Malta will have a new archbishop, when Mgr Paul Cremona, from the Dominican order, will be ordained this evening.
At 4pm, Mgr Cremona will leave Sliema for the Dominican Friary in Merchants’ Street in Valletta, where he will recite the evening vespers with the Dominican friars at the church of Our Lady of Fair Havens.
Mgr Cremona will then board an open-top car and will be accompanied by the King’s Own Band and the police.
He will be driven from Castille’s Place, down Girolamo Cassar Street and will enter City Gate accompanied by the La Vallette Band and the Police Cavalry.
The King’s Own Band will walk from the church of St Francis in Republic Street and priests will also start walking towards St John’s co-Cathedral.
Upon arrival at the intersection between Republic Street and St John’s Street, the Cathedral Chapter, led by Archdeacon Mgr Philip Calleja, will accompany Mgr Cremona to the co-cathedral.
Prior to the new prelate’s entering the co-cathedral, the Valletta brass bands will play the Hymn and Pontifical March.
Mgr Cremona will be ordained in a ceremony presided by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Felix del Blanco Prieto and Dominican Bishop Mgr Gorg Frendo.
The ordination is expected to end at 9pm, when the new Archbishop will leave the co-cathedral. He will enter the tent in St John’s Square and then one in St George’s Square. Mgr Cremona will end his evening by a visit to the Kazin Malti in Republic Street.
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Ordination to follow centuries-old traditions
The ordination of Archbishop-elect Mgr Cremona will follow a series of rites and liturgical traditions that span the centuries.
The ordination itself is usually held between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, after the proclamation of the Gospel with the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus.
Fr Jesmond Manicaro, the Archbishop’s Delegate for the Liturgy explained the process.
“After the homily, the Archbishop-elect makes a number of promises. He then prostrates himself and the cantors sing the litany while the faithful respond. The essence of the sacramental rite consists of the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination,” he says in brief liturgical notes prepared for the ordination.
The preparatory rites
The Archbishop-elect is presented for ordination by the presbyters assisting him. One of them says: “Most Reverend Father, the Church of Malta asks you to ordain this Dominican priest, Paul Cremona, to the office of the episcopate.”
The papal letter of appointment is then read and the entire assembly gives its consent to it by saying “Thanks be to God”. In this way, those gathered give their assent and accept him publicly.
Promises of the Elect
After the homily, the Archbishop-elect makes the following promises:
• To discharge until death the office received from the Apostles and transmitted to the ordained by the laying on of hands.
• To preach the Gospel with constancy and faithfulness.
• To guard the deposit of faith, entire and incorrupt, as handed down by the Apostles and kept by the Church everywhere and at all times.
• To build up the body of Christ, the Church, and to remain united with it within the order of bishops under the authority of the successor of Saint Peter.
• Of obedience to the successor of Apostle Peter.
• To guide and sustain the people of God on the way of salvation as a devoted father with the help of priests and deacons.
• To be welcoming and merciful to the poor, strangers, and all those who are in need.
• To seek out the sheep who stray and to gather them into the fold of the Lord.
• To pray ceaselessly for the people of God and to carry out the office of high priest without reproach.
Litany of Saints
The Archbishop-elect prostrates himself and the cantors sing the litany while the faithful respond. At this moment, the prayers of the assembly unite with the prayer of the communion of saints on behalf of the Archbishop-elect.
Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination
The essence of the sacramental rite consists of the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination.
The laying on of hands in silence by all the bishops present is traditionally understood as a conferring of the Holy Spirit.
Just prior to the prayer of consecration, the principal ordaining bishop places the open Book of the Gospels upon the head of the Archbishop-elect. Two assisting deacons hold the Book of the Gospels above the head until the prayer of consecration is completed.
The ordination prayer is made up of three parts. It begins with the initial benediction, which stresses the omniscience of God, God’s plan for the Church, and the carrying out of this plan through the election of rulers and priests who continue the line of Abraham. The emphasis is clearly on election by God. The second part of the prayer, which is necessary for sacramental validity, asks the Father to pour out on the Archbishop-elect the power of the Spirit to govern the particular church.
The power of the Spirit guided Jesus at the beginning of his Galilean ministry and descended upon the apostles at Pentecost to empower them to be witnesses to Christ to the ends of the earth. This same power now guides the Archbishop in his ministry. The third section of the ordination prayer cites the duties of the Archbishop. He is to shepherd the flock as Christ did and exercise the supreme priesthood in imitation of Christ, the high priest.
