Editor's Note
Preparing for the Light
Last December I attended the dedication of the new Holy Cross Church in Durham. I’d never been to a church dedication before, and when the liturgy began I noticed that the lights were out. What was up? Was some of the electrical installation in this beautiful new structure still unfinished?
It turned out there wasn’t a problem. After all the parts of the building -- the walls, the water in the baptismal font, the altar -- and the people were blessed with water, the Bishop anointed the altar, and then the walls of the church, with Chrism. Next, the walls and the people were honored with incense, and told that “as this building is filled with fragrance, so may your Church fill the world with the fragrance of Christ.”
Then, dramatically, the candles in the church were lit and the lights turned on, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist proceeded.
As Lent approaches, I’m recalling that ceremony and wondering if it doesn’t mirror, in a way, this season when, through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and the Sacrament of Penance, we prepare ourselves, we try to sanctify ourselves, for the coming of the Resurrection. The hope is that, Lent behind us, we can go as new people into the world, filling it “with the fragrance of Christ.”
Throughout the history of our Diocese, Catholic missionaries have brought that fragrance to our state. Our cover story this month speaks of those heroes, and reports on the Diocese of Raleigh Home Mission Society, the newest initiative in the pursuit of the missionaries’ century-old dream: a Catholic North Carolina.
Lent is a time, as Bishop Burbidge points out in his letter this month, to seek Reconciliation. On page 6, Msgr. John Williams responds to a reader still grieving over an old sin, but afraid to ask forgiveness.
Finally, as this issue is in the mail, our Diocese will be honoring four women Religious who are celebrating milestones of service and dedication to Our Lord. One can only guess at the number of lives and souls these women have touched. Jubilate!
Thank you for reading NC Catholics each month, and for letting me know what you think. You can reach me at 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, or reece@raldioc.org.