WILLIAMSTON — Catholics in three Bertie communities took part in religious processions last weekend celebrating the arrival of the Diocese of Raleigh’s traveling monstrance.
The processions, sponsored by Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Williamston, were held in conjunction with the diocese’s centennial celebration that began in January. The monstrance visited Windsor on Friday, Aug. 16, Williamston on Aug. 17, and a migrant farm in Colerain on Sunday, Aug. 18.
“It was a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect and the crowd was blessed,” said Hamilton resident Judith Stewart.
The monstrance is a liturgical vessel that holds the Eucharist, a Christian sacrament and rite that commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. The monstrance is carried in processions and displayed during certain devotional ceremonies.
The Diocese of Raleigh’s centennial monstrance began its journey in Raleigh and has been traveling across North Carolina since the National Eucharistic Congress in October 2023.
“As part of the centennial celebration of the Diocese of Raleigh, this special monstrance will be hosted by each of the diocese’s eight deaneries, or smaller, geographic regions in the more than 33,000 square miles of eastern North Carolina which comprise the diocese,” said diocese spokesman John Dornan. “It is currently in the Albemarle Deanery, the fifth deanery it has visited. Since beginning its journey late last year, more than half of the over one hundred parishes and missions have had the opportunity to host the monstrance.”
The diocese’s goal is to send the traveling monstrance to 80 Catholic parishes across the state. Other deaneries it will visit include Cape Fear, Fayetteville, New Bern, Newton Grove, Piedmont and Tar River. The journey will cover half the state of North Carolina.
“It’s really the celebration that the Diocese of Raleigh is 32,000 square miles,” Monsignor David Brockman said. “It is a vast area, especially when you get out into the Albemarle Deanery, where you could have an hour or more, driving, between parishes. … Same on the Outer Banks.”
The monstrance’s journey also highlights the diversity of the diocese, and each faith community welcomes the monstrance in its own way.
The focus is on “prayer and honoring our Lord … all within the context of adoration, so there is a prescribed rite for that,” Brockman said. “But adding their pieces, as we have a multiplicity of different cultural groups, different languages … it’s the universal Church.”
The traveling monstrance will return to Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh for a centennial Mass on Nov. 8 of this year.
Most Popular
Comments / 0