Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2010 / Vocations Monstrance
Monstrance blessed by JPII to encourage prayer for vocations to visit archdiocese June 1-15
by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published May 21, 2010
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Shawn D. Ellis | The Michigan Catholic File Photo |
DETROIT — People of the Archdiocese of Detroit will have a chance to pray for vocations in front of a monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II as it makes another visit to churches in the Detroit area.
The monstrance, blessed by the late pontiff to encourage prayers for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, will be in Detroit for the first two weeks of June, arriving June 1 and departing June 15. The monstrance is one of six originally blessed to promote Eucharistic adoration during the 2004-05 Year of the Eucharist; the United States and Canada was one of one regions worldwide to receive a monstrance as a symbol of the connection between the sacrament of the Eucharist and priestly vocations.
Deacon Bill Thome, from Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Taylor, said it's not hard to see the effects from the priest shortage in the number of parishes clustered and the number of priests with multiple assignments. "It's just so hard for them to minister to all these communities in the way they should," he said. "We just need more priests." Deacon Thome has been active in getting the other parishes in his vicariate, Downriver, involved in his parish's hosting of the monstrance June 11, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They've had a successful Holy Hour for vocations at his parish and have been asking for the monstrance to visit, too.
He's asked pastors from the other parishes to be at Our Lady of the Angels for an hour each, and the parish has prepared prayer cards for visitors. "It's really a vicariate-wide project," he said. "We hope people will respond and pray for vocations that day."
The monstrance, given to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was in Detroit twice previously, first in 2006 to celebrate the Year for Vocations and again in 2008. The U.S. Serra Club, an organization that works to promote vocations, schedules the monstrance's visits around the country, explained Jan DeFour, coordinator of the archdiocesan Office of Priestly Vocations.
"We as people of God have to recognize that we area a sacramental church, and our priests are so important to the life of the church," she said. "Without priests, how can we practice our faith as Catholics?"
More parishes are involved in this visit than on the previous two, and all four regions of the archdiocese are represented. Almost all of the parishes are hosting it for the first time.
Pope John Paul has said: "There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist"; and if we spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and ask God to send us priests, then He'll hear us and answer our prayers, DeFour said.
The monstrance travels throughout the United States and Canada to parishes, seminaries, religious orders and other places to facilitate prayer for vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life.
Monstrance visit
The blessed monstrance for vocations will be at the following locations for public adoration:
- June 1: St. Mary of the Hills Parish, Rochester Hills
Exposition/adoration following 9 a.m. school Mass until 5 p.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet 10:30 a.m.; 5 p.m. benediction/reposition.
- June 1-2: Holy Family Parish, Memphis
Exposition/adoration 6:30 p.m- 8:30 a.m.
- June 2: Orchard Lake Schools/Shrine Chapel, Orchard Lake
Exposition/adoration following noon Mass until 8 p.m.
- June 3: St. Regis Parish, Bloomfield Hills
Exposition/adoration following 8:30 a.m. Mass; 6:45 p.m. prayers for vocations; 7 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy and benediction.
- June 4-5: St. Mary Parish, Wayne
Exposition/adoration following 9 a.m. Mass of the Sacred Heart until 9 a.m. benediction.
- June 5-6: St. Anastasia Parish, Troy
Mass at noon, followed by Eucharistic procession; exposition/adoration in Divine Mercy Chapel until 8 a.m.
- June 6: Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit
Holy Hour for vocations, 2 p.m., followed by Eucharistic procession.
- June 6-7: National Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, Royal Oak
Exposition /adoration 6 p.m. until benediction following 8:30 a.m. Mass.
- June 7: Prince of Peace Parish, West Bloomfield
Exposition/adoration noon until 7 p.m. Holy Hour.
- June 8: Divine Child Parish, Dearborn
Exposition/adoration following 8:30 a.m. Mass until 7 p.m. Mother of Perpetual Help Novena.
- June 9-10: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth
Exposition/adoration 9 a.m. in Day Chapel until benediction before 8 a.m. Mass; 7 p.m. Holy Hour for vocations.
- June 10-11: St. Andrew Kim Parish, Northville
Exposition/adoration following 10 a.m. Mass until 7:30 a.m.; 8 p.m. Holy Hour for youth.
- June 11: Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Taylor
Exposition/adoration following 8:45 a.m. Mass until 7 p.m.
- June 12: SS. Cyril and Methodius, Sterling Heights
Exposition/adoration 8 a.m. until noon.
- June 14-15: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Temperance
Exposition/adoration following 9 a.m. Mass until 11 p.m.; Mass at 7 p.m.; resumes after 9 a.m. Mass until 11:30 a.m. benediction.
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