Do Not Be Anxious About Anything...pray And Give Thanks!
Are you on a mission for God? He gives us all assignments, and many times they are not within the realm of our comfort zone. Distractions can distance us from the goal; sometimes it is necessary to find a quiet place where the voice of God can speak to our heart in silence.
“I know that everything God does will endure forever, nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it” [Ecclesiastes 3:14.]. We are all created for the purpose of building up God’s Kingdom. St. Teresa of Avila said, “The Lord doesn’t look so much at the greatness of our works as at the love with which they are done.”
Before a sovereign nation was established in our country, women and men left their homelands overseas to bring the Catholic faith to uncharted territory. In Indiana it all began in Vincennes, where the first recorded fact in the history of the Catholic Church there was a marriage at St. Francis Xavier on April 21, 1749. Catholic ministrations preceded this first registered sacrament, and it would be years before a humble man named Simon Bruté De Remur would be named first Bishop of Vincennes, creating the 13th diocese in the United States on May 6, 1834.
In 1931, St. Meinrad Historical Essays published a book written by Sister Mary Salesia Godecker, O. S. B., Ph.D. from the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana. The invaluable writing of Sister Godecker documents God’s mission for Simon Bruté. In 2004, Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis was established to prepare college seminarians for major seminary. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein opened the cause for the canonization of Bishop Bruté in 2005. He authored a pamphlet about Bruté, which is available in the crypt of St. Francis Xavier, where Bruté and three other bishops are buried. Pope Paul VI elevated this church to a Minor Basilica in 1970, an honor reserved for the most historic churches. Bishop Charles Thompson designated the church as one of the “Holy Doors” for the Diocese of Evansville in the Jubilee of Mercy. This is our heritage to cherish!
On July 1, 2016, the history in Vincennes will record change that requires much prayer and sacrifice. Five parishes will become one – St. Francis Xavier Parish.. Father Dave Fleck and Father Benny Alikandayil Chacko will continue ministering to the Vincennes Catholic Community with Masses held in two worship sites, as well as St. Philip Neri in Bicknell, Indiana.
Father Chacko had a mission when he was assigned to Vincennes in January 2016. He began inviting men to pray a rosary in the crypt of the Old Cathedral on Saturday mornings at 6:30 a.m. He sends an email or text message to remind them on Friday night. It started with a small group that has grown to as many as 50 prayer warriors. I wanted to experience the sound of these voices resonating in the chapel, so I surprised them early on a Saturday morning. Many times over the years I visited this quiet place of reflection. I could never have imagined hearing 50 male voices reciting the rosary in this holy space. I know Bishop Bruté was thinking, “Amazing Grace—How sweet the sound!” Deacon Earl Ruppel prayerfully told the men, “This must never end.”
Incredible healing, strong vocations, and grace will be poured out on this community through the faithfulness of these men and their “mission”. God is calling each of us to step out in faith. The people mentioned in this article have certainly made a difference with their obedience to God. Impossibilities vanish when a man and his God confront a mountain! He is counting on us! Amen!
