The Most Rev. Frank J Caggiano installed as 5th bishop of Diocese of Bridgeport this week

Installation set for September 19

BRIDGEPORT—The Most Rev. Frank J Caggiano, 54, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY, will be formally installed as the Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport on Thursday, September 19, at 1:30 pm at St. Theresa in Trumbull.

The liturgical procession into the church will begin at 1:30pm, with the Installation Mass set to begin at 2pm. Invitations have been mailed to people throughout the diocese, and those who RSVP an accep­tance will receive tickets to the installation. Seating will be limited to ticket holders.

St. Theresa Church was select­ed as the site of the Installation Mass because it accommodates over 1,200 people, making it one of the largest churches in the diocese. Cardinals, archbishops and bishops across the country are expected to attend the installation service, along with local priests and religious, laity, and Bishop Caggiano's family and friends from Brooklyn. Bishop Caggiano will be formal­ly installed by His Excellency, The Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell, D.D., Archbishop of Hartford, in the presence of His Excellency The Most Reverend Carlo Maria Vigano, J.U.D., the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

A reception and greeting line will be held immediately following the installation Mass at the Family Center of St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in Trumbull. (For more information on the installation, contact Patricia Hansen: 203.416.1629 or installation@ diobpt.org.)

Vespers Ceremony

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be welcomed into the Diocese of Bridgeport at a Vespers Prayer Service set for Wednesday, September 18, at 7pm at St. Augustine Cathedral in down­town Bridgeport. 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 Bishop 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. Vespers, also called Evening Prayer, is part of the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church ful­fills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Through this prayer, the people of God sanc­tify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world.

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 on the St. Augustine Cathedral Campus. (For more information, contact Patricia Hansen: 203.416.1629 or installation@diobpt.org)

Watch the Installation Live
Plans are underway for the live broadcast of Bishop Caggiano's Installation Mass. EWTN, NETny, and CatholicTV are among the TV cable networks expected to broad­cast the Installation Mass live on Thursday, September 19, at 2pm. The broadcast is made possible through the generous support of the Fairfield University Media Center and DeSales Media of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Live Streaming
Both the Installation Mass and the Vespers Prayer Service (begin­ning at 7pm on the eve of the Installation) will be streamed live on the Diocese of Bridgeport website: www.bridgeportdiocese.com.