New Bishop for Scotland
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
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| Cardinal O'Brien and Auxiliary Bishop Robson at Gillis Centre |
On Tuesday (May 8), the Holy Father appointed Msgr Stephen Robson of the clergy of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese.
The new Auxiliary Bishop will assist Cardinal Keith O’Brien in the administration of the diocese. The diocese last had an Auxiliary Bishop in 1996, and the appointment reflects Cardinal O’Brien’s national responsibilities and his international role as a member of a number of Pontifical Councils in Rome.
“I have known the new Auxiliary Bishop, Mgr Stephen Robson for well over 35 years. He has been involved with me in pastoral work and schoolwork, seminary apostolate and during his further studies, literally everything a priest should be involved in. I am happy once again to have an Auxiliary Bishop to help in pastoral work and administration,” said Cardinal O’Brien.
“He is highly respected by his brother priests and also by the deacons, religious and people of this Archdiocese and beyond, because of his open, friendly and pastoral zeal. Also he combines his very personal manner with his own deep spirituality and academic learning, so that he can bring to bear on a variety of problems an incisive knowledge and an ability at decision making.”
Reacting to the appointment Mgr. Robson said, "Although I have experienced great peace and joy on receiving the appointment by the Holy Father as Auxiliary Bishop to Cardinal O'Brien there has also been a great sense of unworthiness and at the same time, trust.”
Mgr Robson added, “My first duty as Auxiliary is to my Archbishop, Cardinal O'Brien and he is no stranger to me. I have known him over 35 years and served him as my bishop for twenty-seven years. As he reminds me, I am his Auxiliary, first and foremost! My second duty is to serve the priests and then the faithful and religious of our Archdiocese in the best way I can. And this is impossible without the help of the Good Shepherd who is the model, inspiration and more important the grace and strength working through all Bishops.”
The Episcopal ordination of the new bishop will take place in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on the Feast of St. Columba Saturday June 9 in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini.
Saint Columba the Abbot, Evangeliser of Scotland and Northern England is Secondary Patron of Scotland. As a Celtic monk, Columba, or Columcille set off on pilgrimage for Christ, placing himself in exile from his own family to preach the Gospel. It is for this reason that Mgr Robson has chosen as his episcopal motto Peregrinatio pro Christo - on pilgrimage for Christ.
The bishop-elect was born in Carliste, England in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1979. He studied in Scotland and in Rome, then worked in pastoral care in the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. From 1998 to 2006, he was spiritual director of the Pontifical Scottish Seminary in Rome.
He was awarded The Bellarmine Medal in 2004. The gold doctoral medal is awarded annually by the Gregorian University in Rome to the two best doctoral theses submitted each year, one in philosophy and one in theology. He was awarded the theology award in 2004 for his thesis on St Bernard's spiritual theology.
The Vatican statement describes the archdiocese as having a population 1,521,000, in which there are 115,000Catholics, 151priests, 3 permanent deacons, and 165 religious.
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Filling up the profile:
Msgr Has been Director of Visits to the Internations Eucharistic Congress in Ireland, beginning 10th June 2012
Stepen has a genuine Scottish accent. Could his parents have been Scottish ?Bishop Stephen spent some time as Br Austin at Ampleforth!
In the the doctoral dissertation, the final acknowledgement is for the parents.. .
"Finally, I wish to dedicate this work to my parents. They first taught me what unconditional love is all about, and in that sense they first introduced me to the Lord. They have always believed in me. They have always supported me.I cannot begin to thank them and shall be eternally in their debt. They know how much I love them and they remain my closest friends on earth. I cannot thank them adequately but I dedicate this work and all my best endeavours to them."
Anolecto Gregoriono
Cura Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae edita Vol. 293. Series Facultatis Theologiae: sectio B, n. 107
STEPHEN
ROBSON
'WITH THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH' (Lk 1,17)
The Prophetic-Reforming Spirituality of Bernard of Clairvaux
as evidenced
particularly in his Letters.
EDITRICE PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIT A GREGORIANA ROMA 2004
- - -Back Cover
Bernard of
Clairvaux is one of the most multi-dimensional and enigmatic figures of the
twelfth century. This study situates Bernard in his own proper social, historical, ecclesial and monastic context and seeks
to identify and evaluate a simple unifying and interpretative
key for use in the reading of Bernard' s works. At
the outset, the contention of the author is that all
Bernard's writings have, in one way or another, a prophetic-reforming purpose.
First,
Bernard's prophetic-reforming work as Abbot is considered. Also examined is the
extent to which Bernard not only formed future leaders with a similar reforming
vision as his own, but also how he used 'windows of opportunity' and 'circles of influence' to further his prophetic-reforming aims through others. Next, five crucial epistolary contexts
are scrutinised. Here, evidence is advanced to demonstrate Bernard's
prophetic-reforming aims in his concerns about the unity of the Church, about the righteous exercise of power by Christian Princes and
Kings, about the guarantee of the libertas ecclesiae in episcopal
elections, about the unity and purity of the faith
in times of heresy and, finally, about integrity of action in the fight against
Islam before and during the second crusade. The study
then examines several' 'indicators' present within Bernard's letters
as further evidence of his prophetic-reforming purposes and evaluates the
validity of using them as further helps in interpretation.
The
conclusion reached is that 'prophetic-reforming' is indeed a
valuable and a valid hermeneutic key for giving both a preliminary unified understanding and interpretation
of Bernard' s writings.
STEPHEN ROBSON was born in Carlisle, in
the United Kingdom, in 1951. After undergraduate study in the University of
Edinburgh (B.Sc, 1974) and St Andrew's Seminary, Drygrange, he was ordained
priest for the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh in 1979. After a
period of teaching and further postgraduate work in the University of Edinburgh
(M.Th, 1988), Fr. Robson became a Parish Priest and Vicar Episcopal for
Education in his Archdiocese (1990-1998). Since 1998 he has been Spiritual
Director of the Pontifical Scots College, Rome, as well as completing
Licentiate and Doctoral studies in Spiritual Theology in the Pontifical
Gregorian University. He is currently completing a Licentiate in Canon Law
before returning to Scotland.
ISBN 88-7839-006-2
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9 788878 390065
