Bridgeport Diocese To Install New Bishop Sept. 19

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — The Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano will be welcomed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport in a Vespers Prayer Service and Installation Mass later this month, the Roman Catholic diocese announced on its website.

The Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano, the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., will be formally installed as the Bishop of Bridgeport in a Mass on Sept. 19.
Photo Credit: *Diocese of Bridgeport*

by The Daily Voice

09/01/2013 5:00 a.m.

The Vespers Prayer Service is set for Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport. The Installation Mass will be Thursday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Theresa in Trumbull.

Caggiano, 54, an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., is replacing Bishop William Lori, who was named archbishop of Baltimore in March 2012.

The Bridgeport Diocese encompasses all of Fairfield County and includes more than 400,000 Roman Catholics. It celebrated its 60th anniversary last month.

For the formal installation, the procession into the church will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 19, with the Installation Mass set to begin at 2 p.m.

Caggiano will be installed by the Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell, archbishop of Hartford, in the presence of the Most Rev. Carlo Maria Vigano, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Accommodating more than 1,200 people, St. Theresa Church is one of the largest churches in the diocese. Cardinals, archbishops and bishops from across the country are expected to attend, along with local priests and religious, laity, as well as Caggiano’s family and friends from Brooklyn. Invitations have been mailed, and those who RSVP will receive tickets. Seating will be limited to ticket holders.

A reception and greeting line will be held afterward at the Family Center of St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in Trumbull.

For more information on the installation, contact Patricia Hansen at 203-416-1629 or installation@diobpt.org.

Caggiano will be welcomed into the diocese at a Vespers Prayer Service set for Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at St. Augustine Cathedral. The prayer service will be the first opportunity for diocesan priests and laity to pray with their new bishop.

The Vespers service will begin with a dramatic moment when Caggiano knocks on the large wooden doors of the Cathedral. The term “cathedral” comes from the Latin word cathedra, meaning chair.

The bishop’s chair in every cathedral is one of the symbols of the diocesan bishop’s responsibility to govern, teach and sanctify the People of God.

Traditionally, the Vespers Prayer Service welcoming the bishop includes clergy, religious and laity joining in prayer and song and reciting the psalms that are at the heart of the Liturgy of the Hours. The service will also include Gospel readings and a homily.

A reception will follow the Vespers Prayer Service at Kolbe Cathedral High School. For more information, contact Patricia Hansen at 203-416-1629 or installation@diobpt.org.

Both the Installation Mass and the Vespers Prayer Service will be streamed live on the Diocese of Bridgeport website. EWTN, NETny, and CatholicTV are among the TV cable networks expected to broadcast the Installation Mass live.

Read more about the Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano here on The Daily Voice.

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