Your Grace, Bishop NIKOLAI, my beloved brother and fellow-minister:

Today, through the laying-on-of hands of the bishops who have ordained you, supported by the prayers of the clergy and faithful present here this morning, you have been consecrated to serve Christ and His Holy Church as a Bishop. The same Holy Spirit who descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost and who has strengthened the martyrs and confessors and given wisdom to the shepherds of the Church through the ages, has now descended upon you and set you apart for the episcopal ministry.

Your ministry as a bishop, dear brother in Christ, will be exercised in the midst of the Church, indeed, it is ministry in and for the Church. Always remember that the clergy and faithful whom you will serve as a bishop are also God¹s servants, having also been sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Today, the Divine Grace which always heals that which is infirm and that which is lacking has made you a servant of these servants of God. Your ministry of leadership is not a ministry of power, as the world knows power. Rather, your ministry of leadership is to mirror the humility of Christ who commanded us to wash one another¹s feet even as He washed the feet of His apostles and disciples.

We have prayed today that your episcopal ministry will be blameless and that God will make you holy so that you may be worthy to ask Him for those things which are needed for the salvation of the people. We have entreated the Lord God that you will be a shepherd in the image of the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for His sheep. We have asked that you might be a leader of the blind, a light to those in darkens, a reprover of the unwise, a teacher of the young, and a lamp to the world. Do not forget, dear brother, that these prayers will be granted to us all and will be fulfilled in you only to the degree that your archpastoral ministry abides in the spirit and love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Always bear in mind, dear brother, that at the very heart of the episcopal ministry is the ministry of unity. The many gifts and talents God has generously given to His people are to be brought together so that all may work together, in unity, to build up the body of Christ. Your years of experience in the area of mission activity and parish growth, along with your administrative talents are well known. These are to now be exercised by you in the role of bishop, overseer, of the Church. We are assured that you will exercise this ministry with the same dedication, the same vision, and the same desire for the good the Church that you have exhibited in the past. However, you will now exercise these gifts and talents as a bishop, striving to use these gifts for the unity of the Church, with love, calling God's people to be of one mind and one heart, so that with one voice they may profess, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, One in essence, and undivided."

You are now entrusted with the archpastoral staff as a sign of your episcopal dignity and of your episcopal service. May it always remind you to imitate the one True Shepherd. I exhort you to serve God's people with love and generosity. Minister with fatherly concern to Christ¹s priests. Care for all who come to you in any kind of need. Love them as Christ Himself loves them. Then, having perfected the souls entrusted to you in this present life, may you one day stand before the Throne of God and receive the great reward which He has prepared for those who have fought with valor for the preaching of the Gospel.

Ascend now the episcopal cathedra to give the apostolic blessing to the four corners of the earth, to all those who have taken part in your consecration, and to all God¹s people, for now, in a very real and tangible way, you belong to them, for now you have become their servant.