Within the hallowed walls of this Cathedral Church have occurred many of the significant events in my spiritual journey so far, and all those events have involved Bishops of the Diocese. Here I was baptized by Bishop Arthur Heber Brown, confirmed by Bishop Anthony Williams, ordained to the Diaconate by Bishop John Armstrong -- and this evening I have been collated by Bishop William Down as Archdeacon of Bermuda. I give thanks and praise to God for this great goodness shown to me over these many years and for bringing me to this great moment in my life and that of the Church in these Islands. It is my prayer that His grace may continue to be with me in the years that lie ahead.

Bishop Anselm Genders, when Principal of Codrington College, was fond of quoting the words of Jesus that coincidentally form our Post communion sentence: "You have not chosen me; I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last''. These words, often repeated, stuck in my consciousness and have long been a source of encouragement as well as a challenge. The encouragement lies in the sure and certain knowledge that I am what I am and where I am, because He has called and chosen me. Having answered that call I have been enabled to fulfil my vocation through the abiding presence of His Holy Spirit, the primary source of my strength, guidance and inspiration. The challenge is to be faithful in word and action at all times. That's the eternal struggle of all who would follow the Lord Jesus.

Never in my wildest dreams (or should I say nightmares) did I think that I would stand here in this capacity. For my only ambition has ever been to be a Parish Priest. So when the storm burst around me when my appointment was made known, and mightily unpleasant it has been for both the Bishop and I and our families, I was strongly tempted, once or twice, to throw in the towel. But in the end I recognised and accepted that this was once again, a call by God from which I could not and dare not run! So here I am, for better, for worse, Archdeacon of Bermuda! The last three months have been exceedingly strange for one who prefers to shun the limelight. It has been far from easy coping with all the stuff I have read in the papers and all the attention from the media. As a Church we have descended to the depths. Now is the time to rise to the heights, the heights of love, truth and goodwill towards one another. I am aware that there is much healing, reconciliation and forgiveness that must take place before we can rise to those new heights, just referred to, only then can we move forward. I would hope that I can be, in no small measure, an agent in that vital process.

From the sublime to the ridiculous have been some of the questions that have been asked of me in recent time. Questions about dress (with emphasis on hats for some reason), my intentions and plans for the Diocese, whether or not I shall remain in Pembroke, and even if I was going to get a raise and if so, how much! Just as I believe that I have been called and chosen by God to serve Him in His Church; so He has called each of you in your several vocations to serve Him in the place where you are set. That is, to bear witness to Christ in the home, the office, the shop, the hotel, the building site, school and on the streets of your local community. In all of these places, every single day of our lives, will our faithfulness to Christ and His Gospel be put to the test.

We must not be found wanting.

The Scriptures chosen for this service are clear about the what and the how of our task. From the Prophet Isaiah we learn what to do: "to bring good news to the humble, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to those in prison; to proclaim a year of the Lord's favour... to comfort all who mourn...'' If we have eyes to see and ears that hear we should be aware of who fit into these categories in our community. Our interest in and concern for those who are needy must go beyond mere words. The poor, the homeless, drug addicts, AIDS sufferers and victims of violence need to be embraced by us and given all possible help. The Diocesan Strategic Plan, somewhat dormant of late, needs to be reactivated and examined afresh in the light of Isaiah's prophecy and the Gospel imperative to care for the least of our brethren. Our Lord Jesus at the beginning of His ministry quoted this same scripture and proclaimed its fulfilment. Would that we could do the same! However it seems clear to me that can only become a reality if we take to heart what St. Paul has to say to us in his letter to the Colossians. He writes; "Put on them, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; As the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.'' Only if we are seen to be a people who possess and show forth in our every word and deed such qualities, will we become credible witnesses.

In the Gospel reading Our Lord says: "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep and my sheep know me -- as the Father knows me and I know the Father...'' Deeply conscious that I am a shepherd to the flock in Pembroke and that I now have a somewhat wider responsibility I had a look at the Ordinal in the Alternative Service Book. It has some very pertinent things to say on this subject and I quote in part: "A priest is called by God to work with the Bishop and with his fellow priests, as servant and shepherd among the people to whom he is sent''. He must set the good shepherd always before him as the pattern of his calling, caring for the people committed to his charge and joining with them in a common witness to the world''. Those of us privileged to be shepherds, our Bishop and his priests, must take care to remember always these things and be diligent in fulfilling our vocations. Being close to Jesus, the good shepherd, through regular prayer and sacrament will strengthen us in our care of our people.

It is more than likely that our small size and our relative isolation from the wider church has helped to aggravate our recent difficulties. The proposed plans for provincial links with other parts of the Anglican Communion should encourage us to break out of our insularity. Forging links with dioceses in the West Indies, Canada and the United States, alongside our existing connection with the United Kingdom should help us to realise that we are a part of a bigger whole, the Catholic Church. Catholicity in its essence means that race, colour, national origin, language and culture are of less importance than unity in Christ.

Jesus said: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last''. The Church in Bermuda cannot fulfil that divine call to bear lasting fruit because she has been disabled by internal division and disharmony. None of us can ignore this sad fact. This is a temporary aberration. For we shall deal with it, face to face, in love through the synodical process; no other way is really possible or acceptable. We have great things to do for God in this place, but first we have to get ourselves in order and that means repentance, reconciliation, healing and forgiveness.

All this must happen before there can be forward movement. And if we Christians refuse to do this, God help us! Tonight, in this holy house, before this sacred Altar may the healing begin.

Let us pray.

Come Holy Spirit, come! Enflame us with the fire of your love. Renew, strengthen and disturb your church. Heal our divisiveness and make us whole.

Help us to love and respect one another. Equip us to proclaim with joyful conviction that Jesus is Lord!, Come, Holy Spirit, Come! Amen.

NEW MAN -- Archdeacon Ewen Ratteray.