BRIDGEPORT—The rain did not stop over 500 people from coming to St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport on Saturday, May 19th at 7pm to celebrate the Vigil of Pentecost and the Confirmation of over 25 candidates.
Bishop Frank J. Caggiano was the main celebrant, along with concelebrants Fr. Peter J. Towsley, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Danbury and Episcopal Delegate to Ecclesial Movements; and fellow priests of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
During the Mass, each of the readings and the prayers of the faithful were read in a different language including Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Haitian, Vietnamese and English.
In his homily, Bishop Frank Caggiano focused on the beauty and diversity of the Universal Church and what that means for Catholics.
“This diversity, which extends to every nation, is a small piece of the mystical presence of the family of God.”
On Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, we remember, “It is because of the Holy Spirit that we are given a share in Christ’s victory,” Bishop proclaimed.
Bishop Caggiano then explained that because we are called to strive for holiness, we have work to do. He said, “How do we strive to be holy in the modern world in which we live where there is little room for God?” Bishop reflected on our mission of holiness, “The world wants us to be quiet. We have come to live what we proclaim and proclaim what we live.”
Bishop recalled the image of fire, as we remember the tongues of fire, which appeared above the apostles’ heads as they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
Bishop Caggiano explained, “Just as fire gives energy; so too, the spirit has come into your life and mind to give strength to our hands, our feet, our voice, our heart; to do the works of love and mercy, to be the presence of God to those around us.”
Addressing the confirmadi, Bishop encouraged them, saying, “I want you to stand up, hold your head up high, be proud of who you are…you are children of God, you are the disciples of Jesus Christ, and you are the temples of the Holy Spirit….allow the fire of Pentecost to come upon you.”
Bishop then called on the confirmandi to profess and affirm their baptismal promises and come forward to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Mass continued accompanied by music from each of the choirs present.
Father Frank Gomez, Pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport served as the Episcopal Master of Ceremonies, assisted by Deacon Jeff Kingsley. Deacons Frank Masso and Richard Scinto were also present. The Seminarians of Redemptoris Mater Seminary acted as servers of the Mass.
Dr. Sam Schmidt, Organist of St. Augustine Cathedral, provided the music along with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Youth Choir, the Brazilian Community of Bridgeport, and the Vietnamese Lay Community who sang beautiful hymns in their respective languages.
Many gathered remarked that one of the most moving aspects of the Mass was that each of the readings were proclaimed in a different language.
Manuel deSousa of the Cursillo Movement delivered the First Reading in Portuguese; Stefano Santilli, a member of the Lay Fraternity of St. Dominic read from Exodus in Italian; Stephan Hanley of the Neo Catechumenal Way delivered the Third Reading in Spanish; Tho Anh Nguyen delivered the Fourth Reading in Vietnamese; the Epistle was read in Polish by Bozena Tomczylc; and Bishop Caggiano read the Gospel of John in English.
Each reading and psalm proclaimed in a different language reflected the diversity of not only the Diocese but also the Universal Church.
Addressing the confirmadi, Bishop encouraged them, saying, “I want you to stand up, hold your head up high, be proud of who you are…you are children of God, you are the disciples of Jesus Christ, and you are the temples of the Holy Spirit….allow the fire of Pentecost to come upon you.”
Bishop then called on the confirmandi to profess and affirm their baptismal promises and come forward to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Mass continued accompanied by music from each of the choirs present.
After Mass, Deacon Jeff Kingsley, Assistant Master of Ceremonies for the Vigil, commented, “It is inspiring to my faith to see the breadth and variety of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Church.”
“Hearing the word of God in different languages, the hymns, sounds of heavenly music; seeing the body of Christ, the church, united under one roof all in harmony with each other; feeling the joy in our hearts united in prayer; and the taste of heaven on earth in the breaking of the bread. Through the smell of the incense and our prayers being risen up to the heavenly Father, I feel the oneness in the Holy Spirit, His presence,” Diane Kingsley reflected on what she experienced during the Pentecost Vigil.
In his closing remarks, Bishop summed up the beauty of the liturgy, saying, “We form one beautiful mosaic as a Church.”
