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DEDICATION OF THE ALTAR FOR THE
REDEEMER OF MAN CHURCH SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE WASHINGTON, D.C.
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His Eminence
Donald Cardinal Wuerl Archbishop of Washington Principal Celebrant & Homilist
His Eminence
Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz Archbishop of Kraków Consecrator of the Altar
Friday, October 2, 2015 3:00 P.M.
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Cover Image: The Wedding Feast of the Lamb (detail)
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INTRODUCTORY RITES Entrance Hymn
God We Praise You
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Entrance Antiphon I will go to the altar of God, the God of my joy.
Greeting
Blessing and Sprinkling of Water
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Gloria
Missa de Angelis and Missa in C Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1622) Arr. and adapt. Peter J. Latona (b.1968)
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LITURGY OF THE WORD First Reading
Isaiah 52:7-10
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!� Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry, together they shout for joy, for they see directly, before their eyes, the LORD restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
The Heavenly Jerusalem 6
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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23 Jan M. Vermulst (1925-1994)
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R/ Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. R/ You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R/ Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. R/
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Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10:16-21
A reading from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one Body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? So what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No, I mean that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and also the chalice of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. The word of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.
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St. Paul
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Face of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man
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Gospel Acclamation
G Minor Peter J. Latona (b.1968)
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my sheep, and mine know me. R/
Gospel
John 21:15-17
V / The Lord be with you. R/ And with your spirit.
@ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
R/ Glory to you, O Lord. After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” The Gospel of the Lord.
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Homily
His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl Archbishop of Washington
Profession of Faith
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
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He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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PRAYER OF DEDICATION AND THE ANOINTINGS Litany of the Saints Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Holy Mary, Mother of God St. Michael Holy angels of God St. John the Baptist St. Joseph St. Peter and St. Paul St. Andrew St. John St. James St. Mary Magdalene St. Stephen St. Ignatius of Antioch St. Lawrence St. Perpetua and St. Felicity St. Agnes St. Gregory St. Augustine St. Athanasius St. Basil St. Martin St. Benedict St. Francis and St. Dominic St. Francis Xavier St. John Vianney St. Catherine of Siena St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. 14
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St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More St. Ignatius of Loyola St. Isaac Jogues and the North American Martyrs
pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Brother André Bessette St. Marie of the Incarnation St. Lorenzo Ruiz St. Pedro Calungsod St. Jadwiga of Poland St. Stanisław St. Casimir St. Josaphat St. Vladimir St. Olga St. Andrew Kim Taegon St. Juan Diego St. Rafael Guízar Valencia St. Luis Batis Sáinz St. Mateo Correa Magallanes St. Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán St. Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero St. Miguel de la Mora de la Mora
pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Albert Chmielowski St. Faustina Kowalska St. Maximilian Kolbe St. Gianna Beretta Molla
pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. François de Laval St. Kateri Tekakwitha St. John Neumann St. José María Robles Hurtado St. Elizabeth Ann Seton St. Junípero Serra St. John Paul II
pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. 15
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All holy men and women, saints of God Lord be merciful From all evil From every sin From everlasting death By your incarnation By your death and resurrection By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
pray for us.
Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray. Lord, deliver us, we pray.
Be merciful to us sinners Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Govern and protect your holy Church Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Keep the Pope and all the ordained in faithful service to your Church Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Bring all peoples together in peace and true harmony Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Comfort with your mercy the troubled and the afflicted Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Strengthen all of us and keep us in your holy service Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Make this altar holy and consecrate it to your worship Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Jesus, Son of the living God Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Christ, hear us Christ, graciously hear us
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 16
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Depositing of the Relics
Psalm 15:1-2
Saints of God, you have been enthroned at the foot of God’s altar; pray for us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Relics of seven saints are deposited into the altar, where they will permanently remain. Depositing relics within an altar originates with the ancient Christian practice of celebrating the Eucharist over the tombs of the martyrs. The names of the saints are inscribed on the edge of the mensa of the altar, directly above the aperture into which each saint’s relic is placed. At every Mass when the celebrant venerates the altar with a kiss at the beginning and end of the liturgy, he is both expressing reverence for Christ, symbolized by the altar, and greeting the saints whose relics are enshrined therein.
