Auxiliary Bishop Dorick Wright was officially installed as Bishop of Belize City and a Belmopan in a ceremony yesterday at the Landivar Gym here that was attended by thousands of Roman Catholics.
The installation was presided over by Papal Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, who became Apostolic Nuncio to Belize and Salvador on May 7, 2005.
The highlight of the installation was the passing of the shepherd staff from the outgoing Bishop O. P. Martin to Bishop Wright, who then took his seat in the Bishop’s Chair.
Bishop Wright, in his speech, said there were times when he wondered if he would be able to fit in the shoes of the seven previous bishops, but then he realized that God never calls a person to do a job and leaves that person on his own.
“The other day young men were killing one another, then it turned to men killing their wives in the presence of their children,” lamented Bishop Wright about the recent spate of homicides in Belize.
The installation continued with prayers presented by persons representing the different ethnic groups. The Creole representative prayed to God to give the Prime Minister, Hon. Said Musa, “a heart of flesh.”
“Tek weh ‘e heart of stone so that he can hear the cries of the Belizean people,” said the representative.
Prime Minister Musa was absent, but three of his Cabinet Ministers were there – Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Johnny Briceño; Home Affairs Minister, Hon. Ralph Fonseca, and Minister of National Development, Hon. Mark Espat.
After his installation on the Bishop’s Chair, the priests and many other religious officials, including the nuns, approached Bishop Wright and congratulated him.
The ceremony, which included a Mass and Holy Communion, lasted for about three hours, and also marked the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Diocese in Belize.