Laurenson said he is resolved to trust in God as he takes up his new office.
“When I was ordained deacon in December 1994, I gave my life to the Lord, singing a hymn of St. Ignatius: ‘Take Lord, receive, all my liberty, my understanding, my entire will,’” he said in an Oct. 25 press release.
“I have reaffirmed that gift many times over the years,” he said. “Being a sinner I often ‘take’ the offer back, but I do intend once more to submit my will to his. This I resolved again to do when I was asked by Pope Francis to become the bishop for Hamilton.”
“Since then I keep moving between peace and terror, especially when I look at the future only known to God,” he continued. “Trust is an easy word, but difficult to live. I find it hard to believe that the Lord wants me to do this. I pray that I do not disappoint him too much.”
Laurenson was born in Hamilton in 1968, ordained in Hamilton in 1995 by Bishop Denis Browne, and has served many parishes throughout the diocese, including St. Joseph, Waihi; Immaculate Conception, Taumarunui; St. Joseph, Fairfield and St. Peter Chanel, Te Rapa; and Holy Cross, Hamilton North.