Mass With a Successor To St. Peter

Our catholic lives are filled with liturgies in which we participate. Some are more memorable than others and if we think about it they are all made unique by the prayers we bring, the thanks we offer and the people with whom we gather and surround ourselves. Joyful times, my wedding, my children’s confirmations, sad times, burying family and friends and simply special dates, my ordination, are some in my memory book. The Mass Sunday morning, at the St Pius X Cathedral will now be added to that list. It was special in many ways and it was without a doubt the largest Mass I have ever attended! This underground Cathedral holds 25,000 and it was filled to capacity. I was asked to be the Deacon of the Altar. The principal celebrant was the Patriarch of Antioch, a successor to St Peter who was the Church of Antioch’s founder and its' 1st Patriarch. The concelebrants included, 4 Cardinals, 16 Archbishops and Bishops and more than 150 priests. Needless to say I was initially stunned to hear I received that “lucky draw”, and later, while getting ready at the Cathedral, I was more than a little nervous. The cathedral was filled with Malta organizations from around the world. Our group was far in the back but the big screens throughout the church provided a good view of the altar. The gifts were brought up by children of Malta members, and there were probably 30 in pairs of 2. Processing with the Book of the Gospels, assisting at the altar, incensing the celebrant and the concelebrants, and processing with the Gospels to the Grotto for the Salvae Regina to Mary….wow!. It was a special Mass. To be servant to this gathering of holy people was such a wonderful surprise to me, knowing I was the least deserving of this role for those called to this Eucharist celebration that morning. However I am reminded that it should never take these trappings of purple and scarlet to remind me of the summit of any celebration of the Eucharist, the same summit that occurs on the altar at St Raymond, Nativity or any place where the Body and Blood of our Lord is made present to us and offered as food for our journey, the pilgrimage of our lives.