'Praise and thanks to Almighty God'
Bishop Daniel Flores speaks of his grateful heart as he's ordained to serve in Detroit
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Photos by Larry A. Peplin
Published December 8, 2006
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Cardinal Maida prays as the Book of Gospels is held over the head of Bishop Flores. | Newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Flores professed "praise and thanks to Almighty God" in his first remarks as a bishop Nov. 29.
"God, the Father of Lights, has given us the gift of his Eternal Son made flesh, and by the power of the Holy Spirit has engendered in us new life," he said after becoming the first Hispanic bishop to be ordained for any Michigan diocese and, at 45, the youngest bishop in the United States.
"All gifts I have received in life, including the gift of this day, are contained in the primordial gift of Christ to the world," he said at the end of the ordination Mass.
After the ceremony, the new bishop's mother, Lydia Flores, 74, expressed her pride in and happiness for her son. "But, at the same time, I have mixed emotions, because I know that when I leave here tomorrow, he will be staying behind," she said.
More important, however, is that her son will be serving God, and "he can't go wrong serving God," Lydia Flores said.
Cardinal Adam Maida was principal consecrator at the ceremony making Bishop Flores Detroit's newest auxiliary bishop.
"This is a great and historic moment for our Church of Detroit, and especially for the ever-growing Hispanic population of Michigan," Cardinal Maida said in his homily at the ordination Mass.
Bishop-elect Daniel E. Flores arrives at the start of the Nov. 29 ceremony. | About 900 people – priests and prelates, deacons, religious and lay people – filled the cathedral for the ceremony. Among them were many people from the local Hispanic community, as well as more than 100 of the new bishop's relatives and well-wishers from his home Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Besides the cardinal, there were 25 other archbishops and bishops present, including Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and his predecessor, Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, and other bishops from Texas, Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota and Illinois.
Metropolitan Nicholas of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Detroit was seated in the sanctuary.
Cardinal Adam Maida anoints the head of Bishop Daniel E. Flores with holy chrism oil. | Cardinal Maida acknowledged the efforts already under way by clergy and religious to minister to the Hispanic community in the Archdiocese of Detroit, but added "now, today, we will have a bishop who knows their culture firsthand and will truly be able to speak out of the same experience."
Addressing Hispanic Catholics, the cardinal praised the gifts their presence brings to the Church, both locally and throughout the world: "We thank you for your strong commitment to family life and sanctity of marriage. We rejoice with you in the blessing of Our Lady of Guadalupe and all the Hispanic traditions of faith in the many countries and cultures you represent."
The number of Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit has been estimated at more than 128,000, about 10 percent of the Catholic population in the six-county archdiocese. Their number is projected to increase to more than 150,000 by 2010.
A beaming Lydia Flores stands between Cardinal Adam Maida (left) and her son, newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop Daniel E. Flores. | To the man he would minutes later be ordaining, Cardinal Maida said, "Bishop Flores, you have come to us as an apostle and a missionary. I cannot help but recall that Spanish was indeed the language of the first evangelizers of this American continent, and now you will be for us a living witness to the dialogue of salvation by your very presence itself."
In Bishop Flores' remarks – in both English and Spanish – at the end of the Mass, he also thanked Cardinal Maida, who was his principal consecrator, and both the current and retired bishops of Corpus Christi, Bishops Edmond Carmody and Rene Gracida, who were co-consecrators, as well as other bishops who had been influential in his life.
As a former seminary professor who will also be teaching at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit as part of his new duties, Bishop Flores also had a message for men in the congregation currently preparing for the priesthood: "To the seminarians in particular, I say: Love Christ, serve His people, and in the gift of yourself you will find the Lord.''
In thanking family members who traveled to Detroit for the ceremony – including his mother, two brothers and a sister, along with aunts, nephews, nieces and cousins, he said, "They have been the first and finest gifts of God's providence to me. They represent a large and close family, and in their eyes I see also my grandparents."
Lydia Flores said her son had grown up hearing her mother, the late Teresa Dilley, the new bishop's maternal grandmother who lived with the family, saying, "No se les olvide que hay Dios y que de prestado viven," which she translated as, "Don't forget there is a God, and you are here on loan."
Bishop Flores’ sister, Teresa Crawford, sings with son, Stephen, 11, and daughter Alyssa, 16, at the ordination Mass. |
Teresa Crawford, 42, Bishop Flores' sister, said of the ceremony, "I found it very moving. I'm very proud of him, and I couldn't help but cry."
Billie Ellis, 51, the new bishop's oldest brother, said, ''We're all very proud of him, very honored, and
I think Detroit is very lucky to have him."
Younger brother Albert Flores, 40, said, "When he was little he wanted to become president of the United States, but this is way better than president."
An aunt, Lamar Jenkins, who now lives in Rapid City, S.D., reminisced about her nephew as she him growing up over the years: "He was always such a wonderful kid – compassionate and grateful."
Rocio Zamarron, a member of St. Stephen/Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in southwest Detroit, said of the new bishop, "He's the piece that was missing in the Hispanic pastoral plan. The fact that he's 45 years old will mean he can relate to the Hispanic community across the board, but his message will especially resonate with younger Hispanics."
Bishop-elect Flores lies prostrate during the Litany of the Saints..
more Daniel E. Flores Ordination Photos
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