Archbishop Allen Vigneron presides over the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the first Mass in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word on March 26. In his homily, the archbishop said the work of Central Services was sharing the Word of God with others. | Photo by Jonathan FrancisDetroit -- Archbishop Allen Vigneron on Thursday morning celebrated the first Mass in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word, the worship space in the new Chancery in Capitol Park.
"The mission is about evangelization," Archbishop Vigneron said during his homily, speaking about the name of the chapel. "It's about sharing this Word, Jesus Christ, who we know, and helping others know him -- sharing Christ in and through the Church."
Joe Balistreri (left) and Alton James provide music for the Mass. | Photo by Jonathan FrancisSeven Central Service staff members were selected by lottery to fill the seats in the small chapel. Dozens more attended the Mass via a live video feed in the Chancery's nearby community room. The Mass included a sprinkling rite during which Archbishop Vigneron blessed the chapel and its occupants, and also those in the community room.
Archdiocesan Music Director Joe Balistreri provided music for the liturgy. Monsignors Robert McClory, Ronald Browne and Timothy Hogan concelebrated. The archbishop also was assisted by Father Stephen Pullis and Deacon Kevin Breen.
Archbishop Vigneron said it was fitting that the chapel's first Mass was celebrated a day after the Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation, and on the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
He called the Chapel of the Incarnate Word "an extension of the Cathedral" because it exists for those who help the archbishop, in various ways, fulfill his pastoral care of the archdiocese.
"You are all agents of the New Evangelization. You are all Missionaries," he said. "The great thing about being a missionary... you get to receive the Word in a fresh way."
Taking up the common theme of the move to a new archdiocesan headquarters, Archbishop Vigneron asked attendees of the Mass to think differently about what is meant by the phrase, "Better together."
"The 'together' is not just all of us in the horizontal sense," he said. "We are together with God."
The chapel was designed through the consultation of Bro. William J. Woegner, FSC, head of the Office for Divine Worship in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., and liturgical consultant for a number of church design projects.
Bro. Woegner’s credentials include serving as consultant for the former “Crystal Cathedral” in Orange County, Calif., which was then purchased and transformed into Christ Cathedral for the Diocese of Orange.
