Bishop Boyea's installation homily – some excerpts
The following are excerpts from Bishop Boyea’s homily at his Mass of Installation, April 29, 2008.

We, in this Church of Lansing, need this divine link to our foundations, to our roots, so that we might be joined, in the Spirit, to Jesus Christ himself. Hence it is that Paul tells us who we are. We are fellow citizens of the household of God. This is because we are “built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.”

The bishops hand on, generation after generation, the teachings which were written and spoken by the Apostles. Their memory of the words of Jesus and their interpretations of the message of Jesus are what we hand on. Jesus did not write a book. He did not leave notes. Instead, he instituted the college of the Apostles and their successors, by the working of the Holy Spirit, to hand on what was essential for the life of the church.

The bishop’s ring, however, is not a symbol of sterile unity. Rather, like that ring worn by all you married folk, symbolizing your oneness, the ring also symbolizes your life-giving love. This reminds us that all communion is based on love, and especially the love of Christ for his body, his bride, the church, of which the bishop, spiritually married to the local church, is a sacramental sign.

… this pectoral cross worn by the bishop, and especially this particular one, worn by Bishops Zaleski, Povish, and Mengeling, means that Christ is at the heart of the bishop’s apostolic ministry. The Second Vatican Council, in Lumen Gentium, calls the bishop the “steward of the grace of the high priesthood.” Christ is that high priest and by his cross he has reconciled us to the Father and poured out grace in abundance.

This crosier used by Bishop Albers, is a reminder of two aspects of being such a shepherd. First of all, as Pope John Paul reminded us bishops, our leadership not only carries on the Apostle’s authority and sacred power, but it also continues their form of life – one which is Apostolic suffering for the Gospel, one which calls forth gentle and merciful care for the people, one which directs our attention to the weak and poor.

What I have described here is both a wonderful gift and an awesome duty. I know that I am unworthy of this duty and gift. Yet we all have great confidence that what God calls us to do, He provides the grace to accomplish it. Pray for me for an abundance of that grace.
Praised be Jesus Christ – now and forever.

Bishop Boyea's coast of arms
A bishop’s coat of arms typically has three parts: the shield, the motto scroll, and the external ornaments.

The Shield
On the left side of the shield, the arms of the bishop are joined (impaled) with the arms of his diocese. Two lances cross in the form of an X. These play on the name of the See City of Lansing. Also, the city is located at the junction of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers. All the arms of the cross terminate in the form of an anchor; such a cross is called a moline cross and it is found in the family arms of the Inghams. The See City is located in Ingham County, Michigan. The diocesan arms are blue and silver (white), the heraldic colors of the Blessed Virgin, the patroness of our diocese and of the cathedral church. The diocesan shield was developed in 1937 by Chaignon LaRose.
On the right side, for his personal arms, Bishop Boyea, has selected a device drawn on the image of the arms of Pope John Paul II, for whom the bishop has great respect and admiration.
Similar to the late Pontiff’s arms, Bishop Boyea’s device contains a cross which is eschewed to the upper left. The wood of the cross also figures as a reminder of the bishop’s family name, Boyea, “a woodsman.” The color of the cross is sable, just as the cross on the shield of the Archdiocese of Detroit. This black cross forms four quadrants that alternate gold (yellow) and silver (white), in the same manner as the quadrants of the Pontifical College Josephinum, which are also the colors of the flag of the Holy See. The gold quadrants also pick up the colors of the shield of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
From the heart of the cross flow two wavy bars that are blue and red, recalling the bishop’s long association with Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. Scripture records that when the soldier pierced Christ’s side with the lance “immediately there flowed forth water and blood (John 19:34).” Christ poured out for us the living waters of salvation which were co-mingled with the blood of our redemption. This signifies the sacramental life of the Church. Every deacon, priest, and bishop is dedicated to the service of God’s Holy People by the faithful celebration of this sacramental life and the bishop particularly is responsible for that sacramental life. Bishop Boyea’s personal shield was designed at the time of his episcopal ordination by Deacon Paul J. Sullivan of Rhode Island.

The Motto Scroll
For his motto, Bishop Boyea uses the Latin phrase, in manus tuas. This phrase, taken from St. Luke’s Gospel (23:46), comes from the final words of Jesus recorded by St. Luke, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” “Into your hands” expresses the belief that all Christians need to repeatedly entrust their lives in the hands of their loving Father.

The External Ornaments
The crest is completed with the external ornaments. A gold processional cross is placed behind the shield and extends above and below it. The pontifical hat, called a gallero, is joined to six tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield, all in green. These are the insignia of the rank of bishop following the instruction of the Holy See of March 31, 1969.