17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 24/25, 2004

I entrust you, the parishioners of  this new parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church, to the pastoral care of Father Richard Wilson. As I do this, I ask for all of you to be caught up into the mystery of God’s love, which must be at the center of every parish and demonstrated in word and deed by all members of the parish

Father Wilson was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fall River seven years ago. He has served the Church well in the assignments he has held. I pray that you will welcome him, support him in the leadership which he must give to all aspects of parish life – worship, teaching, management of parish resources, so that  Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish will be a place of strong faith and exemplary Christian living. I hope that his priestly presence among you will be a constant reminder that God in his wonder goes beyond all that we might hope for as we hear the Gospel proclaimed and His grace given in the sacraments of the church. I know that Father Wilson will strive to serve you faithfully and generously. I urge you to welcome him and conscious of the responsibilities he now has, to keep him in your prayers.

Since the installation of a pastor will take place with this celebration of the Eucharist, I would like to make a few remarks about this sacrament, which forms the very center of our Catholic faith and must be the very center of the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Another word for the Mass is “Eucharist”, which is derived from the Greek word meaning “to give thanks.” When we consider why we are here and what is happening here, when we consider why this parish was founded and what  transpires here each week, we are given many reasons for giving thanks to God.

The documents of Vatican Council II describe very concisely the role of the Mass or the Eucharist in the life of the parish. One document states, “The celebration of the Eucharist is the true center of the whole Christian life both for the universal Church and for the local parish of that Church. For in the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely, Christ himself. For that reason all people are invited to offer themselves, their works, and all creation with Christ.” What we do here today is the very center of the whole Christian life, for in and through Christ we offer His sacrifice to the Father, joining ourselves, our joys, our sorrows, all that we are and all that we do, to His eternal sacrifice.

The Eucharist is also called the Sacrament of Unity and the Sacrament of Charity. It is the Sacrament of Unity because is the means of uniting us, one to another. We have here at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish people from different backgrounds, of all ages, of varying interests. Your coming together from four parishes into this one Parish is testimony to your faith in the Eucharist, in the fact that through Christ we are made one. St. Paul teaches that we though many share one bread (1 Cor 10:16-17).  Bread is made up of many grains of wheat but in the bread the difference between them is not apparent; likewise we are joined to one another and united in Christ through the Eucharist. May this Parish always be a sign of unity to all who might observe the life of the parish. In accord with the teaching of St. Paul, although we are many, we are one in Christ and one, most especially, when we receive the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Unity.

Last year, on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord, Pope John Paul II issued a letter on the Mystery of the Eucharist. In that letter the Holy Father touched on many points with reference to the profound mystery of the Eucharist. One of those points concerned the intimate connection between the Eucharist and priesthood.  When we gather for Mass the whole congregation joins in offering the Eucharist by virtue of the fact that we share in the mission of Christ. It is, however, the ordained priest acting in the person of Christ who brings about the Eucharist. 

The Eucharist is the principal reason for the sacrament of the priesthood, which came into being at the moment of the institution of the Eucharist.  While priests are engaged in many activities in the course of a day, the Eucharist is the very center of their lives and ministry. The Eucharist also must be the very center of the life of the Christian community. Therefore, no Christian or parish community can be built up unless it has its foundation and center in the celebration of the most Holy Eucharist. It follows that this wonderful community of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be built up only if the celebration of the Eucharist forms its very basis and center.

 This year, in a letter addressed to all priests in the world, the Holy Father wrote again of the intimate connection between the Eucharist and the priesthood. He said, “Priests are born from the Eucharist. If we can truly say that the whole Church lives from the Eucharist, we can say the same thing about the priesthood: the priesthood is born, lives, works and bears fruit “from the Eucharist.” “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.”

Today Father Wilson will be installed as your pastor. As Pastor, he accepts the responsibility of providing the Eucharist for this faith-filled parish community. Just as every Catholic stands in awe of the great mystery of the Eucharist in which Christ Himself is present, so each priest stands in awe of his calling, by which Christ calls him to make present in the midst of the worshipping community the sacrifice by which the world is redeemed and saved. As Pope John Paul stated, “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.”

Since Father Wilson has accepted the responsibility to pray for the people entrusted to his care and to serve them, I ask you to pray for him that the Lord may guide him and strengthen him in all that he does as your pastor.

Likewise, since there can be no Eucharist with the priesthood and there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist, may I ask you to pray for vocations to the priesthood. It is from the loving families of this parish and from parishes like this one that there will come young men called by the Lord to serve the Church as priests. Through their love and generosity, the Lord will continue to make present for the community of faith the sacrifice by which He shows His abiding love for His people and enables them to come to Him.

May the Lord Jesus, the center of family life and the center of parish life, be with you, the devoted people of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and with you, Father Wilson, their pastor. May the Lord strengthen and guide you in the years to come.