By Joe Pisani

STAMFORD — Jesus walked through the streets of Stamford on Sunday with more than 1000 followers, who sang and prayed as they took him to his new home — a newly opened perpetual adoration chapel at St. Benedict Church, which Bishop Frank J. Caggiano celebrated as “a pilgrim place for everyone.”

 On the warm autumn afternoon, following Mass at St. Mary Church, the bishop held a golden monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament and processed beneath a canopy, followed by hundreds of believers. They walked the city streets for a quarter mile to St. Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat Church, where he blessed the adoration chapel, which will be overseen by sisters of the Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father.

The procession, which was accompanied by a police escort, included everyone from young children to seniors in their 80s. As Jesus passed, onlookers on the sidewalk raised their hands in praise and clapped, while others raised their cellphones to photograph the King of Kings, who was preceded by two Stamford police cars and a truck with musicians singing in Spanish and English. Pastor Father Juan Gabriel Acosta led the group in prayer, reciting litanies and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

It was a day that one of the sisters said she will not forget.

In his homily, Bishop Caggiano said the new adoration chapel at St. Benedict’s will allow the faithful to appreciate more deeply the great gift of the Eucharist by being able to visit Jesus — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity — anytime, day or night.

“You and I live in his power, his death and his resurrection so that you, like me a sinner, have the opportunity to have your sins forgiven and are destined one day to die and have the promise of the glory of eternal life that he has won for us,” he said. 

The same Lord Jesus in the tabernacle and on the altar during the Mass is the Lord who was born in Bethlehem, walked in Nazareth and on the streets of Jerusalem, he said.

The bishop said it was a great blessing to have sisters from the Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father overseeing the chapel. The religious order founded in Colombia is an international community dedicated to evangelizing through modern media and music.

When the bishop praised them for their work, the church burst into applause for the sisters, who live at St. Benedict’s and will work with some 500 parishioners in their ministry.

“They will guide you and form you and walk with you and accompany you, so that you might come to know the depth and riches and power and grace of God that comes to us in his Sacred Body and Blood,” Bishop Caggiano said.

The bishop also praised Father Acosta and Father Juan Jose Colon, the parochial vicar, and said they were among the finest priests in the diocese.

Bishop Caggiano asked the congregation to pray for the thousands who have fallen from the faith and were not there to celebrate the occasion.

 “Today, pray with me that we will, by our words, most especially by our witness and lives, bring many of our sisters and brothers to accept the gift that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist, for it is the Antipasto of Eternal Life. And please, God, one day may all of God’s children be able to receive the gift that you and I have the privilege to receive every day.”

Sister Irene of the Triumph of Mary, the superior of the community at St. Benedict Church of St. Mary Parish, emphasized the importance of the Eucharist to her religious order and said in an interview, “The real, living presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a profound manifestation of God’s love for humanity.”

The religious order has eight sisters in the Diocese of Bridgeport, who came at the invitation of Bishop Caggiano. Their mission is to foster spiritual renewal through personal encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist, and their primary work is promoting Eucharistic adoration, Sister Irene said.

The sisters opened the  perpetual adoration chapel in addition to one they have at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport, she said.

“Our ministry consists of promoting Eucharistic Adoration and supporting the organization of adorers so that more people, through an encounter with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, may discover the love of the Heavenly Father and experience the transformation that flows from his presence,” said Sister Mary Lourdes of the Sacred Family.

“We believe the best way to celebrate this blessed event is to remain with the Lord, spending time in adoration and prayer before his Eucharistic Presence,” she added. “This will be a moment of grace for the entire diocese and a special opportunity to renew our faith at the feet of Jesus in the Eucharist.”

She said the fruits of Eucharistic adoration are numerous for those who meditate and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.

 “Those who devote time to adoring Jesus truly present in the Eucharist experience a gradual and profound transformation in their lives,” she said. “A sincere desire for conversion is awakened within them, their prayer life deepens, the peace of their hearts grows, and their faith and longing for holiness are strengthened.”
However, the fruits of adoration are not limited to just the individual. They are bestowed on the entire Christian community.

“Wherever Jesus in the Eucharist is faithfully adored, the spiritual life of the parish is renewed, unity and communion among the faithful are strengthened, and new vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life and service within the Church emerge,” Sister said. “Ultimately, Eucharistic Adoration transforms hearts and contributes to the spiritual renewal of the entire Christian community.”

Sister Gemma, who has been a member of the religious order 13 years, said the day was very special to her because the chapel will bring Jesus to everyone at any time of the day or night.

“I feel so emotional because we are in his presence and this will help all people to have a personal experience of Jesus — to know him, to pray to him and to talk to him.”