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Dedication of a church to St Josemaria in Mexico DF
July 31, 2009
On July 28 2009 the first church dedicated to St Josemaria in Mexico was consecrated in Santa Fe, Mexico DF. The parish church of St Josemaria will be looked after by priests of the Opus Dei prelature, at the request of Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera.
"This brings to completion a cycle initiated back in 2002, when Cardinal Rivera Carrera gave Opus Dei the task of building a church to be looked after by priests of the prelature. After a great deal of effort, the first stone was blessed on March 13, 2005" said a communiqué from the Archbishop's office.
The past four years were a time of intense physical and pastoral work. Meanwhile parishioners attended Mass in a provisional location while their future parish church grew steadily, thanks to the activities of a group of volunteer fund-raisers.
Bishop Javier Echevarria, the Prelate of Opus Dei, presided over the ceremony of dedicating the new church to proclaiming the Word of God, celebrating the Sacraments, and the service of charity. In his homily, Bishop Echevarria expressed his gratitude for all the efforts made to build the church, and thanked Cardinal Rivera for his invitation to preside at its dedication ceremony. He recalled that the work of serving the Church, all souls and the whole of mankind has to be accomplished through prayer, atonement and the hope-filled preaching of the Gospel, because there are many people still waiting for help to come to know God and make friends with our Lord, "who does not betray us and does not abandon us. And for a Christian, to get to know Christ, relate to him, and love him, is what matters. Only if we do that will we be fulfilling God's plans for us." During the dedication ceremony Bishop Echevarria placed a relic of St Josemaria beneath the altar.
At least 2000 of the local faithful, including families living in a shanty-town district, come to the church every weekend. Around 800 people make up a community that takes an active part in parish life and pastoral programs. 200 volunteers look after about five thousand people who live in the marginalized districts of Santa Fe, and have set up various projects to broaden the radius of the social activity based on the parish church. These figures are recorded in a book presented to Cardinal Rivera Carrera during the dedication ceremony, containing information on the pastoral work carried out by Opus Dei in the area.
In 2005 Cardinal Rivera stated that building a church in this area of the city meant "raising a church to Christ in modern-day Mexico." Santa Fe was already seen as one of the most dynamic areas and a hub of international business in Mexico DF.
The ceremony was also attended by the Archbishop Emilio Berlie of Merida, and the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocesis of Mexico, Carlos Briseño Arch.
The joy and gratitude arising from the inauguration of the church will undoubtedly give an extra boost to the pastoral and social work being done from the parish.
>>> See video-clips of the dedication ceremony
Interior of the church at the end of the dedication ceremony
"This brings to completion a cycle initiated back in 2002, when Cardinal Rivera Carrera gave Opus Dei the task of building a church to be looked after by priests of the prelature. After a great deal of effort, the first stone was blessed on March 13, 2005" said a communiqué from the Archbishop's office.
Bishop Javier Echevarria and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera after the celebration
Bishop Javier Echevarria, the Prelate of Opus Dei, presided over the ceremony of dedicating the new church to proclaiming the Word of God, celebrating the Sacraments, and the service of charity. In his homily, Bishop Echevarria expressed his gratitude for all the efforts made to build the church, and thanked Cardinal Rivera for his invitation to preside at its dedication ceremony. He recalled that the work of serving the Church, all souls and the whole of mankind has to be accomplished through prayer, atonement and the hope-filled preaching of the Gospel, because there are many people still waiting for help to come to know God and make friends with our Lord, "who does not betray us and does not abandon us. And for a Christian, to get to know Christ, relate to him, and love him, is what matters. Only if we do that will we be fulfilling God's plans for us." During the dedication ceremony Bishop Echevarria placed a relic of St Josemaria beneath the altar.
Picture of St Josemaria in the church
In 2005 Cardinal Rivera stated that building a church in this area of the city meant "raising a church to Christ in modern-day Mexico." Santa Fe was already seen as one of the most dynamic areas and a hub of international business in Mexico DF.
Bishop Javier Echevarria blessing the faithful in the new church
The joy and gratitude arising from the inauguration of the church will undoubtedly give an extra boost to the pastoral and social work being done from the parish.
>>> See video-clips of the dedication ceremony
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