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Happening ... in the Local Church
 Cathedral
parishioner Darren Hicks, far left, attends the blessing of the new
visitor site with his daughter, Emily, and his nephew, Adam Roe. Pastor
Father Dan Gartland, right, blessed the site on Oct. 25, Priesthood
Sunday. (Photos by Caroline B. Mooney) |
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By Caroline B. Mooney
The
Catholic Moment
LAFAYETTE — On Priesthood Sunday, Oct. 25, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and St. Lawrence Church teamed to dedicate a visitor site in honor of the Year for Priests.
Father Dan Gartland, pastor of both parishes, blessed the site in the entry way to the cathedral’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Twenty-five visitors had already signed a guestbook in the first week after the site was finished.
“The staffs of both St. Lawrence and St. Mary have worked hard at creating this,” Father Gartland said. “With this being the Year for Priests, we thought we should do something at the cathedral, because this is where all the priests of the diocese were ordained.
“I am sure it is going to be a site that everyone will want to visit,” he said. “It will be open all day, every day for visitation. The whole point is to get people to come and pray here.”
He thanked “the great staffs who pulled this together for us.”
Father Gartland read a prayer of blessing “… for the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon this chapel and this visitor’s site. May we follow in the footsteps of the Lord, keeping before us the example of Christ. … May we proclaim his Gospel by word and deed.” He then sprinkled the site with holy water.
Just inside the entry, visitors can watch a video about St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, and see photos of the sons and daughters of both St. Lawrence and the cathedral who have entered religious life. There is a display on holy orders, a poster of seminarians, and photos of Bishop William L. Higi, Pope Benedict XVI and priests of the Local Church.
A rack on one wall offers information on topics including the Year for Priests, the sacrament of holy orders, how to support your parish priest, a rosary for priests, Catholic updates on religious life and the diaconate, and several children’s pages. There is a holy card about St. John Vianney and postcards are available to send spiritual bouquets to priests. An icon of St. John Vianney and a photo of a relic of his heart also are displayed.
Carolyn Shoaf, lay pastoral associate at the cathedral; Mandy Weaver, the cathedral’s family life, social and communications director; and Sue Schmitz, pastoral associate at St. Lawrence, were instrumental in creating the site. Herman Neill, St. Mary’s maintenance director, hung all the pictures, and Brian Roark painted the lettering and framed the St. John Vianney picture.
“Staff from both parishes and our schools got together to talk about how we could celebrate the Year for Priests,” Schmitz said. “This is an opportunity for people to come learn more about holy orders, and take a few moments to stop and pray for priests of their parish, the diocese or any priests they know.”
“It was an honor to help with this,” Weaver said. “Our diocese is so blessed to have such wonderful priests. They have dedicated their lives to God and his people and you just can’t tell them enough how blessed we are to have them.”
Ann Witham, a member of St. Lawrence Church, pointed out one of the sons of the parish who became a priest — her brother, Father Joseph Redinbo, OFM. “I really hope this will help with vocations in the diocese,” she said.
Darren Hicks, a member of the cathedral parish, said he thinks the site is “a great tribute to all the people who have given so much to our diocese.”
“This is a wonderful way to become more aware of our priests and religious,” said Kathy McGraw, also a cathedral parishioner. “There is going to be so much exposure with this site. When people are in here, it’s just a few steps to go pray in the chapel, and it’s easy access from the parking lot. I think this is a wonderful addition to make people aware of relatives and connections to religious life. It really makes you proud.”