On December 15th, 2020, Samuel Rose was consecrated and installed as the 6th Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. The service was held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s. Due to health restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, very few people could attend in person, but hundreds were able to join in the celebration in safety thanks to the livestream.
With the Atlantic Bubble closed, the senior bishop within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Bishop John Watton, was the consecrating bishop, but other bishops who live on the island were also able to attend and assist. These included Bishop Organ (Bishop of Western Newfoundland), and Archbishop Coffin, Bishop Mate, Bishop Young, and Bishop Pitman (all retired). Representatives from across the diocese were also present to support Bishop Rose, and to stand in for those unable to attend in person. Archdeacon Greg Mercer, Rose’s father-in-law, delivered the sermon.
On the next day, Bishop Rose reached out to to those who had supported him through an online message, and spoke of how supported he felt by the prayers of those who had watched the consecration and installation from a distance. He concluded his message by saying that, “Let us never forget that God sent his son as the greatest gift of love we could ever receive. And we are called to share this same love with everyone, but especially to the poor, to the weak, to the vulnerable, to those rejected by society, to the broken and the marginalized.”
