Sacred Heart Morriston at School Road, Morriston, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA6 6HZ UK - NEW BISHOP - Bishop Thomas (Tom) Matthew Burns sm
|
NEW BISHOP - Bishop Thomas (Tom) Matthew Burns sm |
|
16 October 2008
Pope Benedict XVI has today accepted the resignation of Bishop Mark Jabalé, O.S.B., as Bishop of Menevia, who having reached 75, has tendered his resignation according to the norms of Canon Law.
At the same time, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Tom M Burns S.M., currently Bishop of the Forces (GB), as the next Bishop of Menevia. The official announcement will be made in Rome at 12 noon, 1100 British time, Thursday 16 October 2008.
The Diocese of Menevia, founded by St David in the 6th Century under the title of Mynyw, was re-established in 1898, and re-structured in 1987. Today the Diocese comprises the areas of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Cardigan, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and South Powys, with approximately 27,000 Catholics, of whom about 8,000 regularly attend Mass each week.
The installation of Bishop Burns as the 11th Bishop of Menevia will take place during Mass in St Joseph’s Cathedral, Swansea, on Monday 1 December 2008 at 1130. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor will conduct the Installation. Until that time, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Mark Jabalé as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Menevia.
In the meantime, Bishop Tom requests the prayers of everyone, as he completes 25+ years of ministry in the Forces, first of all as a Naval Chaplain, then as Principal Chaplain and Vicar General, and now in the last six years as military Bishop. He says that “it has been a joy and a privilege for me to serve the Church in this way, and thanks everyone most sincerely for their support and friendship. I am now looking forward to moving to Menevia and getting to know the clergy and people of the Diocese”.
Bishop Mark says: “I am delighted that the Holy Father has enabled such a smooth changeover, and that the new Bishop’s identity has come at the same time as the announcement of my retirement.
“I have known Bishop Tom Burns since he was made Bishop in June 2002. He is a man of considerable experience and wisdom; and, I am sure, Menevia will continue to prosper under his leadership.
“Bishop Tom will be inheriting a wonderful diocese. It is probably the smallest in the United Kingdom, but in geographic area it is very large, and has some of the most beautiful scenery of all the dioceses. The priests who work in Menevia, both Diocesan and Religious, are a very hard-working, united group of men who are utterly devoted to the people entrusted to their care. I am very privileged to have been their Bishop, and I am sure that Bishop Tom will feel much the same in a very short time.”
Bishop Mark concludes by wishing Bishop Tom every blessing and success on his appointment, and assure him and the whole of the diocese of his prayers and continued support.
INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP TOM BURNS
currently Bishop of the Forces (GB)
and Bishop-designate of Menevia
How do you feel about becoming Bishop of Menevia?
I feel honoured yet humbled by the Holy Father’s wish that I should become the next Bishop of Menevia. It is with mixed feelings that I leave the Forces, which has been my life for the last 25+ years, first of all as a Naval Chaplain, then as Principal Chaplain and Vicar General, and for the last 6 years as military Bishop. I have enjoyed these years enormously. Now I am looking forward to joining my new family in Wales, and getting to know the priests and people of my new Diocese.
Why are you being moved at the present time?
The average age of serving personnel in the Forces is in the mid-twenties; generally they retire at 55 years of age or earlier; and even the most senior officers do not go on longer than 60. It is only right, therefore, to make way for a younger man to serve them as their Bishop, and the Holy Father has graciously acknowledged this situation, which is the same in many other countries.
What memories of the Forces will you cherish most?
The memories that I will cherish most are my attempts to make Church in often very unusual and challenging circumstances, in different parts of the world. It is not everyone who will have the opportunity to say Mass in the Exocet missile room of a frigate during the First Iraq War (1990), or on top of a torpedo in a submarine. I have been privileged to be allowed into the lives of young people in all three Services, far from home, often burdened with anxieties, yet seeking someone whom they can use as a sounding-board or whose shoulder they can lean on for confidential advice or guidance. Even a group of Muslim officers under training accepted classes on board ship from me as a Naval Chaplain. At the end of the 6-week course, they presented me simply with a Bounty chocolate bar. Grinning, they pointed out the message on the side of the wrapper: “a taste of paradise”. As they said, with more ecumenical implications than they were aware of: We think that suits you, sir!
