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Dedication of Saint Joseph
August 30, 2008

Allow me to thank and commend you, Monsignor Williams and the parishioners of Saint Joseph, for the hard work, patience and perseverance you have demonstrated throughout the process of the completion of your parish projects. It is clear that you have done all this out of your great love for God and your desire to offer Him fitting praise. To Him be glory forever and ever.

Today, as we gather to celebrate this Mass, we will also bless the place of reservation for the Blessed Sacrament and after Mass we will bless the parish hall. With these blessings, we are given powerful reminders of some of the basics that must guide us in our spiritual lives and daily quest to grow in holiness.

As we walks into this Church, our eyes are quickly drawn to the tabernacle and the sacred space where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. We are reminded that the Lord is at the center of all that we do; He is the source and summit of our lives, the living bread that gives us life. We celebrate today and always the truth the Lord promises in today’s Gospel: “All who eat My body and drink My blood remain in Me and I in them.” It is my prayer for you and all the parishioners of Saint Joseph that here in this great parish the Eucharist may continue to be firmly believed, devoutly celebrated and intensely lived.

Perhaps on this Labor Day weekend, more than ever, we need to be reminded that our relationship with the Lord must be our highest priority. This weekend focuses our attention on the dignity of work, which includes the necessity for workers to be provided ample opportunity for rest, renewal and recreation. Yet, in all of our lives, the demands and pressures we face, both at home and at work, can lead us to embrace a life of constant movement and little reflection; of chaotic activity and rare pauses; of much doing and infrequent praying. If the Lord Jesus is the center of all that we do, then this must be reflected in our willingness to be with Him at the beginning of the day, at the end of the day and even in those moments throughout the day. During his pastoral visit to the United States our Holy Father reminded us of the essence of prayer in the quiet of our hearts, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. He said the Lord is waiting us for us to be still with Him, to hear His voice, to abide in His love and to receive power from on High, enabling us to be salt and light for our world. Today, as we bless the sacred place where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, I encourage you, my sisters and brothers, to rededicate yourselves to be men and women of prayer, who know the importance of simply being with the Lord each and every day.

Saint Paul reminds us in our first reading that all of us who receive the Body of Christ, though many, are one. After Mass today, we will bless the new parish hall. Here the community will frequently gather to celebrate the unity that is ours in Christ Jesus. I commend and thank you, Msgr. Williams and the parishioners of Saint Joseph, for the countless ways you demonstrate that we are sisters and brothers in Christ.

As we bless this new parish hall, I encourage you to rededicate yourselves to the continuing sharing of your time, talent and resources to build and to strengthen the Body of Christ. Be ever mindful of those in most need and continue to reach out to them; always remember to invite those who may feel abandoned or forgotten to this Church and to your parish activities and allow nothing to separate you from one another; always be ready to forgive and allow others to begin anew.

As we celebrate the Lord’s presence today in Word and Sacrament, we seek the intercession of Saint Joseph and of Mary our Mother, so that the Eucharist will always be the source and summit of our lives; that we will spend time each and every day with the Lord Jesus in quiet prayer and that our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ will be reflected in all of our parish activities and in all that we do. To Him be glory, forever and ever.