November 20, 2009 |
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Multimedia Jubilee year finale gathers diverse diocesan familyIt may have been the first time the Diocese of Palm Beach has celebrated a silver anniversary, but it was a grand, spiritual and joyful occasion that participants will not soon forget. PHOTOGRAPHS: LINDA REEVES AND GINA BARCA | FC Posted: 10.29.09 RELATEDBe sure to read Bishop Barbarito’s homily from the closing Mass HERE. PALM BEACH GARDENS | Tourist James Miller of New York, out for a walk Oct. 24, strolled inside the Palm Beach County Convention Center after he spotted hundreds of people departing buses, vans and vehicles and entering the building. Once inside, what he saw amazed and puzzled him. Hundreds of clergy wearing stunning vestments. Folks holding an assortment of colorful banners. Choirs and musicians of different cultures performing everything from traditional hymns to Latin and Asian numbers. Vietnamese people in blue and red silk costumes. Three giant–size video screens hanging from the ceiling. A stage with flowers and altar. He picked up a program at the door that displayed the words, “The Eucharistic Liturgy Closing the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of Palm Beach.” Then, he turned to Deacon Dennis Demes, diocesan director of the permanent diaconate, standing near the entrance preparing for a ceremonial procession. Miller asked, “Do you do this every year?” Deacon Demes quickly responded, “This is the first time we have done this in 25 years.” It may have been the first time the Diocese of Palm Beach has celebrated a silver anniversary, but it was a grand, spiritual and joyful occasion that participants will not soon forget. “It is exciting,” said Frances Delgado of Holy Cross in Indiantown, who accompanied a group of children from her western parish by bus. The group held banners and participated in an impressive procession along with other groups and ministers from the diocese’s 53 parishes and missions kicking off the celebration. More than 125 members of the Knights of Columbus fourth–degree honor guard dressed in white gloves, feathered hats and uniforms, and members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and Knights of Malta dressed in formal attire added to the pageantry. “There are 115 altar servers representing various parishes of the diocese,” explained Father Brian King, diocesan episcopal secretary, who served as a master of ceremonies and event coordinator. Hundreds of priests and deacons from around the diocese and visiting clergy joined the procession and celebration. Among honored guests were Archbishop John C. Favalora and Bishop John Noonan of Miami, and Bishop Thomas V. Daily, retired bishop of Brooklyn, N.Y., and founding bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito was main celebrant. He followed the procession inside and up to the altar with staff in hand waving, smiling and nodding at participants. He appeared happy and excited as he looked over the multicultural crowd with nearly 3,000 people from the five–county region. The event brought together a broad sector of society under one roof, from the poorest parishes of the western communities to the more financially fortunate parishes of the eastern diocese. The worshippers may have ties to countries from around the Americas and elsewhere in the world, but on Oct. 24 during the eucharistic celebration, titled “A Eucharistic People,” dedicated faithful worshipped as one, coming together to share a milestone with their faithful leader and Catholic brothers and sisters, and to connect deeply and more fully as one true Catholic Church. “A year has passed since we began our celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Diocese of Palm Beach,” Bishop Barbarito said as he opened his homily. “Today we celebrate its conclusion on the actual 25th anniversary of the beginning of our wonderful diocese on Oct. 24, 1984, as decreed by the great Pope John Paul II. “During the past 25 years, our diocese has continued to grow in the five counties of Florida which comprise its territory. Of the 50 parishes which presently make up our diocese, 11 have been established in the past 25 years. Of the three missions which are part of our diocese, all three have been established within the past 25 years. The sole mission which existed at the inception of the diocese is now a parish. “We have grown considerably as the particular Church of Palm Beach here in southern Florida, and we look forward with great hope and enthusiasm to our continued growth as the living body of Christ, the people of God.”
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