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Prayer of Dedication Cardinal Dziwisz prays in Latin that God, in his power and mercy, will pour out his blessing on this altar, now permanently set aside for the celebration of Holy Mass.
Father, we praise you and give you thanks, for you have established the sacrament of true worship by bringing to perfection in Christ the mystery of the one true altar prefigured in those many altars of old. Noah, the second father of the human race, once the waters fell and the mountains peaked again, built an altar in your name. You, Lord, were appeased by his fragrant offering and your rainbow bore witness to a covenant refounded in love. Abraham, our father in faith, wholeheartedly accepted your word and constructed an altar on which to slay Isaac, his only son. But you, Lord, stayed his hand and provided a ram for his offering.
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Moses, mediator of the old law, built an altar on which was cast the blood of a lamb: so prefiguring the altar of the cross. All this Christ has fulfilled in the paschal mystery: as priest and victim he freely mounted the tree of the cross and gave himself to you, Father, as the one perfect oblation. In his sacrifice the new covenant is sealed, in his blood sin is engulfed. Lord, we therefore stand before you in prayer. Bless this altar built in the house of the Church, that it may ever be reserved for the sacrifice of Christ, and stand for ever as the Lord’s table, where your people will find nourishment and strength. Make this altar a sign of Christ from whose pierced side flowed blood and water, which ushered in the sacraments of the Church. Make it a table of joy, where the friends of Christ may hasten to cast upon you their burdens and cares and take up their journey restored. Make it a place of communion and peace, so that those who share the body and blood of your Son may be filled with his Spirit and grow in your life of love. Make it a source of unity and friendship, where your people may gather as one to share your spirit of mutual love. 19
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Make it the center of our praise and thanksgiving until we arrive at the eternal tabernacle, where, together with Christ, high priest and living altar, we will offer you an everlasting sacrifice of praise. 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. R/ Amen.
Anointing of the Altar Dilexisti iustitiam et odisti iniquitatem; propterea unxit te Deus, Deus tuus, oleo laetitiae.
Psalm 45:7
You love righteousness and hate iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness.
Setting aside the pallium and chasuble, Cardinal Wuerl pours the Sacred Oil of Chrism onto the altar in five crosses, symbolizing the five wounds of Christ. Cardinal Wuerl and Cardinal Dziwisz together spread the Chrism onto the entire surface of the altar. The Greek word “Christos” (Χριστός) means “Anointed One.” Christ was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit, so that he might offer the sacrifice of his life for the salvation of all.
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Incensation of the Altar Let my prayer come like incense before you, O Lord. The lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.
A brazier is placed on the altar, signifying that it is on the altar that Christ’s one sacrifice on Calvary is made present anew and from there ascends to the presence of the Father; it also signifies that from the altar, our prayers ascend to God with a pleasing fragrance. The altar itself is then incensed. Next, the Chrism is wiped off the altar, which is covered with the altar cloth, indicating that the altar is the table from which we receive food and drink from Heaven, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Candles are then placed on the altar.
Lighting of the Altar In you, O Lord, is the fountain of life: in your light we shall see light.
The candles on the altar are lit, showing that Jesus Christ, who soon will make himself present upon the altar, is the light of the world, the light to reveal the Father to the nations, and the light that dispels the darkness of sin and death.
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LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Offertory Motet
Locus Iste Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Locus iste a Deo factus est, inĂŚstimabile sacramentum; irreprehensibilis est. This place was made by God, a priceless sacrament; beyond reproach.
This motet was composed in 1869 for the dedication of the Votive Chapel in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Linz, Austria.
Offertory R/ May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
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Preface V / The Lord be with you. R/ And with your spirit. V / Lift up your hearts. R/ We lift them up to the Lord. V / Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R/ It is right and just.
Sanctus
Vatican XVIII
Eucharistic Prayer
The Roman Canon
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Mysterium Fidei
Mass in Honor of the Immaculate Conception Peter J. Latona (b.1968)
Amen
Mass in Honor of the Immaculate Conception Peter J. Latona (b.1968)
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COMMUNION RITE Lord’s Prayer
Doxology
Sign of Peace V / The peace of the Lord be with you always. R/ And with your spirit.
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Agnus Dei
Missa Quarti Toni Tomรกs Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Ecce Agnus Dei R/ Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Communion Antiphon Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest wherein she places her young: near to your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God.
