Consecration of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lincoln 2024

Published: October 10, 2024

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor preached the following homily during the Mass of consecration of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Lincoln on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.

Bishop Taylor

When I was in seminary I learned the theological meaning of the sacraments and how our celebration of the sacraments has evolved over time, starting with their institution by Jesus himself. But what I remember most about the sacraments is the definition of a sacrament I learned in second grade in the question and answer format of the Baltimore Catechism: "What is a sacrament?" "A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace."

And while the sacraments can be celebrated anywhere, the proper place for their celebration is in the Church ... church in both senses of the term, that is the Church as the community of believers and the church as the consecrated building in which God dwells in a special way through the sacraments and in the tabernacle, which is why every Catholic church is a house of God.

Today, as we gather to dedicate this house of God for Catholic worship, we rejoice in the fact that through the heartwarming generosity of our Presbyterian brothers and sisters, we Catholics will now be worshiping in a much nicer house of God and this building, so dear to the memory of generations of our Presbyterian brothers and sisters, will continue to be a house of worship for years to come.

Today we will make this building our own through a series of ritual acts culminating in the celebration of the Eucharist whereby God takes up residence in this building sacramentally for the very first time. But first there are other preparatory ritual acts, which we call sacramentals.

These sacramentals are other external, tangible signs which God also uses — like with the sacraments, though not directly instituted by Christ — to produce internal spiritual effects and thereby help us to follow Jesus more closely along his way of truth and life. And nowhere are we more richly surrounded by sacramentals than in the celebration of the dedication of a church.

First, the gathering at the door where Rev. Michelle Hall, representing the Presbyterian Church, handed me the keys to this building, entrusting it to me. At that time we remembered all those who have collaborated to provide us this marvelous building. All of the parishioners who donated money and all those who worked so hard to adapt this building to the requirements of Catholic worship.

In this we recall especially the $20,000 donated by the Presbyterian Church, which went a long way to helping us afford the already bargain-basement $90,000 purchase price of the building. Then I gave the keys to your pastor, Father Martin, to show that I have entrusted you to his care and that he represents me in everything that has to do with your church.

Father Martin used this key to open the doors for us to enter. Then I blessed water, with which I sprinkled the church — people and building — in order to purify it. After I finish this homily, I will anoint the altar and Father Martin will anoint the walls of this building with chrism (oil) at four places representing the four Gospels, the good news of Jesus Christ for all the nations: north, south, east and west.

After that I will incense the altar to represent the sweet fragrance of our prayers ascending to God from that altar and finally we will dress the altar with altar linens and light the candles to show that the light of Christ is to shine forth in the church and not just in this building, but also in us, the community of believers, who are then to go forth and bring this light of Christ to others.

Through these outward signs, our ritual of dedication expresses an inner reality: that this is a house of God, set apart for worship, in which Jesus teaches us with his divine word and feeds us with his body and blood, and from which he then sends us forth to bring the word of God and the sacraments of eternal life to others.

Which is exactly what we will now proceed to do. You and Rev. Hall presented this building to me — and through me, to the Lord — at the beginning of this Mass. Now we will profess our faith and then proceed to anoint this church and this altar, consecrating them to his service.

And then on this newly consecrated altar, we will consecrate bread and wine, which become the body and blood of Jesus, God present sacramentally for the very first time in this building which has now become his house, present as always when two or three are gathered in his name, but now also present for our worship and adoration in the tabernacle of this Catholic church even after those two or three have left.

This is a day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!