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On the day before
He was to die, Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
celebrated His Last Supper with His Apostles. As He finished He said to
them, Do this in commemoration of me. With these words began the
greatest vocation
the world has known, the Catholic Priesthood. A man who has
received this
dignity is empowered to represent Christ. He is another Christ.
As
he stands at the altar, there stands Christ.
As
he raises his hand in the confessional, Christ forgives.
As
he speaks from the pulpit, Christ instructs.
As
he comforts the dying, Christ comforts.
As
he walks the streets of the city, Christ walks.
As
he pours the baptismal water, Christ raises up a new man.
As
he reads the marriage ritual, Christ joins a man and
woman for life.
Christ
acts through his hands.
This
is a great honor, a great privilege, a great
responsibility.
No
man takes it on lightly. No man bears it without
occasional weariness.
No
man carries it long without realizing the dignity
entrusted to him.
It
is not often that God grants that a man may live this
priesthood for Him for a full fifty years. When it happens it is only
right
that we should celebrate the occasion. When it happens it is only
fitting that
we should honor the man who has worn the mantle of Christ for so long.
When
fifty years elapse in the priesthood, we must gather to thank God for
this
blessing.
For these reasons the people of the Parish
of St. John are
holding this celebration. For these reasons this book exists. We give
thanks to
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, who in the year 1913 granted a share in His
priesthood
to Edward deCourcy.
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