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Communion Hymn
Hallowed Be Forever Music: Traditional Polish
The Breaking of the Bread at Emmaus 27
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Communion Meditation
Matko Najświętsza Henryk Górecki (1933-2010)
Matko Najświętsza, do Serca Twego, Mieczem boleści wskroś przeszytego. Wołamy wszyscy z jękiem ze łzami, Ucieczko grzesznych, módl się za nami. Gdzie my, o Matko, ach gdzie pójdziemy, I gdzie ratunku szukać będziemy? Twojego ludu nie gardź prośbami, Ucieczko grzesznych, módl się za nami. Imię Twe, Mario, litością słynie, Tyś nam pociechą w każdej godzinie, Gdyśmy ściśnieni bólu cierniami, Ucieczko grzesznych, módl się za nami. A gdy ostatnia łza z oka spłynie, O Matko święta, w onej godzinie Zamknij nam oczy Twymi rękami: Ucieczko grzesznych, módl się za nami. Henryk Górecki dedicated this motet, Matko Najświętsza (Mother Most Holy), in honor of His Eminence Franciszek Cardinal Macharski, the Archbishop Emeritus of Kraków, who was one of the founding members of the Order in Poland and serves as its current State Chaplain. Górecki was one of Poland’s most revered contemporary composers of classical music and a member of Our Lady of Ludźmierz Council 14001.
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Most Holy Mother, to your heart, Pierced with the sword of grief. We turn with eyes full of tears, Refuge of sinners, pray for us. Where are we to go, Mother, oh where, Where are we to look for salvation? Do not decline our prayers, Refuge of sinners, pray for us. Your heart, Mary, is filled with mercy, Our constant joy and consolation, In the hour of need and suffering, Refuge of sinners, pray for us. And at the end of our days, Mother of God, Wipe the last tear and close our eyes With your holy hands forever: Refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Prayer after Communion
Remarks
His Eminence Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz Archbishop of Kraków
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Prayer for the Intercession of St. John Paul II O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the Church with St. John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the Cross of Christ and the splendor of the Spirit of love to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. He has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing with a Relic of St. John Paul II
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St. John Paul II and the Magi Guide Us to the Redeemer of Man
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CONCLUDING RITE Pontifical Blessing V / The Lord be with you. R/ And with your spirit. V / Blessed be the name of the Lord. R/ Now and for ever. V / Our help is in the name of the Lord. R/ Who made heaven and earth. V / May almighty God bless you, @ the Father, @ and the Son, @ and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Dismissal V / Go in peace. R/ Thanks be to God.
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Marian Anthem
Totus Tuus Msgr. Marco Frisina (b.1954)
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Recessional Hymn
O God, beyond All Praising Tune: Jupiter from The Planets Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Postlude
Fugue in C Major Dietrich Buxtehude (c.1637-1707)
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MINISTERS OF THE MASS Deacons Rev. Mr. Rey Garza Rev. Mr. Joseph Yong Pak
Masters of Ceremonies Rev. Ismael Ayala Rev. Charles Cortinovis Rev. Tomasz G. Szopa Rev. Louis A. Bianco
Servers Seminarians of the Saint John Paul II Seminary Students from the Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School Servers of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine
Lectors Julia Bolzon Student, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family Sr. M. Caterina, O.L.M. Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy
Gift Bearers Deputy Supreme Knight Logan & Ina Ludwig
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Musicians Dr. Peter J. Latona, Director of Music Katie Baughman, Cantor Members of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Fourth Degree Honor Guard Dennis J. Stoddard Supreme Master Richard G. Head Former Vice Supreme Master Sir Knights of Calvert Province
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Knights of Columbus is grateful to Cardinal Wuerl, Cardinal Dziwisz and all those who contributed to the organization of this liturgy, particularly Father Charles Cortinovis, Father Mel Ayala and Dr. Peter J. Latona. Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America Copyright 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The Knights of Columbus gratefully acknowledges the holders of copyright whose materials are employed in this program. God We Praise You, Springs of Water and O God beyond All Praising © Onelicense.net A-701285. Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, Mysterium Fidei, Amen © Peter Latona. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Responsorial Psalm © World Library Publications License #AL0708861. Totus Tuus by Msgr. Marco Frisina © 1997 FSP, Rome. All rights reserved. Mass Responses from the English translation of the Roman Missal © International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), 2010. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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THE MOSAICS OF THE SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE
