The first half of June brought the parishioners of Christ the King two unique opportunities to practice our faith in a very public way! First, we celebrated our third annual Outdoor Mass at Library Point on June 7. Then on June 14, we hosted the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage at our parish for Mass followed by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Haddonfield. Both events provided us the unique opportunity to evangelize by living out our Catholic faith in such a public way.
This year’s Outdoor Mass was blessed with beautiful weather, and Library Point was filled with familiar faces, guests, and curious passersby. The visual of strollers and wagons, young families on picnic blankets, elders of our community in their lawn chairs, all our clergy, the litany of altar servers, teen lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, ushers, and our Christ the King choir and cantors all serve as an outward expression that Christ is alive and well in Haddonfield!
We certainly make an impression just by our presence and display of faith. I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to thank the many volunteers needed to make events like this possible — a huge thank you to our liturgical ministers, parishioners, hospitality committee, the Knights of Columbus Marian Council, and the Borough of Haddonfield.
Our Catholic faith was on display again as we hosted the nine pilgrims and their chaplain from the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. This year’s slogan, “One Nation Under God,” celebrates the 250th anniversary of our nation and is “an invitation to realign our lives, communities, and country under the sovereignty of Christ — a call to build unity through prayer, and to let Jesus, present in the Eucharist, renew and heal the heart of our country, one soul at a time” (NEP website). Following the 9 a.m. Mass, 75+ faithful processed through the streets of Haddonfield, led by the Blessed Sacrament. Our hymns and incense filled the air as we publicly displayed our adoration and trust in Jesus Christ present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
We concluded with benediction in front of the Indian King Tavern Museum. Fr. Jon shared that he believes this was the first Eucharistic procession to reach Kings Highway in Haddonfield history — something the youngest in attendance will one day share with their children and grandchildren.
In our Catholic tradition, June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Archbishop William Lori reminded us, “We consecrate our nation, not because it is perfect, but because it is beloved by God.” As God’s beloved in Haddonfield, I believe June has been a month that brought Jesus much happiness through our visible witness of faith. May God continue to bless Christ the King Church!