Thoughts from Our Head of School Joseph Vorbach:
Last week I wrote a little about recent vocation experiences at our school. I return to that topic again this week to share a little about my experience attending Bishop Burbidge's installation as the Fourth Bishop of Arlington this past Tuesday.
One connection between last week's blog and this week's blog is our seminarian alums. When the procession began at the begin of the installation Mass, the first to enter were the seminarians, and we saw our four O'Connell alumni (Will Nyce '08, Jeff Petroski '09, Robby Renner '12, Peter St. George '12) process in with about 40 other seminarians. The seminarians were followed by the Deacons, and we saw our former social studies teacher Paul Ochenkowski and current O'Connell parent Ed Gliot processing with their brother Deacons.The priests of the Diocese came next, and there were at least 200 present. Then came a large contingent of Bishops followed by two Archbishops, three Cardinals, as well as Bishop Loverde and Bishop Burbidge.
In short, when considering, too, the many religious sisters present for the event, the Installation was an enormous example of continuity regarding vocations. All lay persons present, particularly those like me who had never had an opportunity to attend something like this, could not help but be struck by the powerful imagery of the moment; and the moment was made even more memorable by the liturgical music that was so strong and crisp that it elevated everyone to the importance of what was going on.
Once our new Bishop was installed, he was greeted by a variety of representatives that included O'Connell seniors, Ellie Ward and Gianni Snidle, and Mass began. There was a moment during Bishop Burbidge's homily when he expressed thanksgiving for his predecessors and acknowledged Bishop Loverde specifically. There was a warm ovation for Bishop Loverde as the entire congregation wanted to ensure our departing Bishop felt the love of the community for his tireless efforts over 17 years.
The entire experience had a joyful and hopeful feeling to it, which was reinforced just two days later, when our new Bishop stopped by the school's I.H.M. convent to wish our Sisters a happy feast day on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are truly blessed!