Mass celebrates establishment of Metropolitan Archdiocese of Las Vegas

Photo Credit: Archdiocese of Las Vegas/Robin Jerstad

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Christophe Cardinal Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, vests Archbishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D. with the pallium, a liturgical vestment worn by Metropolitan Archbishops.

LAS VEGAS — Bishop Oscar A. Solis was one of the principal concelebrants at the Oct. 16 Mass of canonical establishment of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Las Vegas and the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D. at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer in Las Vegas.

In his introductory remarks at the Mass, Christophe Cardinal Pierre,  apostolic nuncio to the United States, said, “I want all of you to know the spiritual closeness of Pope Francis and to feel the blessing of his personal affection for you on this joyous day. For me it is a pleasure to join this historic celebration, the raising of this local Church to the level of an archdiocese and the imposition of the pallium upon its first archbishop, George Leo Thomas. What we celebrate today is this local Church being what the Church is called to be: a living sign of the presence of the Savior in the world. … The elevation of this local Church is a result of the dynamism and vitality of the Catholic faith here. It is the fruit of the pastoral care of laborers, of the clergy and lay faithful working together. It is the outcome of synodality.”

Cardinal Pierre then read the papal bull, a proclamation of Pope Francis formally acknowledging the elevation of Las Vegas to the status of an archdiocese and the creation of the ecclesiastical province and designation of the dioceses of Salt Lake City and Reno as suffragan dioceses.

Receiving the bull from the cardinal, Archbishop Thomas held it aloft and processed through the church while those in attendance clapped and cheered. The archbishop then proclaimed his faith by reciting the Nicene Creed and added some personal commitments of his own, including a promise that he would always preserve communion with the Church, carry out his duties faithfully, preserve Church teachings and faithfully follow the bishops and those governing the Church.

“I shall also, with due regard for the character and purpose of my institute, faithfully assist the diocesan bishops so that the apostolic activity exercised in the name and by mandate of the Church be carried out in communion with the Church,” he said.

On behalf of Pope Francis, Cardinal Pierre vested Archbishop Thomas with the pallium, a woolen vestment worn on the shoulders of archbishops that represents their jurisdictional authority as metropolitan archbishops.  

“Like everything in the Church, [the pallium] is simple but meaningful,” Cardinal Pierre said. “So, the pallium is a sign which comes from the pope put on the shoulders of the archbishop to express the communion between the archbishop, all the bishops and the Holy Father so that the Church is one in its diversity.”

Archbishop Thomas received the pallium from the Holy Father in June, when he and nearly 100 pilgrims from Las Vegas and throughout the United States traveled to Rome for a special Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

In the past, the Holy Father would vest new metropolitan archbishops with the pallium at such a celebration, but in 2015 Pope Francis decreed that new archbishops would have the pallium imposed on them in their local archdioceses, in the presence of the faithful of their local Church.  The Oct. 16 Mass at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer was for that occasion.

At the Mass, the gifts were presented by members of the archbishop’s family. After the Mass, Archbishop Thomas shared remarks about Pope Francis’ ministry and example.

“It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the leadership of Pope Francis that serve as our guiding light here in the Archdiocese of Las Vegas,” he said. “Taken together, this gives us courage in the face of adversity, hope in times of trouble and vision, direction and inventiveness as we strive to live out our lives as faithful disciples of the Lord.”

The archbishop thanked Cardinal Pierre and through him Pope Francis, for raising the Diocese of Las Vegas to the rank of archdiocese.

“It is an acknowledgment of the Church’s expansive growth and testimony of our dynamism,” he said. “It is also an affirmation of the leadership of our outstanding priests and deacons and religious and lay leaders — gifted women and men laboring together as close collaborators in the field of the Lord. I say this humbly: You are looking at one of the happiest and most grateful bishops in the U.S.A.”

“I’m so grateful for this unmerited privilege of serving as the shepherd to you, our beloved people, in the great archdiocese,” he concluded. “Viva Cristo, viva Papa Francisco and viva Las Vegas.”

Pope Francis created the Archdiocese of Las Vegas on May 30 and named Archbishop Thomas as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Las Vegas. The dioceses of Salt Lake City and Reno became part of the province; they had previously been part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Archbishop Thomas was appointed Bishop of Las Vegas by Pope Francis on Feb. 28, 2018, and was installed as Bishop of Las Vegas on May 15, 2018. He previously was Bishop of Helena, Mont., and before than an auxiliary bishop in Seattle, Wash.