BOSTON - Thousands of worshippers crowded into New England's largest church yesterday to witness the Rev. John A. Dooher's ordination as a bishop.
Dooher, who served as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Dedham for a decade, and the Rev. Robert Hennessey were elevated to auxiliary bishops in a Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
``We are grateful to our Holy Father for naming two fine priests to serve the archdiocese as our auxiliary bishops,'' Cardinal Sean O'Malley told the 2,500 people who gathered in the towering South End cathedral.
Pope Benedict XVI in October granted O'Malley's request for the Boston archdiocese's first two new bishops since 2001.
Dooher and Hennessey are the first bishops O'Malley has ordained in Boston, and will join three other active auxiliary bishops in the archdiocese.
``Father John Dooher and Father Bob Hennessey have shown themselves to be true pastors who have served their people with deep faith and pastoral love,'' O'Malley said. ``We know that their talents and goodness will help us in our ministry to God's people in the face of so many challenges.''
O'Malley was the principal consecrator of the ordination, while Auxiliary Bishops Francis Irvin, Emilio Allue, and Walter Edyvean served as co-consecrators.
``In this ordination ceremony, our new bishops will make a promise to be welcoming and merciful to the poor, the strangers, and to those in need - in other words, to care for the church's treasures,'' said O'Malley.
O'Malley gave the new bishops rings bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a 16th century Roman Catholic icon depicting an apparition of the Virgin Mary, which is Mexico's most-popular religious image.
Hennessey served a largely Spanish-speaking population at the Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, and much of yesterday's Mass was in Spanish.
The auxiliary bishops help aid O'Malley in administrating Boston's sprawling archdiocese, which claims a population of 2 million Catholics.
Dooher will be assigned to the south region of the archdiocese, where he will oversee parishes in 33 South Shore communities. He will continue serving at St. Mary Parish until his replacement is appointed.
Hennessey replaces retiring Bishop John Boles as administrator of the central region of the archdiocese.
Dooher was appointed pastor of St. Mary Parish in 1996, the year he founded LIFE TEEN, one of the archdiocese's most successful programs for young Catholics. LIFE TEEN singers, along with members of the St. Mary's choir, performed some of the music at yesterday's Mass.
The Revs. Arthur Calter and Matthew Williams, a vicar at St. Mary's, assisted Dooher during his ordination.
The cathedral was filled with St. Mary's parishioners, many of whom traveled to the more than 100-year-old church in eight chartered buses.
Dooher, 63, was born in Dorchester. In 1969 he was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the same place where yesterday he was named bishop.
Following his ordination, Dooher served as parochial vicar from 1969 to 1974 at St. Francis Xavier Cabrini in South Weymouth. He held the same post from 1974 to 1982 at St. Augustine Parish in South Boston.
He also served as the Senate President for Archdiocesan Priests from 1982 to 1984 and was the director of the Office of Spiritual Development for the Archdiocese from 1984 to 1991, a leadership position responsible for overseeing the spiritual renewal program and retreats for parishes and for priests and religious.
Dooher is currently a member of both the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors.
Prior to his appointment as pastor at St. Mary, Dooher served as administrator for Saints Peter and Paul Parish, St. Vincent de Paul Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel in South Boston.
Ryan Halliday can be reached at 781-433-8336, or by e-mail at rhallida
