Under bright blue winter skies, native Southern Californian and former Bishop of Salt Lake City George Hugh Niederauer was installed as the eighth Archbishop of San Francisco Feb. 15 before thousands assembled at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.

Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco William Levada --- appointed last year by Pope Benedict XVI as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith --- opened the cathedral doors to his former St. John's Seminary classmate, Archbishop Niederauer, as he symbolically knocked for entrance at the start of the two-hour ceremony.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, 45 bishops and more than 2,500 priests, deacons, religious, laity, ecumenical and civic leaders were gathered inside for the installation liturgy that began with the reading of the apostolic letter expressing heartfelt congratulations from Rome.

Following the reading, the assembly rose to its feet in a standing ovation as Archbishop Niederauer, escorted by Archbishop Levada and retired San Francisco Archbishop John Quinn, climbed the altar steps and sat in his cathedra (cathedral chair) for the first time.

In his homily, Archbishop Niederauer reflected on the relevance of Pope Benedict's first encyclical letter, "Deus Caritas Est (God is Love)."

"Pope Benedict begins his letter with the foundation of our faith in God, in the words of the first letter of the apostle John: 'We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.' We are not orphans in a cosmos but children of a loving, life-giving Father, who calls us to share his love for us with one another," said Archbishop Niederauer.

Commenting on the pope's declaration that no state can eliminate the need for a service of love, Archbishop Niederauer said Catholics are committed to justice and charity. "The Holy Father acknowledges that the Church cannot take on herself the political battle for a just society, that she cannot replace the state," he said. "On the other hand, neither can the Church remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.

"Here is where misunderstandings and conflicts can arise. In the many moral dilemmas that face them today, Catholics look to their Church, to their faith, to be a compass, not a weathervane. The Church must point toward the true North of God's loving will, and not merely track where the winds, or the polls are blowing. . . ." He cited church positions on abortion, euthanasia, immigration law and the death penalty as often being at odds with positions held by states or nations.

"What then are citizens to do when they disagree? Well, first of all, disagree without being disagreeable. Presume good faith until it is proven otherwise. At the end of one of his poems, Robert Frost famously suggested his own epitaph: 'I had a lover's quarrel with the world.' I believe that is a richly helpful image. God often had a lover's quarrel with his people, Israel, and the prophets were his spokespersons. Please presume that if the Church challenges an action, a policy or a program it is because she loves the world around her, and wants what is best for it."

The archbishop emphasized his priority is to get to know the people of the San Francisco Archdiocese, "especially in the setting of the parish, where Catholics most vitally live and celebrate their faith….Certainly I intend to continue Archbishop Levada's dedication to the healing of the victims of sexual abuse of minors and the strengthening of safe environment programs throughout the Archdiocese," said Archbishop Niederauer.

He ended his homily with a prayer to Mary, the patroness of the San Francisco cathedral: "May we prayerfully hear what your Son tells us and do it together, to the praise and magnifying of our loving Father forever."

At a reception following the installation, archdiocesan parishioners as well as out-of-town guests expressed their admiration of San Francisco's new archbishop.

"I think San Francisco is blessed to have Archbishop Niederauer and his talents, intelligence, good-hearted nature and wit," said Jennifer Carroll, director of the Catholic Foundation of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Fellow Salt Lake City resident, Norbert Newman, predicted the archbishop would be good for San Francisco the same way he was good for Salt Lake: "He's a very personable man with an amazing sense of humor. He just disarms people. He makes them feel comfortable, and he understands what's going on."

According to Clara Brennan, also of Salt Lake City: "He is a tremendous conversationalist with a terrific sense of humor. But over and above that, which I consider more important, he is a very humble, prayerful man, and I am deeply saddened for myself and our diocese because we are losing him. But I give him to San Francisco with much love and joy."

Father Kerry Beaulieu, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Newport Beach who had Archbishop Niederauer as his English and religion teacher at St. John's Seminary, remarked: "Archbishop Niederauer has a bright intelligence that helps him really shed a lot of light on difficult issues, and he has a knack for remaining calm in the midst of confusion and chaos. He's very thorough and very funny."

Msgr. James Gehl, pastor of St. Bede Church in La Cañada, described the new archbishop of San Francisco as multi-talented. "He has a brilliant mind," said Msgr. Gehl. "He just knows how to place words in the right context to achieve his purpose, which is to spread the Gospel. He wants to uphold the beliefs of the church without putting people down who might disagree. I think that's going to be his greatest gift."

Father Ken Weare, pastor of St. Rita Church in Marin County north of San Francisco, described Archbishop Niederauer as open, tolerant and understanding. "He has a great deal of wisdom and is very practically oriented. He's very approachable. He'll talk to anybody who wants to talk with him."

Local challenges the archbishop will face, according to Father Weare, are both social and spiritual. "The big challenges he will have to address are the same challenges the city has to address: homelessness, unemployment, poverty among many people, disenfranchisement from society, [lack of] health care. Those are the issues we as a church also have to address," said Father Weare. He cited the continuing priest shortage as a major challenge for the church of the future.

"The challenges for any pastor, and bishop in today's church, is the challenge of proclaiming Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Gospel --- in and out of season," said Cardinal Rigali, who made a quick trip from Philadelphia to support his friend.

"I thought it was very important to try and show solidarity because we were in the seminary together," declared Cardinal Rigali. "It's been a pleasure to know Archbishop Niederauer, especially his sense of humor and his great literary background. He's certainly a very cultured person besides being a faithful apostle. I think he has all the pastoral qualities that will make him a very successful archbishop."