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We'll Grow Prayerfully

Renewal through Eucharistic Adoration in Oakland

BY DON GUERANGER

"It was an over-capacity crowd, people were literally standing in the streets; people were standing in the aisles," said Ralph Desimond of Oakland. Desimond was not describing the premier of a hit movie but a Mass celebrated by Bishop Allen Vigneron at St. Elizabeth's in Oakland on the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 18. Following the Mass, the bishop led a Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Oakland to St. Jarlath's, where there was benediction.

Accompanying the bishop in the procession were "numerous priests and 2,500 people, with a 1,600-pound monstrance carried by 12 men," said Desimond. "There were three stations, three altars, at different homes along the route, and one at St. Jarlath's outside, by the school. People were coming out of their houses during the procession. It was a profoundly amazing event, people were in tears."

The Corpus Christi Mass and procession were not events, encouraging as signs, but isolated. They were the formal beginning of what might prove to be a profound renewal of Eucharistic devotion and, therefore, Catholic life in the diocese of Oakland. On April 10, Bishop Allen Vigneron approved the formation of the Confraternity of Eucharistic Devotion of the diocese of Oakland. On Corpus Christi, he formally recognized the new group and gave it his blessing.

The confraternity is not simply a pious association of lay people functioning with the good pleasure of the bishop. Rather, according to Ralph Desimond, one of the group's founding members and its moderator, it is a public association, "actually under the direction and part of the ministry of the bishop," he said. "It's a formal part of his diocese. It has canonical standing as a juridical person."

That is, it is in every way an official arm of the Catholic Church in Oakland.

Members of the confraternity will help organize and participate in Eucharistic devotions, such as processions, adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. According to the confraternity's posting on the diocesan web site, members commit themselves to reverent participation at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and to encouraging others to do the same. They commit themselves to daily prayer for themselves, other members of the Confraternity, and make their "best effort" "to further the purposes of this Confraternity ... especially by direct witness to other Catholics," among other commitments.

Among the purposes of the confraternity is the deepening "in the members of this Confraternity, and in the Diocese of Oakland, reverence and love for the Holy Eucharist -- the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ -- in the Sacrifice of the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration" and making "reparation for sins committed, especially by sacrilege and irreverence to the Most Blessed Sacrament." According to the group's web page, "the apostolate of the Confraternity is thus both contemplative and active in nature and directed to the sanctification of the Diocese of Oakland, and of the members of the Confraternity who thereby seek to exercise more perfectly the theological virtues and give an example of Christian life and virtue."

Ralph Desimond emphasized, however, that the confraternity is "a single-issue coalition." "It's very important," he said, "that we not allow ourselves be distracted by other, including worthy, causes. Regardless of anyone's positions on any issues in the world and in the Church, if they want to promote Eucharistic devotion, they can be members and join us."

The confraternity is the flowering of a series of events that began after Allen Vigneron became bishop of Oakland in October 2003. Desimond and others had urged Bishop Vigneron to establish an Eucharistic Resources Commission for the diocese, which he did in 2004, appointing 12 members -- three priests and nine laymen -- to direct it. But the founding of the confraternity was different. "Normally the bishop functions with carefully considered ideas that come to him," said Desimond, who is vice-chair of the commission with Father Jerry Brown as chair. But with the confraternity, "literally, the bishop initiated it. It was a total surprise to us on the Eucharistic Resources Commission. He came to us and said, 'I want to start this confraternity.' He initiated it! He saw it as being very important for the prayer life and well-being of the diocese."

Oakland diocese's confraternity is not merely a branch of some larger organization but is entirely unique to the diocese. But while it is a diocesan organization, it will function at the parish level and be subject to parish pastors. How confraternity members are able to function at the parish level "is in large part up to the pastor," said Desimond. "They may participate privately -- pray and adore and support adoration as much as possible. Or the pastor may allow them to gather on the parish premises to pray and work together as a group. But we're going to honor the decisions of the pastor in terms of how [the confraternity] will function on church property. Our main role is going to be to assist the pastor insofar as he allows both types of things to happen."

The reactions of pastors in the diocese to the confraternity have been various. "We've pastors who've said, I want to have the organization at my parish, I want to promote it and build it myself," said Desimond. "We've had other pastors who have said [their parishioners] can be members, 'but I don't know about it yet, I want to see how it works out more before I really embrace it.' We've had others who have said, 'I want to be involved myself.' I met with one last night. There's already a group of eight to 12 in his parish, and the pastor is encouraging their activities. He's putting their name on the bulletin, on the roster of ministries in the parish." According to the confraternity's website, 58 parishes have adoration of the Eucharist.

According to Ralph Desimond, in 2005 there were 24 Corpus Christi processions in the Oakland diocese, in some of which "multiple parishes participated. It would be a procession from one church to the next church, or multiple parishes with choirs would go to one location."

But with the founding of the confraternity, the number of such processions could increase. Among its works, the confraternity gives out information on how to promote Eucharistic adoration in the parish, but it also has provided the wherewithal for Eucharistic processions. The confraternity has "placed 12 to 14 monstrances in parishes or communities who did not have one or could not afford one," said Desimond. "Sometimes they have the money, but they just don't know where to get a beautiful one. We've made available an instruction, approved by the diocese, on how to have a Corpus Christi procession."

In September, Desimond said the confraternity had about 140 members. But its goal, he said, is not necessarily numbers. "We're going to grow prayerfully," said Desimond. "Our purpose is not to get big numbers; our purpose is to adore Our Lord and let people join us as they are willing and able."

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