He offers the holy gifts of the Church, a reference to his function during Mass. By the authority of the Apostles, he forgives sins and exercises the power to loose bonds.
He distributes the ministries of the Church by establishing presbyters and deacons who will help him in his ministry. Finally, the Archbishop must lead a life pleasing to God in gentleness and purity of heart. In other words, the Archbishop must conform to the model of Christ.
The Explanatory Rites
The Explanatory Rites represent the offices that have been conferred through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit.
Anointing of the Archbishop’s Head
This anointing recalls the royal and prophetic anointing of David. The anointing of the Archbishop’s head recalls also Psalm 133: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.”
Aaron was a priest of the Old Testament, and the anointing with oil symbolises the new Archbishop’s participation in the high priesthood of Christ. Oil is also a symbol of anointing by the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the high priest was consecrated by anointing with oil and clothing with vestments. In the New Testament, this was transposed to anointing with the Holy Spirit and the ornament of virtues.
Presentation of the Book of Gospels
The principal ordaining bishop presents the Book of the Gospels to the newly ordained Archbishop, saying: “Receive the Gospel and preach the word of God with all patience and sound teaching.” Lumen gentium teaches that “among the more important duties of bishops that of preaching the Gospel has pride of place”.
Investiture with ring, mitre and pastoral staff
The ring symbolises the Archbishop’s faithfulness to and nuptial bond with the Church, his spouse, and he is supposed to wear it always.
This nuptial meaning as applied to the Church remains evident in the prayer which says: “Receive this ring, the seal of your fidelity: adorned with undefiled faith, preserve unblemished the bride of God, the holy Church.”
The mitre signifies the Archbishop’s resolve to pursue holiness. The episcopal staff, sometimes called crosier, symbolises a shepherd’s crook and the Archbishop’s role as shepherd of the church entrusted to him.
Seating of the Archbishop
The new Archbishop is led to the cathedra, the Archbishop’s seat, of his cathedral church, the place from which he presides over the Eucharist.
Kiss of Peace
The kiss of peace within the ordination rite does not replace the kiss of peace which takes place in the Communion Rite of the Eucharistic Liturgy.
In the context of the ordination rite, the newly ordained Archbishop receives the kiss of peace from the principal ordaining bishop and all the other bishops. This signifies the newly-ordained Archbishop’s reception into the episcopal college and the collegiality of bishops.
The Pallium
The rite includes also the reception of the pallium, a circular band of white woollen cloth worn around the shoulders over the chasuble. It has two strips hanging down, one in front and the other in back, and is marked by six black crosses.
The pallium is a symbol of the metropolitan bishop’s authority in communion with the Church of Rome. A metropolitan bishop is the archbishop of an archdiocese and presides over an ecclesiastical province. It is both a sign of his authority to rule and of his authority to delegate by sending others in his name, namely suffragan bishops.
Canon law stipulates that the metropolitan must request the pallium of the Roman pontiff within three months from the reception of episcopal consecration. Mgr Cremona is not going to receive the pallium within the rite of episcopal consecration.
Most probably he will receive the pallium with other metropolitans from Pope Benedict XVI on 29 June, feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.
For such a special occasion our Archbishop should be accompanied by a numerous representation of Maltese Christians, who will participate in this special Mass.
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Profile
Born to Joseph and Josephine née Cauchi in Valletta on 25 February 1946, Mgr Cremona has an elder brother and a younger sister.
He completed his primary education at the Montessori school in Valletta, and then pursued secondary level education at the lyceum in Hamrun.
Ordained priest on 22 March 1969, Fr Paul joined the Dominican order in September 1962 and was professed on 29 September 1963.
He studied philosophy and theology at the College of St Thomas Aquinas at the Dominican priory in Rabat.
Following his ordination, Fr Paul was sent to further his studies in moral theology at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum). He received his doctorate in theology in 1973, having presented his thesis The Concept of Peace in Pope John XXIII.
He was prior at the convent of Our Lady of the Grotto in Rabat between 1974 and 1980 and was re-elected to the same office in 1997, serving two terms until 2003.
He became provincial of the Maltese Dominican province in 1981, an office he held for eight years. When his second term in office ended, he became parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Guardamangia.
Fr Paul was responsible for the formation of the Dominican novices and students in Rabat between 1993 and 1997; he once again held this office for a year in 2004. In 2005, Fr Paul became parish priest of the church of Jesus of Nazareth in Sliema.
Fr Paul held other offices within the archdiocese during his priestly life. These include posts such as the Archbishop’s Delegate for Consecrated Life, assistant spiritual director at the Seminary at Tal-Virtù in Rabat, member of the Presbyterial Council and president of the council of Maltese religious major superiors (KSMR).
