Juntos en el camino: Palabras semanales del Arzobispo Hebda
When I was recently in Rome for the ordination of two of our seminarians as deacons, I had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo for the first time. Having worked for so many years at the Vatican in service to the Successor of Peter, it has always been a thrill for me to be in el presence of the Holy Father or to even catch a glimpse of him. When I first started my work there in 1996, my boss had me move my desk so that I could have a clear view of the papal apartment. I soon came to realize that on most mornings I would be able to see Pope John Paul II walking on his terrace at 10 a.m. It was a wonderful reminder to pray for him (even if he never waved back at me).
The recent encounter with Pope Leo was particularly meaningful for me because I had the opportunity to give to him letters that were written by students from Annunciation School and their families, thanking him for his prayers in the aftermath of the shooting that had taken place in their church on Aug. 27. The loss of life on that occasion was horrific and the impact on students, teachers and their families traumatizing. I asked Pope Leo for his continued prayers for Sophia Forchas and the other survivors who continue their recovery, and especially his prayers for those who might find it difficult to return to Annunciation Church or even to the celebration of Mass.
Most of us would agree that the horror of the Aug. 27 shooting was magnified by the fact that it took place in the context of Mass, that most sacred of gatherings for our Catholic community. It’s at the Mass where we come together to join in Jesus’ offering of himself to the Father, and where we have the opportunity to be nourished by God’s Word and the Eucharist. Like all of our churches, Annunciation is sacred because it has been set apart for divine worship. That’s clear from the very inscription we find on the façade: “This is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven.”
I’m so grateful that throughout the Archdiocese, we continue to see the fruits of our Year 2 focus on Holy Mass. Whether I’m at our magnificent Cathedral or at the most humble of parishes, I always find faithful Catholics working hard to make sure that our worship is reverent and beautiful. In my pastoral letter, Seréis mis testigos, I explored how we all are called to active participation in the Mass, at which we are both fed by the Eucharist and sent forth in the Holy Spirit. Our liturgical ministers are so integral to that experience, each playing a role in helping us enter more deeply into the mysteries of our faith.
Earlier this year, I had the joy of gathering with hundreds of lay liturgical ministers at two workshops dedicated to the ars celebrandi – the “art of celebrating” the Mass. That might seem like an odd term to use in the context of a ritual that is intentionally formulaic, with the same key elements present at each Mass. (Our recent Teaching Mass series explored the importance of this.) The “art” in ars celebrandi refers to the manner in which the Mass is celebrated – how those who participate in the Mass (priests, deacons and other faithful) can intentionally elevate the proclamation of the Word, or liturgical music, or any of the other components of the Mass each time we gather.
I’m very grateful that our Archdiocesan Office of Worship will be once again offering an Ars Celebrandi Workshop this fall. I encourage all of you who are serving at our liturgies to join me at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton on the morning of Nov. 15. We’ll be gathering for Mass and then for breakout presentations on funeral ministry, on the training and coordination of altar servers and on what it takes to be a great sacristan. The presentations at the last two workshops were excellent, and I am expecting the same on Nov. 15.
Please join me in praying for all those who serve us at Mass, even in hidden ways, and thanking them for the many ways that they lift our ars celebrandi.
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