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When the early Christians transitioned from eucharistic liturgies celebrated in the home to public buildings, they immediately recognized that these spaces could not remain as they were. Because the liturgy that unites heaven and earth is so powerful that it transforms everything that comes into its sphere — bread, wine, persons and relationships — the spaces in which the liturgy is celebrated should also be transformed to reflect this reality. Gathering in a liturgical space, the believing community enters into the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. The Father sends the Holy Spirit upon the offerings of bread and wine, transforming the fruit of the earth and of human labor into Christ’s Body and Blood. The same Spirit descends on those who share in these gifts, transforming them into the Church, Christ’s Body and Bride. Finally, he sends this community into the world so that all creation may be transfigured by love and thus participate in the Redemption. Throughout the first millennium, Christians understood that a church’s walls reflect and record this multifaceted mystery. A church’s art and architecture make visible the experience of the Church; they express the newness of life that Christians have received. In a tapestry of color, each figure calls to another, each scene sheds light on another, nothing stands by itself. The worship space “speaks” that which is at the heart of the liturgy and of the Christian life: communion, or God’s very life extended to man. If at times Christians lost sight of this powerful, unitary vision of liturgical art and of life, the Church has never completely forgotten it. Pope John Paul II’s first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis (The Redeemer of Man), presented just such an integrated and organic vision of Christianity to our time. It is our hope that the mosaics of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine will help re-propose this organic vision of the Church in the New World in this new millennium. 39
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Redeemer of Man Church “Is it not the Church’s task to reflect the light of Christ? ... Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face.” – John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 16
A luminous wall attracts the pilgrim’s attention and invites him to enter a new space, filled with a mysterious beauty. Before stepping into the church, the pilgrim is drawn to contemplate the face of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Man. Echoing the words of St. John Paul II, an angel indicates an image that far surpasses anything painted by human hands. It is the true image of God and the true image of man: the face of the God-Man, the Word made flesh. 40
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In order to enter the church, the pilgrim must pass through a narrow doorway flanked by two crosses. The passage is reminiscent of baptism, when the Christian is first plunged into the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. In baptism, every Christian dies to the solitary, fragmented life of an individual doomed to death and receives the new life of the children of God. The newly baptized person discovers that he is part of an organic communion: the living Body of Christ.
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Adam and Eve Clothed in Glory
The first image that the pilgrim encounters depicts Adam and Eve clothed in God’s glory, just a moment before the Fall. The serpent, a fallen angel, encircles Eve’s head, tempting her to a false understanding of God. “You will be like God,” the serpent hisses (Gen 3:5). Yet God, in sheer generosity, had already created man and woman in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26). Eve’s hand is stretched out to grasp possessively a gift that can only be received.
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The Annunciation
Opposite Eve stands another woman: Mary. She, too, is listening. But instead of grasping possessively, she opens her whole being to welcome the gift of God’s word in the message of the angel. She receives. In this way, she becomes the true “mother of all the living” — the ancient title of Eve (Gen 3:20). In her hand we see the scarlet thread, a symbol of her “Yes” with which she weaves the flesh of the Word.
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Cain Kills His Brother Abel
Eve’s possessive, grasping gesture is repeated by her son, Cain. Sin is the destruction of every relationship with God, others, oneself and creation. Man has lost his garments of glory. The fruit he has grasped becomes death: Cain picks up a stone to kill his brother. Abel, the just and powerless man who falls under the hand of the strong, is already an image of Christ.
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The Visitation
Opposite the image of the first fratricide, Mary goes to meet her cousin, Elizabeth, who is with child (Lk 1:39). The arms of both women are stretched out in welcome. The mother of Jesus hastens to aid the mother of John the Baptist, and the unborn Baptist leaps with joy at the presence of the Redeemer. The first fruit of the welcome Mary extended to the Word is the encounter between these two women and their children — an encounter that is a moment of revelation and truth.
