith and Culture at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Institute in Washington, DC. He was also the executive director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (now the USCCB).

Father DiNoia earned his doctorate in theology from Yale University. In 1998, the Order of Preachers bestowed on him the title of Master of Sacred Theology, a sign from his brother Dominicans of the great esteem in which they hold his theological acumen.

As is customary, Father DiNoia will be consecrated as an Archbishop, to serve in his role as Secretary of the Congregation. He will be made the titular archbishop of Oregon City. His ordination will be on Saturday, July 11, 2009 (the Memorial of St. Benedict) at 2:00pm at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

For a collection of a number of talks given by Fr. DiNoia, please click here.