Diocesan centenary celebration begins |
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Written by ANGELA KESSLER, Chronicle Editor
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Thursday, 08 October 2009 19:10 |
TOLEDO—The centenary celebration of the Diocese of Toledo officially began with a solemn Mass Oct. 7 at Toledo Rosary Cathedral. The date marked the feast of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, the principal patroness of the diocese.
Doors to the cathedral opened at 11 a.m. to people lined up outside and pews were gradually filled with representatives of all 14 Catholic high schools and parish and diocesan staff members. The Mass was also aired twice Oct. 7 on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) as part of its “Cathedrals Across America” series.
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Deacon Alfredo Diaz holds the Centenary Cross as Toledo Bishop Leonard P. Blair incenses and blesses it at the end of the Mass opening the centenary celebrations of the Diocese of Toledo. The cross is to make an appearance at every parish and Catholic institution in the diocese, after which it is to be permanently housed at Toledo St. Francis de Sales Chapel, the first diocesan cathedral. (Chronicle photo by Laurie Stevens Bertke)
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The celebration began at 11:45 a.m. with music by Glass City Brass. Shortly thereafter, deacons and priests of the diocese began a procession down the main aisle two at a time. Following the clergy was the handbell choir from Toledo St. Joan of Arc, whose members played their instruments while making their way to their seats near the Diocesan Choir. Just before the processional hymn began, the congregants remained quiet and the cathedral bells could be heard chiming the top of the hour.
“Today we inaugurate the celebration of 100 years of the Diocese of Toledo, culminating, God willing, on April 15, 2010, the actual anniversary date of our founding by Pope St. Piux X,” said Bishop Leonard P. Blair at the beginning of his homily. “Our history as a diocesan family of faith has seen many joys and sorrows, many strides forward as well as setbacks, crosses and crowns: all under the providence of the Most Holy Trinity and under the watchful gaze of Mary, Mother of the Church.”
The feast of the Holy Rosary, he said, is a key to understanding history and the key to living today.
“It is essential for us, through the eyes of faith, to see our historical pilgrimage in light of Christ’s pilgrimage; our way in communion with His way; the mystery in our life in continuity with the mystery of His life,” the bishop said. “And that is where the Holy Rosary comes in.
“What is the rosary, if not as Pope John Paul the Great taught, a compendium of the Gospel message which blends easily with the spiritual journey of the Christian life,” he asked. “Or as Pope Benedict says: a means given by the Virgin herself to contemplate Jesus and in meditating on His life to love Him and to follow Him ever more faithfully.”
By praying the rosary, he said, we are opened up to “the possibility of the eternal word reaching us … and of us reaching God by saying ‘yes’ to the word made flesh,” Bishop Blair said. “This is the way. This is the road between God and us, exemplified in all the Gospel mysteries of the holy rosary.”
While each person gets something unique from praying the rosary, Bishop Blair offered some of his own contemplations from reflecting on the mysteries. To him, he said, the joyful mysteries show the power of God; the luminous exemplify the humility of God; the sorrowful show the love of God and the glorious represent the hidden-ness of God.
In reflecting on the glorious mysteries, the bishop reminded the congregation that nothing is impossible for God.
“What was true at the annunciation is true now,” Bishop Blair said. “In this difficult moment in history, God’s power is at work in weakness, but His mighty plan and purpose is always being accomplished. Our vocation is to consent to say ‘yes’ to whatever the Father disposes.”
At the beginning of the centenary celebration, the bishop said we might ask which way the diocese should head into the future.
“There can be only one answer: the answer is the Way of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“And so, my dear friends, we begin: looking at the past with love, at the present with faith and at the future with hope.”
Other special features of the Mass included the prayers of the faithful and blessing of the centenary cross. The petitions were offered in several languages that represent the different ethnicities in the Diocese of Toledo, including English, Italian, Polish, French, Slovakian, Philippine, Spanish, Hungarian and German.
The custom-made Centenary Cross contains the symbols of the four evangelists: a face of a man representing Matthew, a lion representing Mark, an ox for Luke and an eagle for John. At the center of the cross is the tower from the diocesan coat of arms. The tower is a symbol for faith and is taken from the ancient Diocese of Toledo in Spain, of which the local diocese is a namesake.
Bishop Blair blessed the cross as a sign of our redemption. “May we reap the harvest of salvation planted in pain by Christ Jesus. May our sins be nailed to his cross, the power of life released, pride conquered and weakness turned to strength.”
After the blessing, the cross was presented to Father Daniel Borgelt, dean of the Our Lady, Queen of Peace Deanery and pastor of Napoleon St. Augustine. The cross is traveling throughout the diocese, making an appearance at every parish and Catholic institution and will complete its journey at Toledo St. Francis de Sales Chapel where it will be permanently displayed.
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