On Sunday, June 22nd, the parishes of Our Lady of Angels, Saint Andrew the Apostle, and Saint Anselm came together in a beautiful celebration of the Real Presence of Our Lord, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist.
The day began with the 12 noon Mass at St. Anselm, celebrated by Fr. John and Fr. Kevin, and other priests from the three parishes. The liturgy was made particularly splendid by the presence of two choirs, the Bay Ridge Catholic Children’s Choir, and the Our Lady of Angels Choir. Making the hymns sung by the OLA choir even more beautiful was the presence of a solo trumpet, which floated over the voices.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Fr. Kevin spoke about the joint liturgical committees of Our Lady of Angels and Saint Anselm, their planning of the Mass, the procession, and the services at Our Lady of Angels and St. Andrew the Apostle, thanking everyone involved.
The procession through Bay Ridge began from Saint Anselm with Fr. John, under a canopy, carrying the new St. Andrew’s monstrance, containing the consecrated host, accompanied by flower bearers and preceded by a bagpiper, playing hymns. It traveled along 4th Avenue to 79th Street, between 4th & 5th Avenues, where a temporary altar, replete with candles and flowers, had been set up. There the monstrance was placed for prayers, incensing, and blessing of the faithful. Then the worshippers returned to 4th Avenue, passing Clavin’s Funeral Home, where water was available for those who needed to refresh themselves before going on the Our Lady of Angels.
At Our Lady of the Angels, again prayers were offered, the monstrance was incensed, and the congregation was blessed. Before leaving the church and going back out onto 4th Avenue, OLA’s First Communion Class joined the procession with girls in beautiful white dresses and boys in white suits, adding to the dignity and beauty of the event. The monstrance, now carried by Fr. Kevin, stopped twice at altars on Ovington, where the host was again placed for prayers, incensing and the blessing of the faithful as it journeyed down to Ridge Blvd., and then onto St. Andrew the Apostle for the final stop.
Along the way, the crowd was directed by marshals from OLA and St. Andrew’s and a small fleet of New York City Police Department vehicles, which controlled traffic and closed off street to vehicles – Thank You.
At St. Andrew the Apostle, the last “station” in the procession, the Host was placed on the altar, for the final prayers, the reciting of the Divine Praises and the Benediction. After the host had been removed from the monstrance and placed in St. Andrew’s tabernacle, Fr. Kevin spoke movingly of the experience of seeing so many parishioners from the 3 parishes taking part, and of the people who came out of their homes to view the procession, blessing themselves as the host was carried past. He thanked everyone who participated in the procession, the Mass and services and those who helped to organize the event. The celebration in St. Andrew the Apostle concluded with the choir of St. Andrew’s leading the congregation in “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”.
Leaving St. Andrew’s the faithful had the opportunity to partake of snacks and water, provided by the parishioners of St. Andrew’s, to rehydrate themselves before returning home after a wonderful, reverent, prayerful event.
Thank you to all who joined in the Mass at St. Anselm, the procession, and the services in Our Lady of Angels and St. Andrew the Apostle, whose presence contributed to the celebration of Corpus Christi, the expression of our love of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,
all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.
All the best,
The Saint Anselm Publicity Committee