Have you similar memories of the Army and the Royal Air Force?
The RAF were kind enough to drop me from a helicopter onto the stern of a P2000 patrol boat off Cyprus, as both craft moved through the air and sea at speed – a fearsome and exhilarating experience! An Army Challenger tank lurching across broken terrain in Germany seemed intent on breaking every bone in my body, even though I was firmly strapped into the turret. In the tank simulator where young 18 year-old soldiers were being trained, I asked the Staff Sergeant who was quicker at identifying targets: him or the recruits. Without hesitation he replied: “Officially I am. Unofficially, they are, sir!”
What needs to be done in the Diocese of Menevia?
I approach my new job with no preconceptions. After all, if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans! At this stage, I have no projects or objectives, and it is possible that I never will. It will depend on the local situation, which it will be important for me to grasp as quickly as possible. My first priority, therefore, will be to meet as many of the priests and people of the Diocese as possible. I want to hear what they have to say about their parishes and their other responsibilities in and around the Diocese. I hope that there will be a meeting of minds and hearts as they tell me about the life of the Church in Menevia, its needs, their hopes, their joys, and their fears. This will be an open dialogue, carried out with frankness and in a spirit of collaboration, with mutual generosity and sharing, for the benefit of everyone.
How well do you know the area of the Diocese?
My niece and her husband have just moved to Haverfordwest, and when the Marists were responsible for the parishes in Carmarthen and Rhayader I had the opportunity to visit my colleagues. Tragically, I had to attend the funeral of one of my former students who went on to study at Aberystwyth University but was drowned in an unfortunate accident offshore. In these visits I was struck by the vastness and the beauty of the Welsh countryside and coastline. Only recently, in August, as Bishop Promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS), I concelebrated the Requiem Mass in St Joseph’s Cathedral for Father John Dermody, a much loved Parish Priest and AOS Chaplain at Pembroke Dock.
You mention the Apostleship of the Sea. What is this organization?
The Apostleship of the Sea provides Chaplains and drop-in centres in ports around the British coastline. Some of these centres are better known as “Anchor House” or “Stella Maris”. Nowadays ships turn round and are back at sea inside 9 hours, so a seafarers’ centre in the heart of the docks allows their crews to have easy access to opportunities for rest and relaxation, to make a phone-call home, or to use internet facilities. There are many such seaports in the Diocese: e.g. Swansea, Fishguard, Port Talbot, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock. Several Menevia priests and a huge number of parishes support the work of the Apostleship of the Sea. Indeed, one priest in the past week or so has served as Chaplain on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. I myself have just returned from a cruise to Alaska. The presence of a Chaplain on board is not only welcomed by the passengers (250 out of 1200 came to Mass), but especially by the crew, many of whom are Catholics from the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, India, Goa, and other Catholic countries. The Diocese of Menevia has a wide variety of Church commitments and apostolates, and I look forward to the challenge of acquainting myself with much more of the area in the near future.
Do you speak Welsh?
I wish I did! I wish I could speak as fluently as Bishop Daniel Mullins (retired Bishop of Menevia). There is so much to learn about the Diocese, its people and its own particular culture. Being able to speak, or at least to understand Welsh would be an added advantage in my learning process. Perhaps Bishop Mullins will give me a few tips.
Who will be the next Bishop of the Forces?
