From the Pastor
July/02/2009
The past few weeks have allowed me a much needed rest while observing some very special feasts of the church. In our own parish, we had a very beautiful Corpus Christi celebration, with a traditional procession after the last Sunday morning Mass. The priests carried the Holy Eucharist from altar to altar erected on the grounds of our campus. This represented a somewhat smaller version of what takes place in some of the great Catholic countries of Europe, such as Italy and Poland, where the Holy Eucharist is processed through the local streets, stopping at magnificent altars set up in very public areas of the towns. In Krakow, Poland, diocese of the late Pope John Paul II, over twenty-thousand people annually participate in this celebration, which twists its way through the town for over a mile from the cathedral, on top of the Royal Castle Hill, to the main city square.
This year, I was able to partake in two such ceremonies. One was in the city of Orvieto, Italy, where the universal Feast of Corpus Christi was actually started as a result of a special Eucharistic miracle there centuries ago. Here, the townsfolk dressed in traditional medieval costumes, and were present for the Saturday afternoon Mass in the Cathedral. At the end of the observances, they exited the church in their finery to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd gathered on the main square of the city. On Sunday, beginning at Assisi’s cathedral, we processed with the Eucharist through the streets of the town, as we walked on roadways that had been artistically decorated that day with flower petals and seeds depicting scenes from Our Lord’s life. These beautiful portraits and geometric designs were not to be stepped on until the bishop carried the Blessed Sacrament over them. Though Assisi, the burial place of St. Francis and St. Clare, is only an hour from Orvieto, it took on its own flavor for these rituals. In each place, the people showed great reverence for the Holy Eucharist, acknowledging their belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the appearances of bread and wine.
Likewise, we had an opportunity to visit the famous abbey of Monte Cassino, rebuilt after being destroyed during the Second World War. It is the burial place of the founder of the Benedictines, St. Benedict, as well as his sister St. Scholastica, and is on top of a strategic mountain position between Rome and Naples. Nearby are the different national cemeteries for the troops involved in the battle at the abbey. It was at the beautiful Polish cemetery closest to the abbey that Pope Benedict recently made a special memorial visit. His path crossed again with us when he seemed to follow us to San Giovanni Rotondo, the burial place of St. Padre Pio. There we offered Mass at the altar where the saint had regularly celebrated Mass. An adjacent church now houses his incorrupt remains, which can be viewed through the glass casket; and a new, very contemporary basilica was just dedicated by our Holy Father to better serve the large number of pilgrims flocking there.
But, of all the beautiful celebrations we had, the one I found most moving was the chance to offer Mass on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the day which began the universal celebration of the Year of the Priest, recently proclaimed by Pope Benedict. This Mass was offered by the tomb of Pope John Paul II, not far from the tomb of St. Peter. What additionally was special was that, as I looked upon the faces in attendance at that Mass,“what to my wandering eyes should appear but” Sister Dorothy, our Kindergarten teacher at St. Vincent’s. She was there marking her Silver Jubilee (25 years) as a religious sister. May God grant her and her fellow sisters many years of loving service in religious life!
As the music provided by those in attendance echoed throughout the chambers of the crypt, and gave a special touch to the observance, my thoughts were filled with gratitude for the great example of priestly witness given us by the late Pope John Paul II. He had certainly inspired me in my vocation. My intentions that day included you and your family, and I was filled with a feeling of hope that this next year will be a special one for all of us, as we pray for ALL priests, beseeching Almighty God to strengthen them in their vocation, and to grace them with the wisdom and fortitude to preach and live the Word of God,“whether in season or out of season.”
Very Rev. Canon Tom
This year, I was able to partake in two such ceremonies. One was in the city of Orvieto, Italy, where the universal Feast of Corpus Christi was actually started as a result of a special Eucharistic miracle there centuries ago. Here, the townsfolk dressed in traditional medieval costumes, and were present for the Saturday afternoon Mass in the Cathedral. At the end of the observances, they exited the church in their finery to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd gathered on the main square of the city. On Sunday, beginning at Assisi’s cathedral, we processed with the Eucharist through the streets of the town, as we walked on roadways that had been artistically decorated that day with flower petals and seeds depicting scenes from Our Lord’s life. These beautiful portraits and geometric designs were not to be stepped on until the bishop carried the Blessed Sacrament over them. Though Assisi, the burial place of St. Francis and St. Clare, is only an hour from Orvieto, it took on its own flavor for these rituals. In each place, the people showed great reverence for the Holy Eucharist, acknowledging their belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the appearances of bread and wine.
Likewise, we had an opportunity to visit the famous abbey of Monte Cassino, rebuilt after being destroyed during the Second World War. It is the burial place of the founder of the Benedictines, St. Benedict, as well as his sister St. Scholastica, and is on top of a strategic mountain position between Rome and Naples. Nearby are the different national cemeteries for the troops involved in the battle at the abbey. It was at the beautiful Polish cemetery closest to the abbey that Pope Benedict recently made a special memorial visit. His path crossed again with us when he seemed to follow us to San Giovanni Rotondo, the burial place of St. Padre Pio. There we offered Mass at the altar where the saint had regularly celebrated Mass. An adjacent church now houses his incorrupt remains, which can be viewed through the glass casket; and a new, very contemporary basilica was just dedicated by our Holy Father to better serve the large number of pilgrims flocking there.
But, of all the beautiful celebrations we had, the one I found most moving was the chance to offer Mass on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the day which began the universal celebration of the Year of the Priest, recently proclaimed by Pope Benedict. This Mass was offered by the tomb of Pope John Paul II, not far from the tomb of St. Peter. What additionally was special was that, as I looked upon the faces in attendance at that Mass,“what to my wandering eyes should appear but” Sister Dorothy, our Kindergarten teacher at St. Vincent’s. She was there marking her Silver Jubilee (25 years) as a religious sister. May God grant her and her fellow sisters many years of loving service in religious life!
As the music provided by those in attendance echoed throughout the chambers of the crypt, and gave a special touch to the observance, my thoughts were filled with gratitude for the great example of priestly witness given us by the late Pope John Paul II. He had certainly inspired me in my vocation. My intentions that day included you and your family, and I was filled with a feeling of hope that this next year will be a special one for all of us, as we pray for ALL priests, beseeching Almighty God to strengthen them in their vocation, and to grace them with the wisdom and fortitude to preach and live the Word of God,“whether in season or out of season.”
Very Rev. Canon Tom