WEST WARWICK — Bishop Richard G. Henning installed Father Brian Morris as the new pastor of Christ the King - St. Anthony Parish in West Warwick on Saturday, September 9. Mass was celebrated with Bishop Henning as the principal celebrant, and Father Morris as concelebrant. Father Morris was also installed as pastor of St. Anthony Church, by Bishop Henning on Saturday, Aug. 19.
Also in attendance was Father Morris’ parents, godmother, his aunt and his uncle, who Father Morris directly thanked by name after Mass.
Bishop Henning strongly emphasized the role of love in the Christian life. “For the Christian disciple, love is at the heart of everything. This is not mere sentiment. … When the Scriptures speak about love, they are talking about a reality that runs wider and deeper, for the Scriptures teach us that God is love. It’s a very strong statement. … If we as disciples of Jesus Christ want to understand the depth and the breath of that beautiful reality of God’s love, then we need only consider the model, the example of Jesus Christ Himself.”
Love also includes the duty to spread the truth, something that applies in a particularly important way to the priestly ministry. “Jesus also loved others by telling them the truth,” Bishop Henning preached. Turning to Father Morris, he applied this message to the Gospel, saying, “In a very real sense, your call as a shepherd here in this parish is to be a man of life, and who loves his people, and that means compassion for them when they are suffering, that means telling the truth of the Gospel, even when it hurts.”
Mass was followed by a reception in the parish hall.