No-one yet knows who will be the next Bishop of the Forces. The Papal Nuncio will begin a process of consultation as soon as there is a sede vacante (i.e. the see is vacant), which occurs on the day of my transfer to Menevia. Within 8 days of my leaving the Diocese on 1 December, the College of Consultors (priests of the Bishopric) are required to meet to elect a Diocesan Administrator, who will have care of the Bishopric until a new Bishop is appointed. This can be a lengthy process, and all of us need to pray that the Nuncio will be able to complete his consultation as quickly as possible.
THE RIGHT REVEREND THOMAS MATTHEW BURNS SM BA BD
currently BISHOP OF THE FORCES
currently BISHOP OF THE FORCES
BISHOP-DESIGNATE of MENEVIA
|
Tom Burns was born in Belfast on 3 June 1944. When the family moved to England he was educated by the Marist Fathers, first of all at St Mary’s College, Blackburn, and then for two years in the Sixth Form at Winslade School, Exeter. From there he applied to join the Society of Mary (S.M.), and began his studies for the Priesthood and the religious life at the Marist Monastery in Paignton, Devon. Ordained in 1971, he obtained an Honours Degree in Divinity from London University, as well as a Diploma in Business Studies. After spending two years in the Marist parish at Whitechapel in the East End of London, he taught ‘A’ Level Economics in Marist Schools at Sidcup in Kent and Blackburn in Lancashire. During this time he became a graduate of the Open University, specialising in Economics and Social Studies.
|
|
|
In 1986 Father Tom was commissioned as a full-time Chaplain in the Royal Navy. After training at HMS RALEIGH and Britannia Royal College he served as a Chaplain in HMS DRAKE and Devonport Naval Base. From there he went to sea with the ships of the first Flotilla (to the Falklands, the Gulf and the Caribbean), and then joined the Chaplaincy Team in Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth. Leaving the Navy in 1992, he took up an appointment as Bursar General at the Marists Fathers’ Headquarters in Rome but subsequently rejoined the Royal Navy in January 1994. His first appointment was again to sea, for a period of 18 months, when he joined the staff of the Initial Sea Training Department in the newly created post of Chaplain to the Ships embarking Officer Cadets for their first experience of sea-going life. After completing the Initial Staff Course at Greenwich Royal Naval College, he proceeded to Portsmouth, where he headed up an ecumenical team working in HMS NELSON and the Naval Base. Six months later, on the opening of the Tri-Service Chaplaincy Centre at Amport House, near Andover, in April 1996, he became the first Roman Catholic Chaplain to serve there, joining colleagues from the other major Churches on the Directing Staff, and teaching courses in Welfare and Counselling Skills to personnel from all three Services. In May 1998 Father Tom was promoted and appointed Monsignor and Principal Roman Catholic Chaplain (Naval), first of all as Director Naval Chaplaincy Service (Training and Programmes), and then 2 years later as Director(Manning). He was appointed Queen’s Honorary Chaplain on 29 May 1998. As a qualified Cricket Umpire and Rugby Union Referee, Monsignor Tom has in the past been fully occupied with ‘pastoral’ duties on Saturdays most weekends of the year. His other interests include crime thrillers and war stories, as well as keeping abreast of current affairs – and, not surprisingly, foreign travel – but for leisure rather than business.
Monsignor Tom became Bishop of the Forces on 18 June 2002. Since then, he has been fully engaged in official and pastoral visits to Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force units and establishments throughout the UK and overseas, including Iraq in Holy Week 2005. The Bishopric of the Forces is a diocese without geographical boundaries, consisting of Service personnel and their dependants, served by over 40 full-time Chaplains and a number of TA and Officiating Chaplains.
Bishop Tom is the Catholic Church’s Apostolic Visitor for the Prefecture of the Falkland Islands, which also includes St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Ascension Island, and South Georgia. In addition, he is the Bishop Promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea, whose Chaplains cover some 25 commercial sea-ports around the coast of England and Wales. In 2005, at the request of the Bishops, he set up the St Luke’s Centre, in Manchester, for the support of clergy and religious (women and men). He has an older sister who lives in Shropshire, and two nieces and a nephew.
|
|