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The Tower of Babel
Men again reach out to grasp, this time seeking to build an empire that will unite all the earth by eliminating differences. Carrying bricks on their shoulders, they seek to build a city and a tower that will raise them to heaven. “Let us make a name for ourselves,� they say (Gen 11:4). But the logic of sin depersonalizes; the more man plunges into it, the more he loses his true identity, his ability to communicate, his face. The imperialistic project fails. God reacts against this plan to crush diversity and construct a false unity. Humanity, disfigured by sin, is torn apart by division and scatters.
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The Nativity
Man sought to ascend to heaven by his own might, but the almighty God makes himself poor, and he descends to us. In the face of the imperialistic desire to subject the world to a monolithic unity, we find the Son of God entering into the most basic human communion of man, woman and child. The messianic peace announced by the prophet Isaiah becomes a reality, as lion and wolf joyfully greet the Lamb (cf. 11:6). The child, whose swaddling bands evoke the burial cloths that will one day bind him, is the true unity between heaven and earth: He is true God and true man.
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Abraham and Sarah Welcome Three Mysterious Visitors at Mamre
The tragic history of sin is a history of sterility. On his own, man cannot give life. Abraham and Sarah have no child. But the God who graciously entered into a covenant with Abraham intervenes. Three mysterious visitors — a prefiguration of the Trinity, echoing Andrei Rublev’s 15th-century icon — appear to the aged couple at Mamre, and Abraham at last makes the gesture befitting a human being. He welcomes, shows hospitality, receives. The One God who is an ineffable communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit makes a promise: Abraham and Sarah will have a son, “and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Gen 22:18).
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The Epiphany of the Lord
The incarnate Son of God, born into a human family, is manifested to all peoples, represented by the three Magi. Just as the star guided these true seekers of God, St. John Paul II directs our attention to the Redeemer of Man by pointing to the Mother who bore him. Mary welcomes the pilgrims, offering her son. The Son of Man welcomes man, and the Magi joyfully welcome the hope of the nations, offering gifts that acquire their true meaning only in the presence of the world’s Redeemer. The Magi are enfolded in the Pope’s chasuble, since the world is united to the Father through the priesthood of Christ.
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Christ the Crucified High Priest with Mary and John
The apse mosaic depicts the Redeemer of Man at the central moment of salvation history. His arms, opened wide in the ancient gesture of prayer, embrace and welcome all creation. Christ, the servant-king whose throne is a cross, is the “great high priest who has passed through the heavens� (Heb 4:14). He makes a complete gift of himself, becoming the sacrificial offering that reconciles humanity with the Father.
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The Life-Giving Wound
The opened side of the crucified Christ is a font of life. That wound, which is the source of the sacraments, generates a new humanity. Here, twelve tongues of fire fall from a golden wound over the altar, a reminder of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The sacramental epiclesis, too, happens right here: in every liturgy, the Spirit descends upon the gifts on the altar and upon the community.
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Altar
The altar is the preeminent symbol of Christ in any church. Here, the altar is also an image of the Body of Christ, the Church, built upon the foundation of the Apostles. The Twelve Apostles, clothed with the altar — that is, with Christ — go forth to carry him into the world. At front center is Peter, with the rooster at his feet recalling his momentary denial of Christ. On the opposite side of him is Thomas, placing his hand in a wound in the altar’s side as he exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). The very place where humanity failed to love has been transfigured; it becomes the place where the Lord’s glory is most clearly revealed. 52
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Ambo
Christ crucified, who descended into death, is also he who was raised. Three women, who brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body on Easter morning, found an empty tomb filled with the light of angels. Hurrying away from the tomb to tell the Apostles, these women are still blinded by the light of the Risen One. They are just beginning to open their eyes on this first day of the new creation.
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The Communion of Saints
The new life communicated through Christ’s paschal mystery and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit reaches all ages and corners of the earth. The women on the ambo and the Apostles on the altar are followed by a procession of men and women that reaches through the centuries to our own day. The Church, the Body of Christ, is a single organism that lives in God’s memory. Made up of representatives of all times and places, the communion to which we belong is one in the love of the Father. 54
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Depicted on the pillars are several saints — Peter, Paul, Athanasius, Gregory the Great, Cyril and Methodius, Juan Diego, Isaac Jogues, Kateri Tekakwitha and Faustina Kowalska — as well as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. 55
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The Wedding Feast of the Lamb
Mary and John the Baptist point to Christ, who invites us to the final celebration of God’s work of creation and redemption at the end of time. The banquet in which the Son of Man again eats and drinks with his disciples (cf. Mt 26:29) is a feast of love: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!” (Rev 19:9).
