(Catholic Herald photo/Mary C. Uhler)
PAOLI — “What a joy it is to celebrate this 150th anniversary, especially on the Solemnity of Christ the King,” said Bishop Donald J. Hying in greeting people at St. William Church in Paoli on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Bishop Hying presided at the Mass with Fr. John Sasse, pastor of St. Christopher Parish, concelebrating. St. Christopher includes the merged parishes of St. Andrew, Verona, and St. William, Paoli.
In his homily, Bishop Hying said it is an “amazing fact” that the Gospel has been proclaimed at St. William Church for 150 years with numerous Baptisms, First Communions, marriages, and funerals.
“People have come here seeking the Lord. How appropriate that we celebrate on the Feast of Christ the King.”
Feast of Christ the King
He noted that the feast was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925, when fascism, Nazism, and Communist atheism were rising.
“In the face of evil and darkness, the pope wanted to lift up Jesus Christ as king. We acknowledge his is the only power that can save us from sin and death.”
Culture today
Bishop Hying said that we live in a culture today that is “as dangerous as the 1920s.” He said that many people today believe there is “no ultimate truth, that life and reality is what we want it to be.”
He said, “How exhausting it is to be your own god.” Instead, as Christians, “We know that only God can save us. We can humbly acknowledge our sinfulness. We can surrender to Jesus Christ.”
In the Holy Eucharist, “we receive the fullness of the power of Jesus Christ. We take it into our body and soul,” said the bishop.
Bishop Hying offered the Mass for Bishop Robert C. Morlino, who died one year ago on November 24, 2018.