On Sunday, June 19, a special Liturgy of thanksgiving was celebrated at the Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest’s temporary “Upper Room” location on the milestone occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Shrine’s canonical establishment by the late Cardinal George on June 23, 2006.

At the start of the Liturgy, the Institute’s Prior General, Very Reverend Monsignor Gilles Wach, witnessed the commitment of a new oblate brother, Abbe Taylor Chavez, and then bestowed upon him the blessed Roman cassock. In his remarks, Monsignor also thanked the Shrine faithful for their courageous constancy and patient charity in the aftermath of the tragic fire, giving assurance of the continual prayers and support of the Institute’s worldwide spiritual family.

Afterwards, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago, celebrated a Prelatial Mass assisted by the Shrine’s canons and its corps of altar servers. During the homily, Bishop Perry thanked the Institute for its many years of service in the Archdiocese for the sanctification of souls and the benefit of the local community. Following the Mass, His Excellency offered solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament with the Te Deum hymn of thanksgiving sung alternately in Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian Chant.

At the luncheon reception which followed downstairs in the large social hall, the Shrine’s canons presented Bishop Perry with a gift in gratitude for his spiritual paternity. On behalf of the Shrine faithful, Canon Matthew Talarico, Provincial Superior, also thanked Monsignor Wach for courageously accepting the invitation of Cardinal George to begin the Shrine apostolate in the abandoned, gutted buildings of St. Gelasius church over ten years ago. In addition, Canon Talarico expressed the Institute’s heartfelt appreciation to the members of First Presbyterian, many of whom were present for the luncheon, for granting use of their gym facility free of charge for the Shrine’s “Upper Room” chapel as an extraordinary act of neighborly kindness.

Holy Mass is offered weekly for all of the benefactors of the Shrine, who have helped to raise well over $1 million to restore the landmark church following the devastating fire on October 7, 2015. The construction team is moving full speed ahead with the rebuilding of the roof. Follow the progress of this project on the Shrine’s project website: www.shrinelandmark.org.

Photos courtesy of Xavier Boudreau