Saturday, June 30, 2018

Tomorrow at St. Anthony of Padua in Wichita, Kansas

Our Latin Mass Community in Wichita, Kansas will receive some special blessings tomorrow on the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

Canon Scott Smith to offer Mass this Sunday, give first blessings – Canon Scott Smith of the Institute of Christ the King, who has visited us over the years before being ordained a priest last July, will offer his first Mass in Wichita this Sunday and give first blessings.

He is a Vicar at the St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, Missouri. Our email bulletin has provided us with some guidance:

Some special elements of the Mass: Before the Asperges, the Veni Creator Spiritus will be sung. After intoning the Gloria, Father will read it aloud, and then will be seated while the choir sings it. After the Last Gospel, Father will immediately give first blessings and holy cards, first to the altar servers, and then to the choir and faithful, who kneel at the rail as for Holy Communion. Once Father has blessed you, the custom is to kiss the palms of his hands. The choir will sing a hymn during the blessings, and Father will recess to the sacristy once the blessings are completed.

I do not know the whole background of how Canon (Father) Scott Smith pursued his vocation in the Institute of Christ the King, but there is one aspect that reminds me of the Catholic men who left England to pursue their vocations on the Continent. Canon Scott studied for the priesthood in Italy, a long way from Wichita, Kansas, enduring separation from his family. He was ordained on July 6, 2017 and returned to the U.S.A. to serve a Latin Mass community; there is no Oratory of his order in Wichita, Kansas, so like a missionary priest of the recusant era in England, he is sent to serve the people of a certain area without regard to his family connections. (Priests ordained in the Diocese of Wichita will be much close to their families, geographically). There's a great deal of sacrifice involved, so it's good that Canon Smith can return to Wichita on the Feast of the Precious Blood!

Image of St. Francis de Sales on the outside of the Oratory in St. Louis, Missouri. Source.

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