Most Rev. Bishop Neil Tiedemann

Passionist Bishop

St. Paul of the Cross Cathedral

Mandeville

Jamaica, West Indies

Most Reverend and dear Bishop Neil,

It is a joy for me to send you my best wishes and prayers on the occasion of your Episcopal

Ordination that is taking place in the Cathedral in Mandeville, Jamaica, dedicated to our Holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross, on the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

The General Consultors, Fr. Denis Travers and Fr. Clemente Barrón will offer you my personal greeting and best wishes as well as that of the General Council, including the entire Passionist Congregation.

The fullness of the Priesthood will be given to you through the working of the Holy Spirit and by means of the imposition of hands of the ordaining Archbishop, His Excellency Donald Reece. In addition to being a gift for Your Excellency, it is also a gift for the entire Congregation and for the Church. We thank God for this gift – God who is always abounding in mercy and generosity.

The tenth Synod of Bishops that was celebrated in Rome in 2002 had as its theme: “The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the hope of the world.” During the Synod the participants reflected on the belief that the Bishop, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, assumes the mind and heart of Christ the Good Shepherd, in the midst of all the anxieties and concerns of today’s world. He announces the word of truth and life and he promotes activity that goes to the very heart of humanity.

The Church and within it, the Bishop, as the shepherd of the flock, following in the footsteps of Jesus, shines forth as a witness to hope that does not deceive (cf. Rm.5:5), because it is based on the certainty of the fulfillment of the promises of God. The Father has regenerated us in living

hope by the death the resurrection of Christ that is also proclaimed in the passage of the Gospel of this Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

The Bishop, united with Christ, faithful to the Gospel, open to the reality of this world that is

loved by God, becomes a “prophet of hope.”

Your Excellency, the wish that I offer on behalf of our entire Congregation and “in memory” of your predecessor, Bishop Paul Boyle, C.P., is that you will be a “prophet of hope” and therefore we unite our prayer with your pastoral ministry in the diocese of Mandeville so that, in continuity with that of the apostles, you may be a witness of the Gospel of Christ in union with faith that believes and love that takes action.

I wish to greet the ordaining prelate, Archbishop Reece, the Provincial Superior, Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Jones and the religious of the Province of St. Paul of the Cross, as well as the members of your family and all the faithful who are participating in the Sacred Rite of Episcopal Ordination.

Fraternally,

Fr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, C.P.

Superior General

Rome, Sts. John and Paul

6 August 2008

Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus