The Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson became the ninth bishop of New Hampshire on Sunday, four months after his controversial installation as the first openly gay bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church.
Robinson, whose promotion to bishop in November sparked fury among conservative Anglicans both within the United States and around the world and threatened a schism, acknowledged his investiture as head of the church in New Hampshire was a risk.
"We're going to take some big risks here. The rest of the world is watching us. This is going to be a great journey," Robinson said at the service in Concord.
The American Anglican Council condemned the November consecration as "heresy, blasphemy and sin" and vowed to create a new mainstream Anglican church in the United States.
Opponents protested outside the November service, shouting insults and waving placards with homophobic messages.
Although there were no protests at St. Paul's Church as Robinson was invested to succeed the retiring Right Rev. Douglas Theuner as the diocese bishop, he was protected by at least two bodyguards who stood nearby.
During the service, Robinson knocked on the door at the back of the church and then walked up to the alter where Theuner later handed over the bishop's staff, or crosier.
"I, Gene Robinson, come to you desiring to be recognized and invested and seated in the chair which is a symbol of that office.
"I'm so honored to have the important task to walk in the footsteps of my mentor and friend (Theuner)," he said, tearing up with a tremble in his voice.
A few hundred people in attendance responded with a resounding "yes" when Theuner asked the congregants if they approved of Robinson becoming Bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson was given a standing ovation after the investiture.
"I'm very excited about it," said Steve Duprey, a member of St. Paul's Church. "This is a great move and the diocese is coming along very nicely."
Another member, Cherie Foote, dismissed critics' concerns that a practicing homosexual bishop sends the wrong message.
"It just shows them that God loves everybody," Foote said.
Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two who has lived with his male partner for 13 years, was elected bishop on June 7 by the clergy and people in the diocese of New Hampshire. He was consecrated on Nov. 2 in a ceremony that reverberated throughout the 70 million-member Anglican faith.
Conservative members of the worldwide Anglican Communion warned that Robinson's consecration could have dire effects on the 450-year-old Christian faith, possibly tearing it apart.