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We leave the Lord’s banquet, the Eucharist, strengthened and able to make of our work an offering. In this way it, too, becomes food for eternal life. 57
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Mysteries of Light Chapel “The whole mystery of Christ is a mystery of light.” – John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 21
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The reliquary chapel provides a space of intimate encounter with St. John Paul II, in the faith to which he witnessed with his life. Its walls depict the Luminous Mysteries the Pope introduced into the prayer of the rosary. Together, these mysteries portray the victory of God’s light. They illustrate how Christ the Bridegroom liberated humanity from darkness and so transformed it into the Church, his Bride. 59
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“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn 12:24)
The divine life that Christians receive in baptism from the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit, is a life of communion. A Christian lives this life when he allows his whole person, including his body, to become a gift of love. As a husk points to the “grain of wheat” that has died and borne fruit, a relic points to the person who has been consumed in love. Here, a vial of St. John Paul II’s blood will remind us that the late pontiff now lives in the glorified body of Christ; he has passed over from death to life. 60
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The Heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 7:9-17, Rev 21:9-27)
Under the hand of the Father, the heavenly Jerusalem opens to embrace the pilgrim. Seated on the throne at the center of this new city is its only light: the Lamb. Mary and John the Baptist point to him, while the halos behind them remind us of the “great multitude which no one could number … standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev 7:9). Three golden mountains create a single background of light, recalling the divine communion into which all mankind is invited to enter: the life of the Holy Trinity. 61
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The Baptism of the Lord (Mt 3:13-17)
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The Return of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32)
In solidarity with fallen man, the Son of God takes his place in the line of sinners waiting for purification. The baptism that expresses his total humiliation for love of man already foreshadows his passion. At the moment of his descent into the waters that symbolize death in order to bring back straying humanity, the Holy Spirit descends and we hear the voice of the Father. The parable of the prodigal son who returns home reflects straying humanity redeemed in the Son. The younger son returns from a life of dissolution and sits at table once again with his father. 63
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The Wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11)
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Mary Magdalene Encounters the Risen Lord (Jn 20:11-18)
The six empty jars at this wedding feast are a symbol of faith that has degenerated into a legalistic moralism, bereft of love and joy. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, says, “They have no more wine” (Jn 2:3). At the word of the Lord, the jars are filled with water. The water, poured out, becomes wine, and the divine Bridegroom indicates the scarlet wound in his side. The steward of the feast announces, “You have kept the good wine until now!” (Jn 2:10). With his blood, Christ establishes the new covenant, the enduring relationship of love between God and man. Reminiscent of the bride seeking her lost bridegroom in the Song of Songs, Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Lord. She looks for him in the tomb and would like to hold him fast when she finds him, but he points to the Father’s house. True love is fulfilled in knowing God the Father.
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The Proclamation of the Kingdom in the Healing of the Paralytic (Mk 2:1-12)
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The Woman Caught in Adultery (Jn 8:1-11)
The paralytic’s friends dismantle a roof to bring him before Christ, who readmits the sick man to communion with God: “My child, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5). Focused on bodily life rather than on the life of God’s children, bystanders murmur that such forgiveness is impossible. The Lord of life responds to their hardness of heart: “Rise and walk!” (Mk 2:11). Jesus kneels before a woman caught in adultery, whom others want to put to death. He writes on stone as hard as their hearts, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone” (Jn 8:7). The woman’s faceless accusers, convicted, walk away, while she is left face to face with the mercy of God.
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Jesus is Recognized in the Breaking of the Bread at Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35)
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Healing of the Man Born Blind (Jn 9:1-12)
The two disciples on their way to Emmaus could not accept a Messiah who had failed and died. The stranger journeying with them seeks to open their eyes, and their hearts burn within them. The path of the Son of God is self-offering, in which the Father surrenders what is most precious to him into sinners’ hands. The stranger gives thanks — eucharistia — and breaks the bread. At last, the disciples see with new eyes. They recognize the Risen Lord and immediately set out toward the Church. Christ heals the man born blind. Echoing the first creation of man, the God-man mixes the condensation of his breath and the dust of the earth to create the new man. The new life that the blind man receives includes a new vision. He not only sees Christ, but sees as Christ sees; he sees with the eyes of the Son. Far from punishment for sin, his blindness was for the revelation of the glory of God (cf. Jn 9:3).
