Bishop Michael Mulvey presided over the first Mass in the newly renovated chapel inside Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi on Dec. 7.
Before Mass he blessed the chapel and members of the staff and board who attended the ceremony. Concelebrants included Father Richard Libby, the chaplain for Catholic Charities and pastor of St. Helena of the True Cross of Jesus and Father Pedro Elizardo, pastor of St. Joseph in Alice.
In his homily, Bishop Mulvey spoke of key-elements of a transformed life, "where hope becomes real and where charity is practiced. The Eucharist is the greatest sign of charity, that Jesus–God sacrificed his life for us."
"What is charity–fullness of charity, but the sacrifice of one life for another? That's charity. Then it translates to giving food to the poor," Bishop Mulvey said.
He spoke of the chapel being a place to lay all our burdens or failures to God. "How do we know that this transformation is taking place? I think one thing we should do is to examine ourselves and ask is charity alive?
"On a day you have given and given and may not be appreciated, but you feel happy–that's what sacrifice is. Sacrifice leads to joy," he said. "We can come to the chapel and say thank you. We become signs of hope."
Many donors contributed items which transformed what had once been a surgical room into a chapel, "so we could have the Blessed Sacrament," Linda McKamie, Director of Catholic Charities, said.
The altar was a gift from Father Ray Arlas and the parishioners of Sacred Heart in Rockport; the tabernacle was a donation from the parishioners of Immaculate Conception in Gregory; the cross above the altar was donated by Mary Ann and Joey Vermeulen and the Guernsey family were dedicated sponsors of the chapel.
Blessing the holy water Bishop Mulvey said, "May all here today and all those in days to come who will continue to celebrate your mysteries in this chapel be united at last in the Holy city of your peace, through Christ our Lord."