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Happening ... in the Local Church
 Father
Christopher Shocklee holds the chalice given to him by his parents and
family when he was ordained to the priesthood in June. (Photos by Kevin
Cullen) |
 The
wedding rings of Father Christopher Shocklee’s paternal grandparents are
on the bottom of his chalice. |
By Kevin Cullen
The
Catholic Moment
LAFAYETTE — Often, a priest’s most cherished possession is his chalice. Typically, it is given to him as an ordination gift by his family, a token of love and support.
Father Christopher Shocklee, who was ordained on June 6, received a 10-inch-tall, Gothic style chalice that was custom-made in the Netherlands. Made of gilded sterling silver, it resembles chalices from the Middle Ages.
But the most meaningful part is the hidden bottom plate. Fastened to it are the gold wedding bands that were exchanged by his grandparents on their wedding day in 1943. Jeanette Shocklee, 87, lives in Fort Worth, Texas. Vincent Shocklee died of cancer in 1998.
The inscription reads: “Presented to Fr. Christopher R. Shocklee … June 6, 2009 … By his Parents and Family.”
Father Shocklee said it was difficult for him to discuss what it means to him.
“If I tried to say it, I’d get too emotional to get the words out,” said the 28-year-old priest, who is associate pastor of St. Lawrence Church and the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
He was touched when his grandmother offered the rings.
“I said that I’d love to have something to remind me of my grandparents,” he said. “… I remember my grandfather with a great sense of love. It’s a very close-knit family on my dad’s side. When I think of Grandpa, I think of him driving a ski boat, wearing his Navy captain’s hat. He taught all the grandkids how to ski. Those are fond memories.”
Mrs. Shocklee wore her late husband’s ring on a necklace, but she wondered what would happen to it in future years, said Bob Shocklee, the father of Father Shocklee.
“She didn’t hesitate at all. She was very emotional about it,” he said.
Vince Shocklee was a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and “a Catholic’s Catholic,” Bob Shocklee said. One of his cousins was a monsignor, and two more were priests.
“This would have been very important for him,” Bob Shocklee said. “There is almost a continuity of caring through the generations, through those rings.”
Father Shocklee uses the chalice at Sunday Masses, and on special occasions. Holding it “makes me feel closer to my family, especially my grandparents,” he said.
As ordination nears, seminarians scan catalogs to decide what kind of personal chalice they want. Father Shocklee opted for a traditional design, made of gilded silver, with a knob or “node” in the middle of the stem that gave the priest a better grip when his thumb and forefinger were held together during the consecration.
“I wanted the older style. It has a timeless quality to it,” Father Shocklee said.
While on a trip to New York last fall, he and his father spent two hours in the showroom of the Adrian Hamers Company. It has specialized in Catholic altar vessels since 1887.
The showroom, in an office building, has more than 1,000 new and antique chalices, plus patens, ciboria, tabernacles, monstrances and other altar pieces. Custom silverwork is done in The Netherlands.
“They said silversmithing is a dying art in New York,” Father Shocklee said.
The large, fluted base of his chalice has tiny, cross-shaped perforations around the edge and details that echo the tracery seen in gothic churches. It came from Benziger Brothers, New York, probably in the 1930s, and it bears the Benziger stamp.
He chose a node of blue lapis. A silver filigree crucifixion scene was chosen for the base; it matches the silver “outer cup,” a decorative shell that surrounds the cup that holds the Precious Blood.
The chalice was ordered in October 2008 and it was delivered in April. Bishop William L. Higi blessed it on June 5, one day before the ordination. Father Shocklee returned to Texas — his home state — where he celebrated Mass on Father’s Day, at his grandparents’ parish, with his new chalice.
For any priest, “the first chalice is very special,” he said, “and the fact that it came from my family makes it all the more special. The value of it is far more than the price of it.
“Almost everybody says, ‘What a beautiful chalice!’” he said. “A beautiful article, such as a vestment or chalice, in the liturgy should draw people into knowing that something special is happening here. It says, ‘This is not a typical cup. This is for something special.’”