An Amazing Procession

Tuesday was a truly historic day here at Mundelein Seminary. In honor of the closing of the Year of the Eucharist we conducted an amazing Eucharistic procession around the lake. The route was several miles long and the procession took over 2 hours. More than 100 people participated. The procession was the high point of a 40 hours Eucharistic adoration that we had started the morning before.

An additional purpose of this procession was to reconsecrate our campus following the violent car accident of a month ago that killed two of our seminarians. Together, we walked the route that they followed on those last few moments of their lives. We brought Jesus with us as we walked this Way of the Cross to the accident site. We stopped where they crashed and gave a solemn benediction with the Eucharist at the very spot where Matty died. Then, as God calls each of us to do now, we kept going. We took up our rosaries and asked Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, to walk with us as we continued on the road that led us away from the crash and back to the buildings of our seminary where Jesus still calls us to carry on the mission.

I couldn’t help but think how the road around the lake is a lot like the road of grief that many of us now travel. I have walked around the lake many times since September 15^th just as I’m sure each of us has many times taken the road in our minds that leads us to contemplate the crash and to ask questions that have no sufficient answer. Perhaps we wonder if maybe we should have “moved on” by now and wonder if it’s OK to still talk about it. I think it’s very important to keep in mind that, like the road around the lake, this journey is a circle. Like our Eucharistic procession, the journey begins with adoring our Lord in the chapel where we get the strength for the journey. We take Jesus with us as we make our lap. When we find a difficult obstacle in our path, such as the accident site, we stop and pray. We ask Jesus to give us his blessing so that we might continue, and we do continue. We continue down the road to arrive at the same place we started, but changed.

I know that I will walk around the lake many more times both literally and figuratively in the coming years. When I pass by the accident site, I can’t expect that it will ever go back to being just an ordinary row of trees. However, each time I pass by, I remember that God has helped me to pass this way many times before. He goes with me on the journey, and he awaits me at the end.

Following is a pictorial pilgrimage with us in our procession. There were several stations along the way where we stopped and gave a blessing. A different deacon composed an original prayer for each station and these are found below with the appropriate picture. In between stations we sang Eucharistic hymns and prayed the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Some of the singing was accompanied by me on trumpet as well as various choir members carrying hand bells. I couldn’t help but remark at the end of all this how truly great it is to be Catholic. Our faith is a very tangible and incarnational faith that involves all the senses. We need the physical movement of the procession, the sound of the bells, and so much incense that the trees will smell all winter. I hope the pictures give you some sense of the experience.

Station 1: The Cemetery

The procession left the chapel in our residence building and proceeded down the hallway right past Matty’s room and then out the door and over to the cemetery.

All-powerful God, you are always faithful and quick to show mercy Look kindly on our brothers Matty and Jared who departed this life confessing your name and number them among your saints for evermore. May we hold their memory dear. We remember all those who have died as a result of war, terrorism, and violence in our world. Have mercy on them and comfort their families and friends by the power and protection of the cross. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Station 2: Memorial to the Unborn

Lord Jesus, here present with us, we give you our praise and thanksgiving. You sanctified our earthly life by uniting it with your own. So precious is human life to you that from our beginning you place your Spirit within us at Baptism. So sacred is our life in your eyes that you nourish it with yourself through the Eucharist. We are gathered here to pay homage to your life in the Most Blessed Sacrament. We pray that all people will acknowledge the value of human life, from conception to natural death, as you have taught through your tender care for us from beginning to end. Grant your healing and mercy to all those who have not respected that gift of life that you gave us. We ask this all in your name, you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Station 3: Statue of St. George and the Dragon

