Archbishop celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi in Rome

In his first video message to the Archdiocese from his Ad Limina Apostolorum visit to Rome, Archbishop Christopher Prowse has spoken about the fundamental role of the Eucharist in the celebration of our Faith and the centrality to the Church in Australia.

“We’ve just completed a wonderful retreat together as Bishops outside of Rome and now we’ve just moved here, to Domus Australia,” Archbishop Christopher said.

“We celebrated this morning a special Mass called the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi – the Eucharist.”

“There’s a beautiful picture just here at Domus Australia which records the Eucharist that was left by a priest that was left by a priest that then had to exile himself from the early settlement of Australia, two hundred years ago, and he left the consecrated species – the body and blood of Christ there, and for about 40 years the Catholics in a very seminal form, in their new form, gathered together to pray, and the Eucharist brought them all together.

“That was the essence of the Catholic Church in Australia in its infancy. And so now 200 years later the baton’s in our hand and we continue to ask for the Lord’s blessing upon us. By us coming here, we’re asking the Holy Father and all those who work with him to assist us and for us to share with them the Good News and the challenges that we all know we share as we open ourselves up to the years ahead, particularly in the Plenary Council.”

The Ad Limina Apostolorum is a regularly scheduled event in which the Bishops of a country visit Rome together every five or six years to strengthen their own responsibility as successors of the apostles and to deepen their solidarity with the successor of St Peter, Pope Francis.

A fuller explanation of the Ad Limina Apostolorum visit, which literally translates as “to the threshold of the Apostles”, can be read here.

Archbishop thanked the faithful of Australia for praying for their Bishops as they renew themselves in Rome.

“Be assured I’m praying for you,” he said.

“I know you’re praying for me. Thank you.”

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