‘I AM EXACTLY WHERE GOD WANTS ME’

Bishop Mark O’Connell, installed as the 11th Bishop of Albany, tells faithful to ‘have the courage to proclaim your Messiah to all’

Bishop Mark O'Connell processes out of St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park on Friday, December 5, 2025. (Patrick Dodson photo) (Courtesy photo of Patrick Dodson)

Saying that “I am happy when I know I am exactly where God wants me,” Bishop Mark O’Connell was officially installed as the 11th Bishop of Albany at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park on Dec. 5.

Bishop O’Connell was co-consecrated by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, who read the Apostolic Mandate from Pope Leo XIV appointing Bishop ­O’Connell as Bishop of Albany, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, who seated Bishop O’Connell in his cathedra (Bishop’s chair) and handed him his crozier.

After Cardinal Pierre read the mandate just after 2 p.m., Bishop O’Connell then showed it all present, and with a smile beaming across his face, applause rang out. He then made his way out of the main octagonal sanctuary to the overflow seating and was greeted with more thunderous cheers. 

“I wanted to be your bishop more than I can say, I just didn’t know your name,” said Bishop O’Connell, who was first known as a happy priest and then a happy bishop. “With all my heart I believe the Holy Spirit has led me to this moment and to you. When I look back over my life, I can see how everything has prepared me to serve you, to walk with you, and to love you. You may have noticed I cannot stop smiling today. It was the same at each of my three ordinations. I smile when I am happy, and I am happy when I know I am exactly where God wants me.”

Bishop O’Connell succeeds Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who was installed in 2014 and led the Diocese of Albany through a tumultuous time, which included the hundreds of abuse cases filed under the Child Victims Act and the diocesan bankruptcy in 2023.

While it was frigid outside, nearly 1,000 people packed the church, which included three cardinals, 31 bishops, over 200 priests and deacons, and the faithful of the Diocese in the worship space and the overflow section outside of the main doors. 

Even before the installation, Bishop O’Connell, who likes to be called Bishop Mark, mingled freely with those in attendance, chatting and hugging the faithful before he was vested. As the start of the Mass was delayed by the sheer number of people trying to get into St. Edward’s, there was Bishop Mark again in the main sanctuary talking with religious sisters, chatting with the large contingent from the Archdiocese of Boston and taking photos. And after the Mass, there was a large, heated tent set up, so anyone could meet Bishop O’Connell for a quick chat and photo.

Bishop O’Connell used his motto “Invenimus Messiam” (“We have found the Messiah”) as one of the lynchpins of his homily (read the full homily on pages 8-9), asking the faithful to find their calling — to make their mark as it were — in bringing Jesus to all we meet.

“For too long we divided the People of God into those who teach and those who learn. Vatican II and the recent call to synodality have reminded us that every one of us is both learner and teacher,” he said. “So I call every person in these pews and connected by every means of communication: discover your own unique calling in God’s Kingdom and, like Saint Andrew, have the courage to proclaim your Messiah to all.”

He asked of priests: “Do not be afraid to ask me the hard, unspoken questions like Jude Thaddeus. Do not be afraid to show emotion or to step deeper into intimacy with God. Keep preaching Jesus Christ until your last breath, as Andrew did.”

He asked of deacons: “Never take sides, but stand as a bridge — representing me to the people and the people to me. I need you, and our parishes need your stability as priests come and go.”

He asked of consecrated religious: “Pray for me, yes, but above all pray for God’s people. As Saint Francis indicated to his brothers, preach always — use words when necessary.”

He asked of lay leaders: “Do not see your responsibilities as a burden but as a calling. Refuse to join the chorus of negativity. Renew yourselves in prayer and stewardship. Together we will face an uncertain financial future, rebuild what has been damaged, take the punches, get back up, and hand on a living faith to a new generation.” 

He asked of volunteers: “Love your neighbor first and then serve at the altar. Those who serve as Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors … Let your ministry at the altar naturally flow from this service.”

He asked of those called to the priesthood or consecrated life: “Is God speaking to your heart right now through my poor words? That restless sense that ‘something is missing,’ that mysterious yet persistent call you keep pushing away — open your heart and explore it.”

And of those wounded by the Church: “I know you. I have walked with many of you as priest, canon lawyer, and bishop. … Let me gently show you Jesus who loves you with an everlasting love. His light is never overcome by darkness, and He is your Messiah as truly as He is mine.”

* * *

This day, which dawn crystal clear and cold, started at the Desmond Hotel in Albany with brunch. Bishop O’Connell was joined by the cardinals, other bishops and priests as well as his family, which included his brothers, Thomas and John Marion, and sister, Mary Margaret. The 12-mile chartered bus ride to St. Edward’s was slightly delayed by traffic, but once inside, the church was a din of activity. Priests and bishops were milling about, talking with the faithful. Volunteers — including students from Catholic Central School, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School and La Salle Institute — guided those in attendance to their seats and handed out programs. Video cameras and sound were tested as the Mass was livestreamed on Catho­licTV.

