Mass of dedication

PATERSON  The Mass for the Dedication of a Church is rich with rites and signs that celebrate our faith that is “built upon the foundation of the Apostles, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer for the Mass of Dedication).

In the Old Testament’s Second Book of Chronicles, Solomon prays at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem: “Let your priests, Lord God, be robed in salvation, let your faithful rejoice in what is good!” (2 Chronicles 6:41). At the conclusion of Solomon’s prayer “the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 7:1). The Temple dedication was vital for God’s chosen people because through the Temple Israel understood her identity and in the Temple sacrifices to God were made. The Temple was the dwelling place of the Lord God.

As our local Church of Paterson prepares for the solemn liturgical dedication of our Cathedral Church, we can trace our liturgical lineage to Solomon’s Temple dedication. Jesus Christ found his Church as a “holy city” (Preface for the Mass of Dedication). Through sacred worship we are built up into the God’s temple and find refuge in his constant presence with us through the sacraments he instituted, particularly the Eucharist which is offered in the Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated at the altar consecrated to represent Christ.

The dedication of a cathedral church, like the dedication of any church, reminds us that our identity as Catholics is found in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments but more than that, the dedication of a church reminds us that our salvation is linked to the divine mysteries celebrated in our churches.

Without the Eucharist there is no Church. The dedication of a church is closely linked to the centrality of the Eucharist in our life as Christ’s Church. Thus, the heart of a church dedication is the consecration of the altar. The Eucharistic sacrifice is not offered on the altar until the day of dedication because the dedication of the church building and the altar are closely related to the celebration of Mass on the day of dedication itself.

When a church is dedicated, it is intended that it is to be perpetually set aside for divine worship. The Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer for the Mass of Dedication highlights the vital significance the divine mysteries of salvation that are celebrated in a dedicated church: “Here is foreshadowed the mystery of the true Temple, here is prefigured the heavenly Jerusalem.” The dedicated church represents the hope of heaven resplendent in glory and filled with holiness.

Jesus Christ is the source of all Christian worship since sacramental life flows from his pierced side. Jesus Christ is, as the Fifth Preface for the Easter season reminds us, “the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of sacrifice.” Because everything that is celebrated in our churches depends so profoundly upon the person and sacrifice of Christ, the rites that surround the dedication are solemnly carried out and signify our communion with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit in obedience to the will of the Father.

On June 24th, the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Mass of Dedication of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist will be celebrated. As the Dedication begins, the cathedral will be handed over to Bishop Serratelli by Msgr. James T. Mahoney, Vicar General, and those who have been responsible for the restoration work of the cathedral in order to express the dignity of such work and to signify that the Bishop, as shepherd, is the chief pastor of souls and the high priest of sacred worship in our local church.

At the beginning of the liturgy, water will be blessed and sprinkled upon the people and the altar in order to remind us of the importance of continual repentance, the dignity of baptism, and the purification of the altar to be dedicated. The dedication of the altar and the anointing of the altar and walls of the church with Sacred Chrism are preceded by the Litany of Saints. The Litany petitions the Blessed Virgin Mary and all of the saints to intercede for the Christian people so that we are led to “worship in spirit and in truth” (Prayer Concluding the Litany of Saints).

The dedication of the altar is the high point of the dedication rite itself. The Prayer for the Dedication of the Altar calls the church a “house of prayer” and a “temple of worship” which is made holy by Christ himself. The Church is built into a temple of living stones through the sacrifice of Christ; we “are made holy through the blood of Christ” that is offered in the Paschal sacrifice. The Bishop anoints the altar with Sacred Chrism to consecrate it to represent Christ and to be the place where the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered and the power of the Paschal Mystery is made present to the Church gathered around the altar.

The walls of the church are anointed with Chrism in twelve places by the Bishop and the priests that he associates with himself in that rite in order to indicate the apostolic origins and nature of the Church and to manifest that our cathedral church is set aside perpetually and exclusively for sacred worship.

Incense is burnt upon the altar and carried through the cathedral church to indicate that the sacrifice of Christ rises to heaven along with our prayers. The altar is then covered with a cloth to represent its joyous purposes and to indicate that it is the Table of the Lord around which the family of God will be gathered for the Eucharistic sacrifice. Finally, the candles around the altar and at the 12 crosses throughout the Church are lit in festive joy to represent the light of Christ that pierces all darkness and leads us toward heaven.

The Eucharist is celebrated at the newly dedicated altar for the first time, and is itself an essential part of the Rite of Dedication. Holy Communion is distributed and then the Inauguration of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel takes place following a procession of some of those representing all of the faithful of the Diocese and the Bishop move through the newly dedicated church as the Bishop carries the Most Blessed Sacrament to its place of permanent reservation.

The procession with the Blessed Sacrament that will conclude at the tabernacle recalls the presence of God in the Temple of Jerusalem so long ago: “Praise the Lord Jerusalem, Zion praise your God. For he gives you your fill of finest wheat” (Psalm 147: 12, 14). Before the Bishop concludes the Solemn Mass of Dedication with his blessing, the Eucharistic procession to the place of reservation reminds us that we become the living temple of God through the Eucharist and in the Eucharist we find the joy of Christ’s presence with us. The Solemn Dedication of our Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist reflects the truths of our faith celebrated around the altar and led by our Bishop.

[Msgr. Condon is director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Spirituality and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls.]