Bishop Earl Fernandes will lead Solemn Vespers followed by the Blessing of a Creche at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St.
The bishop presided at a similar ceremony last year after the the Nativity display was permanently moved to Cathedral Square from its longtime home at Christmas Corner in front of the State Auto Insurance building in downtown Columbus.
The Nativity will be on display through Jan. 6, 2025 along with 400 smaller nativities from around the world, including the largest Fontanini collection in the United States, at the Catholic Museum of Art & History across the street from the Cathedral at 257 E. Broad St.
The museum also will celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas on Friday, Dec. 6 with a family event that includes pictures with St. Nick, presentations, trivia, games and refreshments. Cost is $10 per person, $45 per family, and children age three and under are free.
For more information, visit catholicmuseum.org, call 614-618-4030 or email info@catholicmuseum.org.
Relic of St. Francis Xavier to be displayed at cathedral
A first-class relic of St. Francis Xavier (an actual part of his body) will be displayed at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral on Tuesday, Dec. 3, the saint’s feast day. Bishop Earl Fernandes will celebrate Mass at 6 p.m. in the cathedral on that day. A blessing with the relic will be offered after Mass.
Exposition of the relics of St. Francis is celebrated every 10 years in Goa, a province of India that is the bishop’s ancestral homeland and was a Portuguese colony until 1961. It is an international event, with pilgrims traveling from all over the world to participate in Masses, novenas and processions in honor of the saint.
The relics are kept in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa and every 10 years they are carried in procession to the cathedral of Goa to be displayed for veneration by the faithful.
The current exposition of the relics in Goa begins on Saturday, Nov. 21 and will end on Sunday, Jan. 5. The theme of the exposition is “We Are Messengers of the Good News.”
St. Francis Xavier was the first Jesuit in India, and labored among the settlers and ministered to the indigenous people there, preaching and teaching and converting many to the Catholic faith.
Recently ordained priest to speak to luncheon club
Father David Johnstone, parochial vicar at Worthington St. Michael the Archangel Church and chaplain at Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School, will speak to the Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club after the 11:45 a.m. Mass on Friday, Dec. 6 at Columbus St. Patrick Church, 280 N. Grant Ave.
Father Johnstone is one of five priests ordained for the Diocese of Columbus in May and will speak about his vocation.
No reservations are necessary. A $12 donation to cover the cost of the lunch is requested.
The club’s next meeting will be on Friday, Feb. 7 with speaker Jon Weaver from Catholics in Recovery, a nonprofit organization that seeks to serve those suffering from addictions and unhealthy attachments including alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography addiction, sex and relationship addiction, compulsive overeating and food addictions, gambling addiction, codependency and its impact on the family, and general fear, control issues and anxiety.
Bishop Earl Fernandes’ presentation of the club’s annual Catholic Man of the Year award, which usually occurs in February, will take place at the meeting on Friday, March 7.
The luncheon will be sponsored by the Serra Clubs of Columbus. If you are interested in sponsoring a luncheon, contact David Kilanowski at dkilano@aol.com.
Special Mass scheduled at St. Mary Magdalene
A special Mass known as the Rorate Caeli (Latin for “Drop down, ye heavens”) Mass will be celebrated at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, the first Saturday of Advent, at Columbus St. Mary Magdalene Church, 473 S. Roys Ave., followed by breakfast in the church hall.
A Rorate Caeli Mass is celebrated just before dawn in Advent as a devotion to the Virgin Mary. It is lit only by candles, representing Mary’s role in bringing the Light of the World into the darkness of the world.
Mass begins in near-darkness, with only candles lighting the church to remind us of a world in darkness and sin that is anticipating the coming of Jesus. As Mass progresses, the church becomes brighter until the risen sun fills it with the light of day.
Since it is a Mass for the Blessed Mother, white vestments are worn instead of the violet usually used during Advent. The Mass readings and prayers highlight the prophecies of the coming of Christ and Mary’s role in bringing the Light into the world.
St. Matthew hosts wreath workshops
Workshops on making Advent wreaths with live greenery will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 (adults only) and 3 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church, 807 Havens Corners Road. For details and to register, go to https://stmatthew.net/wreath.
The parish also is sponsoring a live Nativity scene at the Gahanna Holiday Lights festival from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24.
St. Dominic parishioners celebrate with Haitian Catholics
Columbus St. Dominic Church parishioners joined Haitian Catholics in Springfield on Sunday, Oct. 20, for an afternoon Mass at St. Raphael Catholic Church commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Haitian community gathering in the historic church for a weekly Mass with native language and music.
Father Fritzner Valcin, a Haitian priest formerly of Columbus St. Francis of Assisi Church and now pastor at Buckeye Lake Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, celebrated the Mass in Haitian Creole. He welcomed the local community as well as the Columbus visitors from St. Dominic and St. Francis, thanking the supporters for being there for Mass and a celebration afterward in the parish hall.
A bonus for the visitors from St. Dominic was discovering a connection with Black Catholic history. A historical marker outside the church honors Daniel Rudd, who was born enslaved but rose to become a prominent newspaper publisher and tireless advocate for the Catholic Church. Rudd was raised Catholic, moved to Springfield after the Civil War and joined St. Raphael.
There, the Church’s philosophy of racial equality solidified his vision of justice, which he promoted in his weekly newspaper, The Ohio State Tribune —soon renamed the American Catholic Tribune. Rudd also founded the Black Catholic Congress movement, which continues to convene African American Catholics from around the country every five years.