by Very Rev. Edward Correia

On this special night I would like to welcome all of you that are here. I most especially want to welcome those who are in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Tonight we celebrate the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

I welcome you, Fr. Mark Fallon of the Holy Cross Fathers. Fr. Mark, your work in the prisons is most valuable to the work of Christ and his Church. Jesus said, "When I was in prison, you visited me".

I welcome you, Fr. Nick Nichols. Your work of helping us and other parishes is most helpful in this time of shortage of priests.

Deacon Larry, I personally am most grateful for your being assigned to St. James. You continue to be a wonderful support to me and to all at St. James.

Fr. Frank McManus called me this week. He wants to thank everyone for their support and prayers. He most especially was touched by the outpouring of people for the special prayer service on Monday of this week.

All of us have been touched by your support and encouragement. Whether we belong to a religious order or to a diocesan community, we belong to you. We are in the Sacrament of Holy Orders for you. This tragedy has made us know what was known at the Last Supper. The triple denial of Peter and the betrayal of Judas Iscariot show us that priests are human and weak.

We still belong to you and you belong to us. We are in this together. We need you as we hope you need us. That is what it means to be a priest and deacon.

Thank you for all that you do for us. You are our life. You are our joy. You are the reason why we hang in there.

On this Holy Thursday night we wash the feet of one another. I would like to talk about a Holy Cross priest who lived at St. James Rectory and was a chaplain with me at St. Luke’s Hospital. After a year of being a chaplain, Fr. James Madden’s cancer returned.

I was feeling very healthy at the time. I told him I would take some of his work because he was so sick. I felt good that I was doing something helpful to another priest.

His reaction to my offer was to cry. He said that it was always easier to help someone than to receive help.

Peter shows this most clearly in the Gospel tonight. He wanted to wash Jesus’ feet rather than Jesus wash his own feet.

We truly live the love of washing one another’s feet when we allow others to wash our own feet. We as Americans like to be self-sufficient. We like to be in control. When we can admit that we need help from others and let them help us, then we will be able to understand the great love of washing one another’s feet because we will know how the receiver feels.

Tonight is the night of the Last Supper. I would like to talk about a parishioner who is called Bernadette. She is 95 years old. She lives alone. Until a few months ago she always came to the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass.

I went to see her this week. I told her that I had come to give her Holy Communion. She was so excited. She told me as I was leaving, "I’m the lucky one. I have God".

Alexander, you are our catechumen. Pauline, Lisa, Chuck, and Ryan you are our candidates.

All of you will come into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. To be a Catholic means to be be fed, united, and empowered by the Eucharist. Yes, Bernadette is correct. The Eucharist is God.

There is no other worship, there is no other food, there is no other way of life than the Eucharist. The very last words Jesus said at the Last Supper were: "Do this in memory of me".