A Brief Account of the Celebration of
The Solemnity of St. Gaspar Bertoni
June 12, 2015

            On this very warm day of late spring, here at St. Joseph’s Hall, on the grounds of the Espousals Center, the Very Reverend Provincial, Fr. Gregory Hoppough, CSS led the community in a concelebrated late afternoon Mass. We were honored this day by the presence of the Very Reverend Brian Kiely, who both con-celebrated presided at the Mass. He serves as the Episcopal Vicar for Cardinal O’Malley, of the Boston Archdiocese. Several other Stigmatine confreres and a few Marists confreres, sharing St. Joseph’s Hall with us –  also concelebrated and the local  Stigmatine Laity Group and other friends of the community participated in the Mass.

            We were confronted on this day by a kind of a liturgical dilemma: the universal calendar was set for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart – and our particular Stigmatine calendar permitted the Solemnity of the Founder. With the Founder’s characteristic humility, the choice was made in favor of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart – to which St. Gaspar was much devoted in his lifetime. Furthermore, the very rich liturgical Preface of the Feast of the Sacred Heart and antiphons, greatly aided an abetted our community Stigmatine devotion to the Sacred Stigmata of our Lord Jesus Christ.

            Fr. Henchey, CSS, the acting spiritual director of the Stigmatine Laity preached  on the theme:

 “The Apostolic Mission of St. Gaspar Bertoni and the New Evangelization – in the  Exhortation of Pope Francis: ‘Evangelii Gaudium.’”

            This preaching is enclosed.

            The very pleasant evening came to a happy close with all the participants at the Mass with a wonderful supper prepared by the very capable local staff.

Rev. Joseph Henchey, CSS
Acting Stigmatine Laity Chaplain

 

Reflections to the Stigmatine Laity on Founder’s feast 2015

Reflections on ‘The Stigmatine Apostolic Mission of Preaching’