I wanted to post about a great day today.
Fr. John Corapi, an SOLT priest who is well known because of his appearances on EWTN and his straight-shootin' style, gave a day-long "retreat" on the subject of the Holy Spirit today in Buffalo. The event was held in the HSBC Arena, a 14 or 15,000 seat arena where the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) hockey team plays. Anyway, the retreat was great and Fr. Corapi was spot on. He is quite a character and pulls no punches; my wife and I enjoyed his four presentations. EWTN's News Anchor, Raymond Arroyo, also gave a 45 minute talk during the event. It was very special.
In my opinion, however, even though Father Corapi was amazing, the two most awesome aspects of the day were the Mass and, later, Benediction. There were about 12,000 people at the event, so the Mass was quite a sight. I have never been at Mass with so many people-- it was really cool. Plus, it was the Feast of the Assumption, which made it even better. Our local Bishop, Edward Kmiec, presided. Following Communion, Fr. Corapi led the entire congregation in a consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary using the formula of St. Louis de Montfort. It was awesome- 12,000 people consecrating themselves to the Blessed Mother! Truly awesome!
Then, at the end of the event, there was Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. Wow. Again, an awesome sight. To be in that place, with thousands of people, all of us worshipping our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament was just amazing-- for a moment, I thought that this must be what heaven is like. A local parish Priest led the crowd in the traditional Benediction prayers, which were prayed in Latin, as well as the Divine Praises and a couple of traditional songs. It was a fitting end to an amazing day.
Experiences like that give me great hope for the future.
Fr. John Corapi, an SOLT priest who is well known because of his appearances on EWTN and his straight-shootin' style, gave a day-long "retreat" on the subject of the Holy Spirit today in Buffalo. The event was held in the HSBC Arena, a 14 or 15,000 seat arena where the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) hockey team plays. Anyway, the retreat was great and Fr. Corapi was spot on. He is quite a character and pulls no punches; my wife and I enjoyed his four presentations. EWTN's News Anchor, Raymond Arroyo, also gave a 45 minute talk during the event. It was very special.
In my opinion, however, even though Father Corapi was amazing, the two most awesome aspects of the day were the Mass and, later, Benediction. There were about 12,000 people at the event, so the Mass was quite a sight. I have never been at Mass with so many people-- it was really cool. Plus, it was the Feast of the Assumption, which made it even better. Our local Bishop, Edward Kmiec, presided. Following Communion, Fr. Corapi led the entire congregation in a consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary using the formula of St. Louis de Montfort. It was awesome- 12,000 people consecrating themselves to the Blessed Mother! Truly awesome!
Then, at the end of the event, there was Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. Wow. Again, an awesome sight. To be in that place, with thousands of people, all of us worshipping our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament was just amazing-- for a moment, I thought that this must be what heaven is like. A local parish Priest led the crowd in the traditional Benediction prayers, which were prayed in Latin, as well as the Divine Praises and a couple of traditional songs. It was a fitting end to an amazing day.
Experiences like that give me great hope for the future.
1 comment:
I am new to blogging and just started my own Catholic blog out here in Colorado. I am sure you remember starting yours and how it took awhile to gain some regular visitors and readers. I am launching a project in January that will involve my blog and would love it if you could help spread the word. Blessings to you and your ministry. SJD
http://sjdemoor.wordpress.com/
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