As the culminating event for the commemoration of its bicentennial year, the Diocese of Richmond had big plans for its first eucharistic congress.
It envisioned thousands of parishioners gathering in a convention center to celebrate its history by listening to keynote and breakout session speakers, praying, participating in eucharistic adoration and celebrating Mass.
But as COVID-19 spread, those plans were greatly curtailed. The congress, held Nov. 6 and 7, was primarily a virtual event, one that reflected the times but also the diversity of the diocese.
Speakers’ presentations in English, Spanish and Vietnamese were taped for participants to access. Parishes were encouraged to gather in prayer. Multiple tracks were designed for young adults, youth and children and adults with special needs.
However, Mass and a Holy Hour Nov. 7 were live, with 80 people in attendance at each liturgy. The Mass was concelebrated at St. Peter Pro-Cathedral by seven bishops, including Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, head of the Metropolitan See of Baltimore that includes the suffragan sees of Arlington, Richmond, Wheeling-Charleston and Wilmington.
St. Peter was the diocese’s first cathedral, dedicated in 1834.
Other archbishops who attended included Cardinal-designate Wilton D. Gregory of Washington and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
In his introductory comments, Archbishop Lori noted that when the Diocese of Richmond was founded in 1820, the church in the United States was in its infancy.
“The Archdiocese of Baltimore had been founded three decades earlier, in 1789, and originally stretched from the Canadian border, down to Florida, and out to the Mississippi River,” Archbishop Lori said. “Richmond was one of the earliest dioceses to be formed from Baltimore; and, as you have read, the priests and people who founded far-flung missions in Virginia had to cope with difficult conditions, including poverty, isolation and a lack of clergy.”
Archbishop Lori pointed out that among those who came in service to the fledgling church in Virginia were Jesuit fathers John Carroll and Leonard Neale, the first and second archbishops of Baltimore.
Between the first and second bishops of Richmond, he said, there was a gap of some 20 years until Bishop Richard Whalen, a priest of Baltimore, was appointed as the second Bishop of Richmond in 1841.
“For five years (1872-1877), James Gibbons served as the fourth bishop of Richmond, until his appointment as the ninth archbishop of Baltimore,” Archbishop Lori said. “He was succeeded by Bishop John J. Keane, another Baltimore priest, and later, became the first rector of The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C.”
The archbishop noted other Baltimore connections include Bishop Peter Leo Ireton and Bishop John J. Russell, both priests of Baltimore who served as the ninth and tenth Bishops of Richmond respectively.
“Last, but not least, your current bishop, Bishop Barry Knestout and I served together, for many years, as priests of the Archdiocese of Washington,” Archbishop Lori said.
In his homily, Richmond Bishop Barry C. Knestout, reflecting on Mark 16:15-20, said the people of the diocese have been carrying out the great mission on which Jesus sent the apostles.
“The people of the Diocese of Richmond have done this for 200 years – taught the faith, brought unity to a broken world, ministered to the weak, vulnerable and sick, and have gathered to carry out the faith, hope and charity to which we are called.”
The bishop emphasized that the Eucharist is a “blessing” and a “gift from God.”
“We are nourished in the presence and glory of God,” he said. “By our reception of the Eucharist and by our adoration of the Lord present in his body and blood, we taste the first fruits of heaven.”
Bishop Knestout expressed gratitude for what the diocese has accomplished in its history.
“We are deeply, profoundly grateful as we celebrate 200 years of faith and charity in the Commonwealth of Virginia, that in communion with God and with one another and in fulfilling the church’s mission we have assisted in the work of the church to transform our culture and Commonwealth to image more beautifully, more fully, the Gospel and the love of Christ,” he said.
Representing the Diocese of Arlington, which was a part of the Diocese of Richmond until its establishment in 1974, were Bishop Emeritus Paul S. Loverde and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, the homilist for the holy hour at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond.
Noting the challenge the pandemic had presented for the faithful in being able to receive the Eucharist, Bishop Burbidge said, “Perhaps these months have reminded us of how easy it is to take the precious gift of the Holy Eucharist for granted and to lose what St. John Paul II referred to as ‘eucharistic wonder and awe.’ We will always have that wonder and awe when we receive the gift with devotion.”
In anticipation of the eucharistic procession that was about to take place outside around the block on which the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is located, the bishop told those in attendance and those viewing via livestream, “We also acknowledge that the celebration occurs at a time when our nation is experiencing so much turmoil and unrest and witnessing many evils and injustices. Now, more than ever, it is Jesus we must bring into our streets and communities in the sure and certain hope that he will heal, renew and unite us. That is what we will actually do today: carry Jesus in a procession on to our streets and into a world desperately in need of his great presence and saving work.”
In his virtual keynote address, “A Eucharistic Vision for Today’s World” the previous evening, Cardinal-designate Gregory spoke about a resurgence in eucharistic devotion among Catholics, and noted the responsibility that comes with it – a commitment to justice and charity, including “the still unfinished work of eradicating racism in our society – a topic that has come to the fore in recent months perhaps as never before.”
“One cannot pray before the Blessed Sacrament – the Bread of Life – and not eventually also recall that all those who dine on the Lord’s generosity have a responsibility in justice and in charity to respond to the needs of those who hunger for ordinary bread each day,” he said. “The true evidence of a proper eucharistic devotional life is a deeper commitment to the needs of the poor, the forgotten, the ones whom Christ identified as the least of his sisters and brothers.”
Catholic Review staff contributed to this report.
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