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'Keep moving forward,' Pope exhorts church at Mass for new saint
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Pope Francis canonized Junipero Serra, an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to California, during a Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the first canonization on U.S. soil. (Sept AP
The statue of missionary Junipero Serra, center, is seen in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill on July 2, 2015.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)
WASHINGTON — Celebrating his first Mass in the United States on Wednesday, Pope Francis used the lesson of the newly canonized 18th century saint Junipero Serra to exhort the church to be bold missionaries in the modern world.
Francis elevated St. Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary who established schools for American Indians along the California coast, to sainthood in an outdoor Mass attended by 25,000 faithful and celebrated with so many cardinals, bishops and priests that fourteen sections were set aside just for them.
The Mass, said in the pope's native Spanish language, put the full pageantry of the Catholic liturgy on display, combining the traditional High Mass with some distinctly multicultural American flavor. A reading from Isaiah was in the Native American Chochenyo language, a reading from Philippians was in English, and the prayers of the faithful were read in Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Igbo, Creole and American Sign Language. Much of the music was arranged by contemporary American composers.
In his homily, Francis asked the faithful not to let their hearts become numb to the world.
"The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy," Francis said. Quoting his own encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, he continued, "We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and for the world.”
St. Serra, Francis says, is the embodiment of “a Church which goes forth."
"Father Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work, a saying he lived his life by: Siempre adelante! Keep moving forward!" Pope Francis said. "For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting. He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward! "
St. Serra had a controversial rise to sainthood. Some Native American groups objected to the sometimes brutal methods Serra's schools used to discipline the students.
But Francis defended St. Serra in his homily, taking the church's position that, while sometimes paternalistic and not afraid to use corporal punishment, protected the Indians from persecution by colonizing royal troops.
"Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people," the pope said.
People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis for a Canonization Mass for the Rev. Junípero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 23, 2015, in Washington. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)
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'Keep moving forward,' Pope exhorts church at Mass for new saint
UP NEXT
03
Pope Francis canonized Junipero Serra, an 18th-century missionary who brought Catholicism to California, during a Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the first canonization on U.S. soil. (Sept AP
The statue of missionary Junipero Serra, center, is seen in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill on July 2, 2015.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)
WASHINGTON — Celebrating his first Mass in the United States on Wednesday, Pope Francis used the lesson of the newly canonized 18th century saint Junipero Serra to exhort the church to be bold missionaries in the modern world.
Francis elevated St. Serra, a Spanish Franciscan missionary who established schools for American Indians along the California coast, to sainthood in an outdoor Mass attended by 25,000 faithful and celebrated with so many cardinals, bishops and priests that fourteen sections were set aside just for them.
The Mass, said in the pope's native Spanish language, put the full pageantry of the Catholic liturgy on display, combining the traditional High Mass with some distinctly multicultural American flavor. A reading from Isaiah was in the Native American Chochenyo language, a reading from Philippians was in English, and the prayers of the faithful were read in Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Igbo, Creole and American Sign Language. Much of the music was arranged by contemporary American composers.
In his homily, Francis asked the faithful not to let their hearts become numb to the world.
"The spirit of the world tells us to be like everyone else, to settle for what comes easy," Francis said. Quoting his own encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, he continued, "We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and for the world.”
St. Serra, Francis says, is the embodiment of “a Church which goes forth."
"Father Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work, a saying he lived his life by: Siempre adelante! Keep moving forward!" Pope Francis said. "For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting. He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward! "
St. Serra had a controversial rise to sainthood. Some Native American groups objected to the sometimes brutal methods Serra's schools used to discipline the students.
But Francis defended St. Serra in his homily, taking the church's position that, while sometimes paternalistic and not afraid to use corporal punishment, protected the Indians from persecution by colonizing royal troops.
"Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people," the pope said.
People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis for a Canonization Mass for the Rev. Junípero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 23, 2015, in Washington. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1KvAKsl
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