Baltimore bishops participate in blessing of new altar as Arlington diocese celebrates 50th anniversary

Nearly two years after renovations first began, the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Va., opened its doors, welcoming more than 1,000 parish representatives, donors, diocesan priests, deacons and women religious to a Mass celebrating the dedication of the cathedral’s new altar Sept. 5. Some 29 U.S. bishops and three cardinals attended the celebration, including two bishops from Baltimore.

The Mass began with a hymn commissioned for the Diocesan Golden Jubilee, “Sing Praise to the Lord with Thanksgiving.” The choir sang the verses in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., delivered opening remarks on behalf of Pope Francis.

“His Holiness, Pope Francis, sends greetings of good wishes to the Most Reverend Michael Burbidge and the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Arlington, as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation,” Cardinal Pierre said. “The Holy Father prays that this jubilee of the local church will be an occasion for its people to open their hearts to spiritual renewal, to go in zeal, proclaiming the Gospel, and promote fraternal solidarity among their brothers and sisters.”

Bishop Burbidge blessed a small bucket, also called a situla, of holy water, which he sprinkled upon the faithful and the new altar.

In his homily, Bishop Burbidge said that as the jubilee comes to a close — including its three-year themes of “remember, rejoice and renew” — “After today, however, I will need to find some new homily material, but not before I squeak out one more homily with those themes,” drawing laughs from the faithful.

Bishop Burbidge described the many ways in which the diocese has reflected the three jubilee themes, including increasing eucharistic adoration with the Forty Hours devotion, continuing devotion to Mary and following her joyful example, and renewing evangelization efforts. “I believe the ceremony we are about to celebrate provides some helpful images for additional ways to evangelize effectively,” Bishop Burbidge said.

Each element of the Rite of Dedication of the new altar is significant, Bishop Burbidge said. Depositing saints’ relics into the altar is a reminder that, “We do not travel alone on our earthly journey to heaven. The saints are the ‘clouds of witnesses surrounding us.’ They accompany us. Their example inspires us. Their prayers support us,” he said.

Anointing the altar with chrism is a reminder of Christ as “God’s Anointed One,” he said. “To evangelize is to share this reality with others and to convey how Our Lord longs to embrace us in his love and mercy and never tires of waiting for us.”

Lastly, lighting the altar with candles is a reminder that Christ conquered darkness and sin, he said. “In these challenging times when we see evil, division, and restlessness, we must strive by our words and charitable deeds to radiate the Light of Christ to whomever and wherever the Lord sends us each day,” he said.

Above all, Bishop Burbidge said, we must be open to the Holy Spirit in order for us to be instruments of evangelization. “Yes, we have a diocesan strategic plan, parish mission statements, and countless pastoral initiatives — but they are all in vain if there is not an openness to the Spirit of the Lord and a willingness to listen, to put out into the deep; to change if necessary; and ultimately to trust in the promise he spoke to us in today’s Gospel: ‘Behold, I will be with us always.’ ” Smiling at his family seated in the first pew, Bishop Burbidge said, “Knowing my family, who is present here today, I can hear them saying, ‘We have another theme to suggest that begins with the letter “r”: Refrain.’ ” Those in the pews laughed, as he continued, “And so I will simply say, dear friends in Christ, all in the Diocese of Arlington, this is a joyful and blessed moment, as we celebrate our golden jubilee, build upon our rich history and strong foundations, and go forth with the grace of God and the help of Mary and all the saints to a brighter and promising future full of hope.”

Following the homily, all knelt as the choir sang the Litany of Saints. Bishop Burbidge placed relics of St. Thomas More, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Teresa of Kolkata and St. John Paul II into the altar. He prayed the prayer of dedication over the altar before pouring chrism on the four corners and in the center of the altar. He anointed and then blessed the altar with incense, as a brazier burned incense upon the altar. Parish volunteers and seminarians then cleaned and dressed the altar with linens and candles.

Before the final blessing, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori addressed the clergy and faithful. He first congratulated Bishop Burbidge: “Today happens to be the 23rd anniversary of the episcopal ordination of your bishop,” he said, drawing applause.

Archbishop Lori reminisced on how, as “the greenest of seminarians,” he attended the installation Mass of Bishop Thomas J. Welsh, the first bishop of Arlington. “Since then, I have watched with great admiration as this Diocese of Arlington has grown, not only in numbers, but also with its vitality and strength,” he said. “Today’s dedication of the altar in this wonderfully transformed Cathedral of St. Thomas More epitomizes not only the strength of this diocese, but also its beauty and, God-willing, a very bright future.”

Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Denis J. Madden also concelebrated.

Before the final blessing, Deacon Malcolm L. D’Souza announced that those who made a pilgrimage to the cathedral and who had recently gone to confession and received holy Communion, among other requirements, would receive a plenary indulgence attached to an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis.

After the Mass, guests congregated in Burke Hall for a reception.

Princess McEvilley, a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Alexandria and comptroller of the Knights of St. Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, said that the dedication Mass reminded her of the rich history of the Arlington diocese. “Just to see all the little pieces come together and the commemoration of it — it was just really empowering,” she said.

Elora LeBlanc, 11, said that she was amazed at the large amount of incense used during the dedication rite. “I hope that people who are visiting from other states or moving into Virginia will come to the church and go to Mass, and (that) they’ll feel welcomed to the cathedral.”

Harvey can be reached at anna.harvey@catholicherald.com or X @annaharveyACH.

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