February 2, 2026: Installation Homily of the Most Reverend Joseph Dabrowski, CSMA

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Distinguished Guests, Civic Leaders, and Friends:

I greet you all warmly on this beautiful Feast Day of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple of Jerusalem, and I welcome you to this magnificent Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King at the beginning of my episcopal ministry among you! What a great joy it is to be here together! I see that the winter weather did not discourage you, whether you are used to our snow, or friends who have travelled all the way from sunny Australia, the Dominican Republic, and other warm places. You are truly brave—and very welcome!

I warmly greet Your Eminence, Cardinal Frank Leo, and thank you sincerely for presiding at my installation and for your fraternal support along the way. As neighbours, I am grateful for his guidance, and I promise to be a good neighbour—one who borrows wisdom often, returns it with gratitude, and only knocks on the door at reasonable hours.

I greet Your Eminence, Cardinal Thomas Collins; and thank you for your presence and welcome home. I extend a warm welcome to my brother bishops and priests, permanent deacons with their wives, consecrated women and men, seminarians, and so many of you who have come from far and wide to be with me and give thanks to God for the privilege of being part of the Church in Hamilton in this wonderful cathedral basilica, the Mother Church of the diocese.

Your Grace, Archbishop Jurkovič, your presence among us today is a living sign of our unity with the Successor of Peter, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. I ask you to extend to the Holy Father my deepest gratitude for the trust he has placed in me, and for the love and deep respect we all have for him in this diocese. Thank you for your guidance and support throughout this appointment and always. Grazie di cuore!

Aux nombreux membres francophones du diocèse de Hamilton, je vous remercie pour votre accueil chaleureux et pour tout ce que vous faites pour bâtir et fortifier cette Église locale. Je compte sur vous pour votre soutien continu et votre amitié, et je vous demande de prier pour moi alors que je commence mon ministère parmi vous.

As I begin my ministry in Hamilton, I am deeply aware of the rich legacy of faith and service that has shaped this diocese, and the tremendous contribution of so many consecrated women and men of many religious congregations and communities—both contemplative and apostolic. Many of you are present today, and I thank you for who you are and what you do for the Church. I look forward to meeting you in the coming months.

Today in particular, I thank God for Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., the Apostolic Administrator and shepherd of this particular Church, whose 15 years of devoted and generous service have been a blessing to the Diocese of Hamilton and to the entire Church in Canada. Bishop Crosby, you have truly lived out your episcopal motto Trahe Nos—meaning “Draw Us”—every day. You modelled for us a collaborative ministry that has borne much fruit for Hamilton and for the entire Church in Canada. You have taught us all what accompaniment and synodality means. On behalf of this entire assembly, I thank you with all my heart for all you have done for the Church in Hamilton and the Universal Church over the years. Knowing that you will remain in the diocese of Hamilton, along with emeriti Bishops Anthony Tonnos and Matthew Ustrzycki, is a source of fraternal consolation for me personally. I also look forward to working closely with Auxiliary Bishop Wayne Lobsinger, who serves this local Church with great generosity and conviction.

Allow me to express, in my mother tongue, my greetings to my sisters and their families, and especially to my father, who, because of his age, cannot be here with us today but is following us through social media.

Moi Kochani! – Tato i moje Rodzeństwo ze swoimi rodzinami. Jestem głęboko przekonany, że mama jest z nami, wspiera nas z nieba i jest z nas dumna. 

Na ręce Twoje, tato, pragnę wyrazić moją głęboką wdzięczność i miłość za dar życia, wiary i miłości. Moje Siostry i ja otrzymaliśmy od was wspaniały przykład chrześcijańskiego życia, zaufania Bogu i pracowitości. Dziękuję za te dary rodzinnego domu, wychowania i służby innym. Dzisiaj mogę tym wszystkim dzielić się z innymi gdziekolwiek mnie Pan Bóg posyła. Moje powołanie kształtował rodzinny dom i parafia. W tym miejscu słowa podziękowania kieruję do ks. Mariana, proboszcza mojej rodzinnej parafii. Księże Proboszczu dziękuję za Twoją przyjaźń, modlitwę i braterskie wsparcie.

As you know by now, I am a priest of the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel. They call us “Michaelites!”

For many years, I have had the privilege of living, leading, and ministering with my brother Michaelites in the North American Vice-Province and especially in the Diocese of London.

I wish to express my gratitude to Fr. Andrew, the Superior of the Vice-Province, and to the representatives of the Superior General who came from Poland, along with brother Michaelites who have come from across the world as well as the Michaelite sisters who came all the way from Poland and Cameroon to be with us…