kabarsula Celebrating 150 years of Sacred Heart parish, Bishop Koenig carries Blessed Sacrament from Chestertown waterfront to original 1876 church – Photo gallery bandar SLOT INDONESIA

CHESTERTOWN, Md. – On a calm autumn morning as a mist rose from the Chester River, drawing local fishermen and parishioners of Sacred Heart parish to the foot of High Street, where colonial ships once unloaded cargo and discharged passengers, Bishop William Koenig led a 9 a.m. Eucharistic Procession to celebrate the parish’s 150^th anniversary Sunday, Oct. 25.

“As we look back at 150 years of God’s faithfulness, ask God to give us the courage and strength to carry this yoke of love and unity (Mt.11:29-30) into the years ahead,” wrote Father Jones Kukatla, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, and Deacon John Davis.

More than 100 parishioners and visitors joined in the procession from Chestertown’s historic Custom House where the bishop carried the Blessed Sacrament more than seven blocks to the parish’s original 1876 church and newer church at 508 High Street.

“It was the heaviest monstrance I’ve ever carried,” Bishop Koenig quipped during his homily.

Before the trek north, members of the choir sang the Appalachian folk hymn “Down to the River to Pray,” while shuttle buses discharged participants, including sisters from several communities in Delaware and New Jersey. One of them was Sister John Elizabeth Callaghan, OSFS, principal of Mount Aviat Academy, and a descendant of one of Sacred Heart’s founding families.

Her uncle, Deacon Charles Schauber Sr. of St. Paul Parish in Delaware City, along with Deacon Davis, processed with Bishop Koenig and Father Kukatla.

An 11-minute peal of bells greeted the procession at the original 1876 church. Bishop Koenig knelt in adoration with Father Kukatla, then carried the Blessed Sacrament to the current church for adoration and benediction before Mass. The parish is comprised of Sacred Heart and Saint John Church in Rock Hall.

Bishop Koenig encouraged parishioners to remember the past while thanking God who has “empowered us through the Holy Spirit,” he said. “Grateful for the past, let this be a moment that strengthens us and sends us also into the future, into the next 150 years.”

The celebration followed a year of planning and will continue with more events. The committee secured a papal blessing from Pope Leo IV, handed out challenge coins, created a time capsule, and organized a catered luncheon.

“We want to do a Marian shrine and put (the time capsule) in the base of it,” parishioner Joe Holt said. He is a member of the anniversary planning committee.

Presentations featured a restored late-19th-century chasuble, an anniversary quilt created by parishioners, children’s banners and parish histories. Nydia Cawley said the time capsule materials include bulletins, local news, photographs, parishioner notes, certificates, a challenge coin and quilt fabric.

For Deacon Schauber and several members of the Schauber family on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the Wilmington, Delaware, area who attended the event, the celebration was especially meaningful. “My grandfather, my uncles made the bricks for both of the churches,” he said. “So it’s physical, it’s spiritual, and it’s just good to be home.”

“I came home to my ancestors that were founding members, and I feel like they’re still here,” Schauber said. “I still appreciate the fact that they have granted me so much faith and so much Catholic understanding and carried me on to my diaconate and beyond, and I’m very, very pleased to be here on the 150th anniversary.”

Nearly 200 people attended the outdoor luncheon under a tent set up behind the church.