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The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9, Mk 9:2-8, Lk 9:28-36)
The final image, the Transfiguration, echoes the heavenly Jerusalem of the apse. In what St. John Paul II called “the mystery of light par excellence,” Christ’s glory is revealed by the Father in the presence of Moses and Elijah, before the astonished gaze of Peter, James and John. The disciples see Christ’s humanity illumined by an incomparable, uncreated light.
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He opens their eyes so that they may understand: Love is fulfilled on the path of the Paschal Triduum, on which he is about to embark. Humanity is meant to be penetrated by the life of the Son, transformed by the Spirit, and so become a luminous offering to the Father.
by Father Marko Rupnik, S.J. and Michelle Borras
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THE PRACTICE OF DEPOSITING RELICS OF SAINTS IN ALTARS According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, all men and women “who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ” (1023). These Christians, now in heaven, are called saints. The Catechism adds: “By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors” (828). The Second Vatican Council teaches that “the saints have been traditionally honored in the Church, and their authentic relics and images held in veneration” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 111). A relic principally refers to the bodies of the saints who, as distinguished members of Christ’s mystical Body and in virtue of their heroic sanctity, now dwell in heaven. Relics may be personal remains (a piece of a saint’s body) or personal effects (an object worn or touched by a saint). The veneration of relics began in the early years of the Church in Rome, during the persecutions, when Christians often met in the catacombs. These catacombs housed the tombs of the martyrs, where it became customary to celebrate Mass. This grew into the veneration of saints’ relics and included placing relics under or within altars to be dedicated. “This usage signifies that the sacrifice of the members has its origin in the sacrifice of the altar, as well as symbolizing the communion with the sacrifice of Christ of the entire Church, which is called to witness, even to the point of death, fidelity to her Lord and Spouse” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 237). 72
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THE ALTAR RELICS OF THE SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE During his 26-year reign as the Successor of St. Peter, Pope John Paul II canonized more than 480 men, women and children, and beatified an additional 1,340. Inspired by the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that all men and women are called to holiness, John Paul II especially sought to hold up men and women from throughout the world as models for the faithful. John Paul II himself would join this great canon of saints on April 27, 2014, less than a decade after his death. His life and the lives of all the saints who are honored in the Saint John Paul II National Shrine should inspire us to ask God, through their intercession, that we, too, may bear faithful and joyful witness to the love of Christ. The two altars in the Saint John Paul II National Shrine have the names of saints inscribed along the edge of the mensa of the altars, corresponding to the location of each saint’s relic within the altar. Redeemer of Man Church In his 1999 apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, Pope John Paul II wrote, “The greatest gift which America has received from the Lord is the faith which has forged its Christian identity. For more than 500 years the name of Christ has been proclaimed on the continent” (14). He then added that the saints of the American continent are “the true expression and finest fruits” of this identity. In addition to a relic of St. John Paul II, the altar of the Redeemer of Man Church includes relics of a number of saints who lived in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Together, they represent the “fruits of holiness [that] have flourished from the first days of the evangelization of America” (Ecclesia in America, 15), as well as a diversity of vocations and charisms. 73
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St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) was born to a prominent Episcopalian family in New York. At age 19, she married William Seton, whose family owned a successful import business, and together they had five children. While in Italy, William died of tuberculosis. It was also in Italy that Elizabeth Ann Seton became deeply impressed by the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence. She was received into the Church and later established a religious congregation of sisters in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Dedicated to the education of children and to charity, the sisters’ work marked the beginning of Catholic schools in the United States. Mother Seton became the first U.S.-born saint when Pope Paul VI canonized her in 1975. St. John Nepomucene Neumann (1811-1860) was a native of Bohemia (Czech Republic) who immigrated to the United States while studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in New York in 1836 and later joined the Redemptorists. In 1852, he was consecrated bishop of Philadelphia. His gift for languages also connected him with numerous immigrants who arrived in America in the mid-19th century and who were greeted with rising antiCatholic and anti-immigrant sentiment. He established numerous churches and contributed greatly to the growth of Catholic schools before his death. Canonized in 1977, he is the first male U.S. saint. St. José María Robles Hurtado (1888-1927) was ordained a priest in 1913 at age 25. A dynamic pastor and prolific writer, he founded a religious congregation, today known as the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920s, Father Robles continued to minister to his parishioners in Tecolotlán, despite governmental opposition. After his 74
