Eucharistic
Events Attract Hundreds of the Faithful
By JEFF GRAHAM
If you were a UBC student and happened to walk by St. Mark's Church and
Corpus Christi College in the evening on March 31, what you saw may have
surprised you. Hundreds of university-aged men and women, many of whom
had made the trip all the way from Langley and Abbotsford, took part in
a candlelight Eucharistic procession around campus.
If you had walked a few blocks down Iona Drive, you would have come to
an outdoor beer garden, where some students were wearing home-made robot
costumes, fashioned out of cardboard boxes and decorated with buttons
and antennas drawn with a felt marker.
According to Sister Mary Gabriel, SV, who spoke to the group that night,
those at St. Mark's were choosing the better part by being with Jesus in
the Eucharist. She stressed that our lives as Christians are all about
choosing God in every circumstance.
"Christ fully reveals Himself and makes His calling clear," said the New
York resident. "The place of listening is before Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist."
"I encourage each one of you to truly look into your hearts and open
your hearts to love Him radically."
A part of the Eucharistic Event series, the night revolved around
Adoration of the Blessed Eucharist in a monstrance blessed by the late
Pope John Paul II specifically for prayers for vocations. The monstrance
travelled extensively throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver from March
30 to April 2, making stops at Holy Rosary Cathedral, UBC, St. Matthew's
Church, and St. Patrick's Church in Vancouver, among other locations.
The main sessions, at St. Matthew's Church and St. Patrick's Church,
were well attended, with hundreds of people at each. Both events
followed a similar format: a keynote address by the Sisters of Life from
New York, a refreshment break, a presentation on Adoration of the
Eucharist by Father John Horgan, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, a
procession with the Eucharist, and Benediction of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
All told, the program at UBC included a time of silent adoration, a
candle-lit procession of the Eucharist, and a Salt & Light video
presentation. A camera crew and a producer from the Catholic network
were on hand for the event, taping footage for a feature on the
Eucharist.
The Salt & Light video presentation focussed on the life of the late
Pope, and Sister Mary Gabriel's talk focussed on vocations.
"You are going to be called to love until it hurts," she told the crowd.
"Mother Teresa said that's the only love that counts."
"We all have a vocation, and there's a universal call to holiness for
all of us," she continued. "The only tragedy in life is not to become a
saint!"
The atmosphere inside the Church was quiet and reverent, with hundreds
of young people praying and singing. Father Mark Hoo, OP, was the main
celebrant and led the Eucharistic adoration meditation as well as the
procession.
As the students processed out of the church, candles in hand, it created
a string of light that lit up "theological mall" and easily spanned the
length and width of the Corpus Christi College grounds. Those who passed
by quizzically looked at the procession, as well as what appeared to be
a white piece of bread in a beautiful looking stand held up by a man
with gold and red robes.
It was Jesus in the Eucharist; a far cry from cardboard robots.
"Wired into each and every one of our hearts is the desire for the
infinite," said Sister Mary Gabriel. "Your heart is made to love Jesus
and love Him passionately."
