CAT H OL IC AT H OM E
PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER Happy Bicentennial! We’re right in the middle of an historical event, marking 200 years of life, work and prayer at home in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. If we open our eyes to it, we can realize in a more concrete way that, as individual Catholics, we’re part of something and Someone so much bigger. The word catholic means universal; around the world, Catholics share the same credo, liturgy and practices. I’ll never forget attending Mass in Avignon, France as a child. I didn’t speak a word of French, but because the sights, sounds and gestures were the same, I was able to keep up and participate spiritually. I was in a foreign country, but the liturgy itself was anything but strange.
This kind of communion is worth celebrating, but what makes the bicentennial so significant is Whom we’re celebrating. The faith, the Mass, the community wouldn’t exist but for Jesus. It’s the love and mercy He contributors extended during His ministry and now.
These aren’t distant figures in black and white; they’re fellow Catholics who worked and struggled.
Our bicentennial this year calls for celebration with the whole family. This Catholic party recognizes 200 years of communal faith in our area; a duration just a few decades shy of our own country’s establishment. The faith is the same across the geographical archdiocese, and it has also spanned across centuries now. How incredible is it that the prayers, readings and experiences of Mass at your parish today are the very same that were heard and prayed here 200 years ago? 5 6 | TH E C ATHOLIC TE LEGR A P H
But it gets bigger. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass possesses the same consistency globally going back thousands of years. Such devotion points to the Holy Spirit’s presence within the Church around the world and here in our corner of Ohio.
But the miracle of this celebration is hard to grasp when what’s right in front of us doesn’t seem to connect to the greater reality. How can we possibly feel part of something so big as the Body of Christ when we’re in the thick of real life? IMAGINE IT IN COLOR
What concretizes the events of history is paging through pictures. The bicentennial website (200.catholicaoc.org) features a fantastic collection of historical photos – the places, churches, priests and lay people who were part of the last 200 years. These contributors aren’t distant figures in black and white; they’re fellow Catholics who worked and struggled. They had passions and pursuits, families
