The Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 7 marked the culmination of a 33-day preparation for Diocesan Eucharistic Consecration.
At the end of the Ordination Mass the day before, Bishop Alfred Schlert and the Diocese’s six newly ordained priests knelt before the altar and recited the Prayer of Consecration, petitioning Our Lord for the ongoing renewal of our Diocese through His Presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The consecration during the Diocese’s 65th anniversary year was both a beautiful act of devotion and a visible sign of the new priests’ standing as co-workers with the Bishop in the service of the Church.
At the conclusion of the consecration, Bishop Schlert remained kneeling at the altar while the newly ordained each approached to give the Bishop his first blessing as a priest. The gesture symbolized respect, unity, and deep gratitude for the grace received through Ordination.
“When a priest extends his hand over us in blessing,” wrote Pope Benedict XVI, “we know that God’s finger, the finger of the love that moves the world, comes into closer contact with our lives for a moment.”
Catholics across the Diocese were invited to participate in the Eucharistic Consecration, by preparing for 33 days and then prayerfully reciting the Consecration Prayer on the feast of Corpus Christi: “Lord Jesus Christ, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate myself to You today without reservation.”
As the Eucharistic Consecration of our Diocese will bear abundant spiritual fruit for years to come, Bishop Schlert invites the faithful to joyfully live out the consecration by entrusting themselves more fully to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and by renewing their gratitude for the gift of His Most Holy Body and Blood.
Visit the Diocesan Website for more information.
Photo by Vargas Photography and Norm Steinruck.
Copy Permalink
