Next week there will be another milestone in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston with the installation of our new archbishop, Archbishop Richard Garth Henning. This column is simply a preview of the liturgical celebrations planned for the event.

There are two liturgies: The celebration of Vespers or Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Oct.30, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Revere. The Vespers will be celebrated primarily in Spanish, and all are welcome. No tickets are needed. The Mass of Installation will be celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Thursday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. This is a ticketed event. You can best be part of that event by watching it on CatholicTV on cable or at www.catholictv.org.



Vespers

The church has many forms of liturgical prayer, and the Liturgy of the Hours is an important one. The church prays at various hours of the day, marking morning, midday, evening, and night and with an hour called the Office of Readings, which can be celebrated at any time of the day. Vespers, or Evening Prayer, is celebrated to mark the end of the day, about around the end of the workday.

It is structured as follows. In its more solemn celebration, as for this one, much of the texts will be sung.

Introduction

Hymn

Antiphon 1 and psalm

Antiphon 2 and psalm

Antiphon 3 and New Testament canticle

Scripture reading

Short responsory

Magnificat antiphon

Canticle of Mary

Prayers of intercession (Final prayer is always for the faithful departed)

The Lord's Prayer

Concluding prayer

Blessing



The Installation Mass

The Mass will be very much like a Sunday Mass in your parish. Any of the texts that may be sung will most likely be sung. The presence of various ethnic communities in the archdiocese will be obvious before and during the Mass. The most notable difference will be the Introductory Rites.

Archbishop Henning will knock on the door of the Cathedral

The door opened, and the archbishop will be welcomed by Cardinal O'Malley

Kissing of Crucifix

Sprinkling with Holy Water -- of those near the archbishop in the narthex

Entrance procession

Cardinal O'Malley will announce the Apostolic Greeting

Welcome of Christopher Cardinal Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States

The nuncio will read the Apostolic Letter appointing Archbishop Henning

The archbishop will show the letter to the consultors, and to the assembly

Consent of the people -- with an acclamation

Seating of Archbishop Henning in the cathedra

Greetings by representatives of the archdiocese

Gloria

Collect

The Mass will then continue as usual, and Archbishop Henning will deliver his first homily as our archbishop.

The archdiocese will welcome the new archbishop's parents, siblings, and their children. His many friends from Rockville Centre and his priest friends from New York, Rhode Island, and beyond will be joining us as well.

Priests, deacons, women and men religious of the archdiocese, and other invited guests will be joined by seven cardinals, five archbishops, 32 diocesan bishops, and 17 auxiliary bishops for the Mass of Installation.