Fr Paul has been sought regularly to lead Lenten sermons in different parishes and churches; a good number of religious and lay people, particularly married couples also sought his spiritual direction over the years.
Mgr Cremona is author of a number of books on theology and spirituality, among which his thesis mentioned earlier, writings on the Creed and the Commandments, four books he wrote jointly with Mgr George Frendo, who is presently a bishop in Albania, On the Road to the Year 2000, another book on virtues and The Church: an Icon of the Blessed Trinity.
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Mgr Cremona will be Malta’s third Archbishop
Known as the martyred bishop, according to tradition, St Publius was Malta’s first bishop. He is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, described as “the chief man of the island” at the time when St Paul was shipwrecked in Malta in circa 60 AD.
St Publius and St Paul are said to have become good friends when the latter cured Publius’ father of fever and dysentery.
Malta’s first bishop suffered martyrdom during the persecution of the Church under Emperor Trajan.
The Arab occupation of the Maltese Islands led to gaps in the historic records between Publius’ rule and Gualterius’ in 1090.
The Maltese diocese was given the status of archdiocese on 1 January 1944, making Mgr Michael Gonzi the first archbishop. Mgr Cremona will therefore be Malta’s third archbishop.
St Publius c.60
Julianus c.553
Lucillus c.594
Trajanus 559
Manas 868
Gualterius 1090
Biraldus 1095
Joannes 1113
Raynaldus 1122
Stephanus 1140 – 1157
Joannes II 1168 – 1217
Rogerius c.1253
Dominicus 1253
Jacobus de Mileto 1259 – 1266
Andreas Bancherini c.1270 – c.1284
Jacobus II c.1284 – 1304
Nicolaus 1304 – 1330
Alduinus 1330 – 1334
Henricus a Cephaludo 1334 – 1341
Nicolaus Bonett 1342 – 1343
Oger:us 1343 – 1344
Jacobus III 1346 – 1356
Hilarius Conradus 1356 – 1370
Antonius 1370
Conradus 1371 – 1375
Antonius de Vulpunno 1375 – 1392
Maurus Cali 1393 – 1408
Andreas de Pace 1408
Antonius de Calaman 1409 – 1414
Andreas III Ord.Praed 1414 – 1418
Joannes Ximenes O.S.Fr. 1418 – 1420
Marius de Albraynio 1420 – 1432
Senator Mello de Noto 1432 – 1445
Jacobus IV 1445 – 1447
Antonius de Alagona 1447 – 1478
Joannes Paterno’ 1479 – 1489
Petrus de Foix 1489 – 1490
Paulus di Cavalleria 1491 – 1492
Jacobus Valguarnera 1495 – 1501
Antonius Corsetto 1501 – 1503
Bandinellus de Saulis 1506
Bernardinus de Bononia 1509 – 1512
Joannes Pujades 1512
Joannes de Sepulveda 1514 – 1515
Bernardus Cathenianus 1516
Raphael Riario 1516
Andreas deila Va!le 1519
Bonifacius Cathenianus 1520 – 1523
Hieronymus Ghinucci 1523 – 1538
Thomas Bosius 1538 – 1539
Dominicus de Cubellis 1540 – 1566
Martinus R. de Portalrubio 1572 – 1577
Thomas Gargallus 1578 – 1614
Balthasar Cagliares 1615 – 1633
Mich. J Balaguer Camarasa 1635 – 1663
Lucas Buenos 1666 – 1668
Laurentius Astiria 1668 – 1679
Michael H. Molina 1679 – 1682
David Cocco Palmieri 1684 – 1711
Joannes Cannaves 1713 – 1721
Gaspar Gori 1722 – 1727
Paulus A de Bussan 1728 – 1757
Bartholomeus Rull 1757 – 1769
Joannes C. Pellerano 1770 – 1780
Vincentius Labini 1780 – 1807
Ferdinandus Mattei 1807 – 1829
Franciscus X. Caruana 1831 – 1847
Publius de’ Conti Sant 1847 – 1857
Cajetanus Pace Forno 1857 – 1875
Carmelus Scicluna 1875 – 1888
Petrus Pace 1889 – 1914
Maurus Caruana 1915 – 1943
Michael Gonzi 1943 – 1976
Joseph Mercieca 1976 – 2006
Paul Cremona 2006 –
With thanks to the Archbishop’s Curia.
References: www.catholic.org and www.maltachurch.org.mt.