SANTIAGO, Dominican Republic - On December 8, 2007, feast of the Immaculate Conception, a crowd of the faithful gathered in the multipurpose hall of the Catholic University (Pucamaima) of Santiago to take part in the episcopal ordination of Bishop Valentín Reynoso Hidalgo, MSC, as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros in the north of the country.  He becomes the first MSC bishop in the Dominican Republic.

Fr. Plinio, as he is popularly called, has the titular see of Mades and is the auxiliary of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago, Bishop Ramón Benito de la Rosa y Carpio who was the principal ordaining prelate in the liturgical rite in which all the bishops of the country participated (except Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez and the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishop Timothy Broglio, who were unable to attend because of previous commitments).  Also present were 140 religious and diocesan priests, deacons and presidents of the assembly, from all parts of the country and of many members of the MSC family – priests, religious men and women, laity and the priest fraternity.

The ceremony was simple yet very moving.  It took place in the spirit of the Church family and included individuals and delegations from many places – a sign of joy and friendship with the new MSC bishop who in a short address spoke words of thanks based on his experience of many years of service in the Church.

He underlined the presence of his family led by his mother whom he approached to give communion and who, together with his brothers and sisters, had much to do with his being able to respond faithfully to his vocation.  He also noted the presence of Bishop Juan Carlos Vera, MSC, bishop of Caravelí, Peru, whose director of novices he had been, as well as of his first benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. Bretón  and of various delegations from Curaçao, Miami, the Fraternity of the Heart of Jesus and others whom he fondly remembered.

The metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago reflected in his homily on the meaning of the rite during which Bishop Valentín Reynoso was ordained as his auxiliary bishop.  He exhorted the new bishop to continue to be a man of work and dedication as he had always been as a priest.  In his turn, the new bishop placed his ministry and his spirit of gratitude in the context of his episcopal motto: Ut Unum sint in Corde Iesu: “That they may be one in the Heart of Jesus,” reminding everyone that this was the source of his vocation and of the life of the Church.

_____________________
Remarks given by Bishop Valentín Reynoso Hidalgo, “Plinio,” on the day of his Episcopal ordination at Santiago, Dominican Republic, on December 8, 2007

My dear friends,

Rather than giving a speech, I would like to extend to you a few words of thanks and gratitude.  On this feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we have come together to celebrate this Episcopal ordination with joy and hope in spite of the pain and anguish in our country caused by Hurricane Noel with all the death and devastation it left in its wake.  This day is a memorable one for us Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.  Today is the 153rd anniversary of the foundation of our Congregation. 

Your presence in this rite is a manifestation of love and gratitude to our Father in heaven and a sign of  your affection and friendship for me, my family, my Congregation, our Archbishop and for this church of the Archdiocese of Santiago de los Caballeros.  We are hear today to proclaim that “The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.”

My formation and my pastoral ministry have been inspired and sustained by four points of support and by three fundamental groups which have helped me forge my identity as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  These four supporting points  of my life and priestly ministry are: the Eucharist, prayer, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.   The three groups are my family, the Chevalier Family and the John XXIII priests group that is accompanied by Bishop Jesús Maria de Jesús Moya.  The spirit of this group leads us to drink from the spring of living water that flows from the Heart of Christ.  My perseverance I owe to the Lord and to the affection, prayer, witness and the concern of so many good people who, day by day, pray for me. Beginning with my father and mother, my benefactors, my friends, my MSC brothers, religious women among whom I will always remember Sister Carmen Dolores Díaz, Sister María de la Purificación, Sister Teresita Vásquez and Italia López.  

When I received the news of my appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago, my heart leapt with joy for this great gift of episcopal ministry which is being bestowed upon me and a deep sense of gratitude and availability filled my heart.  I am grateful to God, to the Holy Father, to the Church and to our bishops for welcoming me within the Bishops’ Conference of the Dominican Republic and for their confidence in me.  This is why I responded without hesitation in the words of the boy Samuel: “here I am, Lord, for you have called me.”

I responded to the call with the certainty that the One who chose me is faithful and will always be with me to give me the strength necessary to carry out the mission with which I have been entrusted.  I said yes with trust in the mercy of God and in the companionship of Mary.  My prayer these last few days has gone in two directions: thanksgiving and petition.  Thanksgiving for this unexpected call that comes from the Church 35 years after my first religious profession and 32 years after my ordination.  

Petition to receive the gifts of the Spirit necessary for this mission, especially the gift of wisdom and of prudence to be able to follow the path of God’s will, the gift of joy lived as awe in the experience of the constant presence of God in our life, the gift of inner tranquillity which leads to true peace and the gift of patience to know how to handle the difficulties which appear along the way.

As Auxiliary Bishop of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago I want to work with tenacity in Evangelization based on my missionary charism and the orientations of the Third Pastoral Plan so that all might be one in love and hope and in the Heart of Jesus.  This is expressed in my motto: “THAT ALL MIGHT BE ONE IN THE HEART OF JESUS,” with a special concern for the poorest, the weak, the humble ones, children, the elderly and the sick.

This new ministry incorporates me in this local Church of Central Cibao to work together with our Archbishop, the clergy, the religious and the pastoral workers in the building up of a better world, one that is more just and human where all are united through love.  The Lord who has called me to this new service will give me health, strength and enthusiasm so that I might contribute to the formation of missionary disciples to help our people find in Jesus the Way, the Truth and the Life and thus find in him the abundance of life.

Before I conclude, allow me to say a few words of thanks to everyone: to God who has given us life, who loves us with the love of a Father and whose glory has been manifested among us; to the Holy Father Benedict XVI for this appointment and for his trust in me; to our Bishops and to the Apostolic Nuncio for the welcome and acceptance they have given me and for the confidence they have in me; to Bishop Ramón Benito de la Rosa for having ordained me bishop; to my MSC community; to Bishop Juan Carlos Vera Plasencia, MSC; to all the priests, religious women and men, deacons, presidents of assembly; to the Reynoso and Hidalgo families for their support, their prayer and the great efforts they have made that I might persevere in my vocation (for each of my brothers and sisters I have special reasons to love and thank them); to all the authorities present; to all who have worked to prepare this celebration with the surety that their efforts with be rewarded; to the media who from the beginning have given coverage to this Episcopal election and ordination; to Bishop Agripo Núñez Collado for having loaned us this magnificent multipurpose hall for this celebration, to those who organized the liturgy and the logistics of this place; to all the people and groups who have come from the different towns, parishes and from other countries.  TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU, MANY THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND FOR HAVING PARTICIPATED.