Everyone was waiting for Bishop Mark to arrive, when a door opened, heads turned, but it wasn’t him. As the clock ticked toward 1 p.m., there was applause and there he was, smiling and talking, shaking hands. Finally he was led off to be vested, and the Mass started just after 2 p.m. The procession began with honored guests, civic leaders and members from the interfaith community as trumpets blared. Father James J. Kane, the diocesan director of the Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, walked with Right Reverend Jeremiah D. Williamson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, and behind him was Rabbi Greg Weitzman of Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany.

Deacons and priests of the Diocese of Albany and the Archdiocese of Boston followed, two by two, as they entered the church they dipped their fingers in the octagonal baptismal font. The Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, the Knights and Dames of Malta, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians led in the principal priest concelebrants, who were followed by the visiting bishops, Bishop O’Connell, Bishop Scharfenberger, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Cardinal Pierre and Cardinal Dolan. 

As soon as the procession ended in the church, Cardinal Dolan, after thanking Bishop Scharfenberger for his 11 years of service to the Diocese, said: “I would ask his eminence, Christophe Cardinal Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, to read the very Apostolic Letter appointing Bishop Mark O’Connell as the 11th Bishop of Albany.”

Before he read the letter, which was written in Latin but was read in English, Cardinal Pierre also thanked Bishop Scharfenberger for his shepherding of the Diocese, which elicited applause from the attendees.

“You begin this new mission while we are still receiving the graces of the Jubilee Year of Hope,” Cardinal Pierre then told Bishop O’Connell. “As Pope Francis reminded us at the start of this year, quoting St. Paul, hope does not disappoint. You know this from your experience as a priest and as a bishop. … Bishop Mark continue to trust in the gifts of patience, hope and love that come from the death and resurrection of Christ. As your episcopal motto says, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ This is the most important part of your motto.”

Before he continued, Cardinal Pierre wondered why there was a beaver on Bishop Mark’s crest, saying “I have seen beavers destroying everything, but I have also seen beavers building a lot.” He then read the English translation of the letter, appointing a smiling Bishop O’Connell as the 11th Bishop of Albany. 

“Since the See of Albany is currently vacant owing to the resignation of our venerable brother Edward Bernard Scharfenberger, it is our desire at this time to assign to it a capable shepherd who will share together with us care for the church and each one of its members,” Cardinal Pierre read. “And so venerable brother, we have received the opinion of the Dicastery of Bishops concerning your life and the work you have done thus far, which provide us with the solid hope that you are capable of fulfilling, fruitfully, this ministry of no small importance. 

“Therefore upon careful consideration of these things, by virtue of our apostolic authority, we release you from the bond of the prior See and the office of auxiliary and we name and appoint you Bishop of Albany, granting to you the privileges, rights and duties, as well as imposing also the relative obligations. It is our wish that you inform the clergy and the people of the community entrusted to you of this decision of ours so that they may confidently offer you expressions of filial love and adherence. 

“Finally venerable brother, we urge you to command every day, all your duties and concerns to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Immaculate Conception, who will strengthen you and your flock and renew from day to day this dignity which we have received from the sacred font for eternal life in Christ. … signed Pope Leo XIV.”

As the applause rang out for nearly a minute when Bishop Mark held high the mandate for all to see, it was hard not to feel, like he would say later in his homily, that he was right where God wanted him to be. 

“With faith in Jesus Christ and with love in my heart, I accept the pastoral care of the people of God in the Diocese of Albany,” he said when he returned to the altar, his voice breaking. I promise to serve faithfully the church and this Diocese, to preach the Gospel and celebrate the Eucharist.”

He was handed his crozier by Cardinal Dolan and more applause rang out as he sat in his bishop’s chair. Bishop O’Connell then greeted and shook hands with members of the College of Consultors, Presbyteral Council, diocesan priests and deacons, lay people and others. The Mass then continued on normally.

* * *

As Bishop O’Connell neared the end of his homily, he talked about his first day in seminary in 1986, when he wept when he heard the hymn “Here I Am, Lord.”

“Here I am, Lord,” he said, repeating the last stanza. “Is it I, Lord? I have heard You calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if You lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.”

And with similar words, he ended his homily and began his time as shepherd of the Diocese of Albany.

“You are the people God has entrusted to me to love and to serve, come what may. There is no hierarchy when we dip our fingers in the same baptismal water,” he said. “The People of God includes those who have left us and those that peek in the door. We are one Body, gathered around one Eucharistic table, each of us called to a uniquely personal relationship with Christ.

“I am so lucky to be your new bishop. I will go where my Messiah leads me, and I will hold you forever in my heart.”