The making of a new diocesan monstrance, a labor of love

The second meeting of the Diocesan Monstrance Committee was at Sacred Heart Church rectory  in Rockport on June 9, 2021.

Mary Cottingham | for STC

Bishop Michael Mulvey commissioned the creation of a diocesan monstrance that is being manufactured in Mexico and will be officially presented at the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 16 after the noon Mass. “The Traveling Monstrance unites all cultures and is a way to bring Jesus to people on the margins of society,” said Jaime Reyna, Director of the Offices of Multicultural and Social Ministry for the Diocese of Corpus Christi and coordinator of the Diocesan Monstrance Committee.

Those involved in incorporating the key elements in the design of the new diocesan monstrance were: Reyna, Father Richard Gonzales, pastor of St. Joseph in Beeville; Father Patrick Donohoe, pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish in Orange Grove; Father Alfredo Villarreal, pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Kingsville; and Father Ray Yrlas, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Rockport; Graphic designers Brad Snyder and Ettore Risi from Snyder and Associates created the printouts according to the manufacture’s specifications. The new diocesan monstrance was custom-made by Bernardo Anguiano Orfebres in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

The team met in person and virtually, working out key elements to incorporate into the designing process. Brad Snyder and Associates donated their time and talent to work on the project alongside the four priests. “I believe God gave me a gift as a designer and a communicator, and the monstrance is our gift to honor the skills and blessings we receive,” he said. 

According to Snyder, his team learned so much about the Catholic faith, the relevance of the Feast of Corpus Christi and the significance of religious artifacts and symbols. “It was a great opportunity to work alongside the four priests,” Snyder said. “I grew to respect and appreciate them as individuals, as leaders of the diocese and stewards of faith. It became easier to talk with them in specific detail about symbolic elements we could include. The monstrance tells a story, and I appreciated Father Richard, Father Ray, Father Pat and Father Alfredo for adding depth and pulling the story together in a tangible way.”

The new monstrance has been a labor of love for the design team. “Love for Christ in the Eucharist. Love for the People of God. Love for our Diocese. And we wanted it to be majestic and worthy of holding the most precious sacrament, Corpus Christi, for adoration,” Father Yrlas said. “And it is opportune as we prepare for the upcoming Eucharistic Congress 2022.” 

According to Father Donohoe, most cathedrals have a unique, sizeable eucharistic monstrance for the Feast of Corpus Christi and other diocesan events. “The new monstrance is larger than average so that it can be seen at a distance —from the back of the Cathedral and at the back of a large diocesan event like the Eucharistic Congress,” Father Donohoe said. The design is simple and tries to bring an onlooker’s gaze towards the Blessed Sacrament at the center of the monstrance. Elements link the Old Testament ‘Ark of the Covenant’ with the ‘Eucharistic Covenant’ in the New Testament. There was constant intention to elevate the design to center on the Eucharist, rather than add any distracting artistic elements.”

“The committee had to come up with a design that would capture the specialty of our diocese having such a beautiful name. Our idea was to capture the relation between the Eucharist as it is being adored and the Passover meal or Last Supper, which I believe we have succeeded in doing,” Father Yrlas said. “We wanted the design to represent the correlation between the Body of Christ in the Eucharist and the Body of Christ in the People of God,” Father Yrlas said. “There really has never been a monstrance designed, particularly for our diocese.” 

“I am excited about the unveiling of the new diocesan monstrance during the Feast of Corpus Christi,” Father Gonzales said. I’m excited for the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the glory of God. Knowing that every parish and mission in the diocese will have the opportunity to host this same monstrance and every parishioner may pray before it in adoration is an incredible thought to imagine.”

“When we were designing the traveling monstrance, the team and I wanted the design to be unique to the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Since the name of our diocese translates into ‘Body of Christ,’ we wanted a beautiful, interwoven, eucharistic theme,” Father Gonzales said. “Every part of the design speaks of Christ’s majesty and the eucharistic sacrifice of which he gave,” Father Gonzales said.

“A lot of time, thought, prayer and love went into the design of the Traveling Monstrance. It was a serious endeavor, and we wanted to get everything done right. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design something for the diocese that will have lasting impressions for future generations,” Father Gonzales said. “We believe the end result of the monstrance will be beautiful, classic, catechetical, and will evoke prayer for adoration and eucharistic processions.”