Dallas-area Catholics to answer Pope Francis' call for worldwide Sunday prayer

David Woo/Staff Photographer
The Rev. Stephen Bierschenk of St. Monica Catholic Church will lead a Eucharistic procession for the first time after Mass on Sunday, when Catholics across the globe plan to unite in prayer as part of Pope Francis’ call for an hour of Eucharistic adoration.





By ANDREA GALLO

Staff Writer

agallo@dallasnews.com

Published: 31 May 2013 10:55 PM

Updated: 31 May 2013 11:24 PM



Dallas-area Catholics will unite in prayer with 1 billion other members of their church Sunday as part of Pope Francis’ call for an hour of Eucharistic adoration — worshipping the body of Christ — at the same time all over the world.

This is the first time a pope has assembled the worldwide congregation by asking people to pray in front of the Eucharist, which at each Mass is consecrated into what Catholics believe is the body and physical presence of Jesus Christ.

Many local Catholic churches will participate at various times depending on their Mass schedules. But Pope Francis will hold his hour of prayer at 5 p.m. in Rome — or 10 a.m. Dallas time.

The pontiff declared two prayer intentions for Sunday. One prayer will be for the Catholic Church throughout the world and for the Eucharist as a sign of oneness. The other prayer will be for those who are suffering with a “silent scream” — including slaves, war victims, domestic violence victims, prisoners and the homeless.

“It is unique in the sense that we all come together with one particular intention,” said Bishop Kevin Farrell, who leads the Dallas Diocese. “We’re all part of the same human family, and there has been and is so much suffering. We need to start paying attention to the fact that all of this [suffering] goes on.

“We have to look at the number of people who are suffering from violence,” he said, referring to the large number of women and children who experience domestic violence in North Texas.

Farrell will host adoration after the 3 p.m. Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas.

Catholics approach adoration in many different ways. Some say specific prayers, while others read Bible passages. Many prefer to sit in silence and bask in the stillness of God.

From 11 p.m. to midnight every evening, Margie Giangiulio, a parishioner at St. Monica Catholic Church, has been praying in adoration for 15 years. “You know how some people run every day? Well, doing adoration every day gives me so much more energy,” she said. “It’s my favorite, favorite thing to do. … When we saw the pope’s request to the world, we said, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is really stupendous.’”

Giangiulio plans to attend St. Monica Catholic Church’s all-night vigil starting at 9 p.m. Saturday and ending before the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass. People from the church’s different programs will take turns lighting candles and asking for blessings.

After Mass, the Rev. Stephen Bierschenk will lead a Eucharistic procession for the first time at St. Monica, which is located on Midway Road. He hopes to turn that into a tradition. “It’s more personal, remembering that you have the opportunity to be physically present with the Lord,” he said.

Bierschenk’s procession will mirror one occurring in Rome, as well. Sunday’s hour of prayer has special significance because it will occur on the Church’s Feast of Corpus Christi, which celebrates the belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist.

Patty Daniel, a member of St. Rita Catholic Church on Inwood Road, said praying in adoration on the feast of Corpus Christi emphasizes Eucharistic miracles, such as the Miracle of Lanciano. That’s when a Catholic parish witnessed the bread and wine transform into flesh and blood around the year 700 in Italy. “It’s just a beautiful feast to be publicly aware of Christ’s presence,” Daniel said.

Holy Trinity Catholic Church, located on Oak Lawn Avenue, will hold its prayer hour at 10 a.m. to coincide with Rome. “It’s all across the world, so you’re talking about a little island in the Pacific to the Basilica in Rome all the way maybe to a Marine station in Afghanistan,” said Benny Ruiz, parish liturgist at Holy Trinity.

Farrell encouraged people to read Chapter 25 of the Bible’s book of Matthew in adoration Sunday — in particular, verses 31-46, when Jesus talks about caring for those most in need. He proclaims: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

“That should be enough for all of us,” Farrell said. “Whether we’re lifelong Catholics or lukewarm Catholics or Catholics on Christmas and Easter, when you read that 25th chapter in St. Matthew’s Gospel, you have to be impressed.”

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