Oh Jesus, on this day we pray to you for our children, our innocent children, who have been victims of abuse at the hands of a few of our priests and Church personnel and for all victims of sexual misconduct. We pray as well for all people who continue to be victims of physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual abuse. It is very difficult for us to understand why all these things have happened, how innocent lives have been damaged by people who have consecrated their lives to you. Help us to do all we can do to protect children. We pray for all victims of abuse. We pray for all abusers that they may experience healing and conversion of mind and heart. We pray for the healing of our Church and our world. We in humility seek your Mercy. We pray now that your powerful miraculous grace will surround and heal the victims of childhood abuse who have been damaged at the hands of those sworn to serve them. We pray they will learn to trust again. In addition, we pray that some glorious day they might find the grace and mercy to forgive their Church, to forgive their abusers, and to join us in promoting reconciliation in the Church and in the world. Oh Jesus we pray to you for all victims of abuse. We know that you hear our petitions. We know that you are with them. We ask you to grant these prayers in your name, you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Station 4: The Crash Site

O God our Father, our strength in adversity, our health in weakness, our comfort in sorrow, look mercifully upon our seminary community. The grief and loss that we continue to experience since the accident weigh heavily upon us. Surround Rob Spaulding, Mark Rowlands, and all of us with your loving presence that we may all continue to heal from the emotional effects of this tragedy. Bring Matty Molnar and Jared Cheek to the joy of heaven where they may praise your glory for ever in the fellowship of your saints. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

If you compare this picture with the ones of the crash site I posted previously, you can pick out the blue memorial on the ground behind the deacon and can see the damaged trees behind the kneeling African server.

Station 5: The Pier

Upon completing our procession around the lake we came to the pier that juts out into the lake in front of the main chapel. There is a special cupola there which was built for the International Eucharistic Congress in the 1920’s. This was built for the purpose of giving the solemn benediction to end the congress. I’m not sure if it’s ever been used for benediction since that time. On this day benediction was given from this special place once again as the rector solemnly reconsecrated the campus under the protection of our Blessed Mother.

O Lord, we bless you and praise you. In your mysterious and merciful providence you have established Christ as the one eternal high priest, whose unseen power always sustains your Church through visible ministers. When the preachers of the Gospel proclaim the word of salvation, your Son reveals to all peoples the mystery of your love. When the voice of the priest is raised in prayer, Christ prays with us at your right hand in glory. When priests celebrate his sacred sacrifice at the altar, Christ again presents to you his own self offering. When pastors feed and guide the flock entrusted to them, Christ Shepherds and guides his Church.

Watch over, O Lord, your Church of Chicago, which has established this seminary to insure that the future ministers of Christ, gathered in common life and the study of your holy teaching, will be rightly formed for so great a service. Father of all holiness, we pray: that those you have chosen to be messengers of the Gospel and ministers of your altar will learn through prayer the truths they must some day teach and will grasp the with the conviction of faith the mysteries their lives must exemplify; that here they will grow accustomed to offering spiritual sacrifices and by celebrating the liturgy experience the saving power of the sacraments; that their obedience will lead them to follow the Good Shepherd, so that as pastors of the Lord’s flock, they will be ready even to lay down their lives for their sheep.

Now in the name of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, we reconsecrate this campus to you, so that we may continue to prepare ourselves with all seriousness for the great task which has been entrusted to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Conclusion: The Main Chapel

Father, the image of the Virgin is found in the Church. Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared and a love that never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. In this you let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and prepared her to be the worthy mother of your Son.

Father, with ultimate generosity and love, our Savior gave Mary as a mother to his beloved disciple; help us, who are also his beloved disciples, to live as worthy children of so noble a mother.

Mary, Immaculate Conception, with generosity and love, our forefathers in faith dedicated this campus to you under the title of the Immaculate Conception.

We now imitate their example as we dedicate ourselves to you and re-dedicate this place to your patronage. Help us by your prayers to make this campus a place of serious preparation for the great task to which God has called us, that Mundelein Seminary may prepare worthy priests of Christ your Son.

Father, take away the sins of your people. May the prayers of the Immaculate Conception help us to prepare once again a world for your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.