WelCom April 2022
A cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland, has celebrated its first Catholic Mass in nearly 500 years. The last Mass celebrated at St Pierre Cathedral took place in 1535.
After the Reformation, the building was taken over by John Calvin’s Reformed Protestant Church. All the cathedral’s statues, paintings and stained-glass windows were destroyed and Catholic worship was banned.
Around 1,500 people attended the Mass, led by the episcopal vicar of Geneva, Fr Pascal Desthieux. Among those present was a representative of the Protestant community, who faced the congregation and formally asked pardon for historic actions against Christian unity.
Desthieux said Geneva’s Catholics were touched by the Protestant community’s invitation to celebrate Mass at St Pierre Cathedral. He also asked for forgiveness for ‘faults against unity’: acts of mockery, caricature, or challenge to the Reformed community. He underlined the desire to ‘enrich each other with our differences.’
He urged everyone to ‘resist the forces of division in our lives between us and among us Christians.’
In a letter published on the vicariate’s website in 2020, Desthieux described the cathedral as the ‘central and symbolic location of Geneva’s Christian history.’
It has its Catholic history and following the Reformation, it became a location ‘emblematic of the Calvinist reform,’ he said.
While acknowledging that the return of the Catholic Mass to the cathedral was a cause for rejoicing, Desthieux cautioned against ‘triumphalism,’ as well as any language suggesting that Catholics were looking to ‘take over’ the building.
Source: Catholic News Agency
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 8 December
‘As has been the custom for many years an archdiocesan Mass will be celebrated on our diocesan feast day, 7pm, Thursday 8 December, at St Teresa’s Pro-Cathedral, Karori. The archdiocese will again be entrusted to the care of Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception at this Mass. Parishes are asked to renew that Consecration on the following Sunday, 11 December, at All parish Masses.’ – Cardinal John Dew
Dates and events – what’s on
December 2022
If you would like your event listed on this page, please send an outline to welcom@wn.catholic.org.nz including name of event, date, time, location and contact.
Pope Francis registers for the next World Youth Day in Lisbon
At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis registered for the next World Youth Day to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023. Assisted and accompanied by Portuguese university students studying in Rome, the Pope tapped his way to becoming the first officially registered pilgrim for World Youth Day.