PRINCE ALBERT — I was in New York City last year and one of the sites I had on my list of must sees was St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We (my sister-in-law and I) went to mass, which turned out to be the Feast of Corpus Christi.
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a festival of the Roman Catholic Church. It is celebrated in honour of the real presence of the body of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday following the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. It is a movable observance and is observed on the Thursday (or, in some countries, the Sunday) after Trinity Sunday.
The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was laid in 1858 and was opened for worship in 1879. In the 1800s this site was thought to be near-wilderness and was considered too far outside the city. The Archbishop, at that time, John Hughes, believed the site would be the heart of the city some day. It was paid for by the contributions of thousands of poor immigrants and by the largesse of 103 prominent citizens who pledged $1,000 each.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was the officiant for the mass. He delivered an invocation at the inauguration of Donald Trump. He is the cardinal for the New York Archdiocese. We couldn’t have picked a better day to go to church.
This service included accolades to the religious Brothers and Sisters who celebrated their 50-year jubilee. It also included a procession at the end of the mass of the Blessed Sacrament. For those who are wondering, a monstrance is a sacred vessel designed to expose the Blessed Sacrament for carrying it in a procession.
It is in the form of a cross with a circular window in the centre, surrounded by a silver or gold frame with rays like the sun. Cardinal Dolan held up the cross and processed through the church. For someone who doesn’t go to church regularly, except with me, my sister-in-law certainly experienced quite the occasion.
In his sermon, Dolan recounted a story of his trip to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. He left New York with a plane full of supplies for Haiti where they met 300 Catholic Relief workers. When he asked these tired, hungry, dirty people if there was anything he could for them, they earned his admiration when they said to say mass for them.
In the Archdiocese of San Fransico, a convent was established for the Sisters of Charity.
The people in the city pulled together and furnished the house with all the necessary appliances and furnishings they would need. Mother Theresa came to San Francisco for the opening of the convent and much to everyone’s surprise, the next day they found all the carpeting, furniture, appliances, etc. on the front lawn.
Mother Theresa was heard to say “We don’t need much,” and “We only need two things: the altar and the tabernacle.” As the Cardinal said, we need a revival and renewal of the Holy Eucharist.
The inside of the cathedral is magnificent. There are many tourists milling about in a respectful manner. The centre pews were roped off for those who were at the church attending mass, as there were quite a few services on a Sunday and weekdays. If you ever go to New York City, put it on your list of what to see.