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eventual arrest, he was marched through the streets and courageously faced martyrdom, placing the noose around his own neck so as to distance his captors from committing murder. Among the 25 Mexican martyrs whom John Paul II canonized in 2000, six of them, including Robles Hurtado, were members of the Knights of Columbus. St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) was born in Auriesville, New York, the daughter of a Mohawk chief and a Catholic-Algonquin captive. Kateri lost her parents and brother to smallpox and suffered lasting scars and vision problems from the disease. Although Kateri’s uncle, who adopted her after the death of her parents, was opposed to Christianity, Kateri embraced the faith at age 20 and entered the Jesuit mission at Sault Saint Louis near Montreal, where she lived in a community of other Native American converts. She made a public vow of perpetual virginity three years later, and died of illness at age 24. Canonized in 2012, she is the first Native American saint and is known as the patron of ecology and the environment. St. François de Laval (1623-1708) was the first bishop of Québec, the first diocese in the New World, when the diocese included most of what is now Canada, much of upper New England and all the Mississippi Valley, extending even to the Rocky Mountains. Bishop Laval was responsive to the pastoral needs of both the Native Peoples and the settlers of New France. He defended Native American people from exploitation by merchants, and promoted education, founding both a major and a minor seminary. Above all, he was a man of prayer, penance and concern for the poor. Pope Francis canonized him in 2014.
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St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784) was a Spanish Franciscan friar whose evangelizing vision led to the establishment of mission outposts in Mexico and throughout what we now know as California. Serra first and foremost wanted to introduce the Native American people to Jesus Christ and his Gospel. He also trained them in farming and textiles and advocated for their safety and enculturation among the Spanish and other settlers. Pope John Paul II beatified Serra in 1988, and Pope Francis celebrated his canonization at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 23, 2015, in Washington, D.C.
Mysteries of Light Chapel At the center of the altar in the Mysteries of Light Chapel, in place of St. Peter, is a blood relic of a Successor of St. Peter, St. John Paul II. Also included in that altar are relics of three fellow Poles canonized by John Paul II — Maximilian Kolbe, Brother Albert Chmielowski and Faustina Kowalska — as well as St. Gianna Berretta Molla. St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1918. His ministry included a focus on promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and using various media to evangelize. Arrested for his vocal criticism of Nazism, Father Kolbe was sent to the concentration camp of Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland. There he volunteered to die in place of a fellow prisoner and, after two weeks of starvation, was killed by lethal injection. Canonized in 1982, he is a patron saint of the pro-life movement as well as the patron saint for political prisoners, drug addicts and journalists. 76
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St. Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916) was involved as a young man in the 1863 Polish uprising against the Russian Empire, even losing his leg during the conflict. He then studied engineering and discovered his own talent as an artist. Acutely aware of the material suffering of others, he returned to Kraków and embraced the life of a pauper, founding a Franciscan religious order in service to the poor and needy. John Paul II, who as a young priest wrote a play about Brother Albert titled Our God’s Brother, celebrated Brother Albert’s beatification in 1983 and his canonization six years later. St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) was a Polish nun to whom our Lord appeared in a series of mystical encounters to impart to her the message of Divine Mercy, summarized by the Divine Mercy image and its inscription: “Jesus, I trust in you.” In April 2000, Sister Faustina became the first saint of the new millennium, and John Paul II declared that the Sunday after Easter would be celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962) was an Italian pediatrician, a wife and a mother known for her holiness and zeal. Early in the pregnancy of her fourth child, doctors discovered a tumor on her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform a complete hysterectomy, knowing it would have resulted in the death of her child. Seven months later, a daughter was born, and the following week Gianna died of complications from childbirth. In 2004, she became the last saint who would be canonized by John Paul II.
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