A knock on the door, a warm welcome

With three knocks on the door at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Archbishop-elect Mark S. Rivituso was warmly welcomed to his new archdiocese at a solemn evening prayer service.

On the eve of his installation as the third archbishop of Mobile, Alabama, Archbishop-elect Rivituso was received Sept. 2 at the doors by the cathedral-basilica’s rector, Msgr. William Skonecki. The tradition symbolizes the new bishop laying claim to the seat of the archdiocese. Archbishop-elect Rivituso used the crozier of Bishop Michael Portier, the first bishop of Mobile (who was ordained in St. Louis in 1818), to knock on the door.

As he stepped into the cathedral, Msgr. Skonecki presented him with a crucifix — a sign of our salvation — which the archbishop-elect venerated with a kiss. Archbishop-elect Rivituso was then presented with holy water, and he blessed himself and those around him as a memorial of our baptism and unity of faith.

The hourlong prayer service, traditionally held the evening before the Mass of installation for a new archbishop, was attended by about 500 people, including Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States; retiring Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi; about a dozen ecumenical and civic leaders; and members of Archbishop-elect Rivituso’s family, including his sisters Lisa, Marilyn, Cindy, Christina and Carolyn. The prayer service included bishops, priests and deacons and laity from Mobile and St. Louis, including Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski.

A sign of the episcopal transition was already present — Archbishop-elect Rivituso’s coat of arms hung above the cathedra, the bishop’s chair, placed there the morning of the prayer service.

Speaking from the ambo, Archbishop-elect Rivituso, in his homily, said he looked forward to the opportunity to serve his new archdiocese and stressed the importance of modeling Jesus’ service to others in the wider community through a collaborative spirit.

“As I look to Jesus, I speak on behalf of the Catholic family of faith: We are committed to modeling Jesus, who came to serve,” he said. “We come to humbly serve the greater community — all of the 22,969 square miles of the archdiocese. Yes, I will be putting a lot of miles on my car.”

The archbishop-elect said it will be important to be intentional with service to the poor, homeless, marginalized and others in need. “We will be one with Jesus present to them already, and one with them to serve with His love and to partner with you so we can indeed bring that love to so many who are in need,” he said. “We best serve when we collaborate and work together to more effectively serve the greater community.”

Well-wishers from the Archdiocese of Mobile who attended the prayer service said they looked forward to getting to know their new archbishop and already heard much about his service to others when he was in St. Louis.

Sybil Thomas from Prince of Peace Church in Mobile, one of several choirs that sang at evening prayer, said she had heard from others about Archbishop-elect Rivituso’s positive influence on social justice issues. Parishioners were eager to get to know him at an upcoming confirmation scheduled Sept. 7 at the parish.

“I’m just looking forward to a breath of fresh air,” she said. “He seems to be very personable. He walked through the (cathedral) and greeted each of us and thanked us for being there with him.”

Msgr. Skonecki, the cathedral’s rector, noted that as Catholics make up about 5% of the population within the Archdiocese of Mobile, there’s an opportunity to share the faith with the wider community, including through efforts such as Catholic education.

“How do we continue to keep people connected to the Church in a world where there’s so many ways that you can do otherwise?” he said. “I think those are some of the bigger challenges. And then, of course, promoting vocations and religious life and just really keeping the Church healthy in different ways.”

Father David Carucci, pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf in Gulf Shores, said he asked visitors this summer on vacation whether they were from St. Louis and if they could tell him anything about Archbishop-elect Rivituso.

“I did — and (the stories) were all good,” he said. “Everyone said he’s just a genuinely good man, has a heart for the poor and is a good, solid preacher. Every bishop brings something new, just as every priest brings something new. I hope Archbishop Rivituso comes in and sees where we need to go and provides a vision. And if we can fulfill that vision of serving the poor and those on the margins, I think we will go a long way to being who Christ calls us to be as the Church.”