For the past 66 years, Richard Quijas has been a faithful parishioner at Our Lady Star of the Sea on North Beach. During a recent Holy Hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at his church in May, he became emotional.
It was not the typical adoration hour; the parish was hosting the arrival of a Traveling Monstrance that had already visited numerous parishes across the Diocese of Corpus Christi in preparation for the Feast of Corpus Christi celebration.
“Today was a special day for our church, and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Quijas said, with tears building up in his eyes. “I felt our Lord’s presence, and I honestly believe we all received special blessings for attending. I was here not only for myself, but representing members of my family who could not be here, as well.”
Father Roy Kalayil, the pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea, said the significance of the Traveling Monstrance serves as a reminder that we are one community, under one diocese and one bishop.
“This is why the Monstrance is visiting multiple parishes in our diocese during the five months leading up to the Feast of Corpus Christi,” he explained. “It reminds us that we are not alone, we support each other, and we need to pray together to bring more meaning to the Holy Eucharist.”
The unique monstrance previously belonged to Most Rev. Francis X. Krautbauer, the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
A few days after North Beach, the Traveling Monstrance visited Holy Family on the city’s Westside. Father Jose Salazar said having a significant religious object pulls together communities, reminds us of our connectivity, and helps us remember those no longer with us.
“We have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every week, but it’s normally held in our small chapel, so it was a joy to have it in the larger church where more people could gather in reverence,” Father Salazar said.
Father Salazar added that activities like the Traveling Monstrance are one of the most effective ways to pull the Diocese of Corpus Christi together to prepare for the Eucharistic Congress next year.
“I think this has given us a deeper sense of unity and communion with one another. We are all so busy, so taking time to pause for a moment brings us closer to the reality and mystery of Christ’s presence. We are all running in a million directions, but when we stop, we are one in Christ,” he added.
Yvonne Solis Recio, a born and raised parishioner at Holy Family, said she appreciated the opportunity to attend Holy Hour during the Traveling Monstrance’s visit to her parish.
“It was a wonderful evening spent in silence, prayer and joyful celebration. This was an additional opportunity to pray for an increase in all vocations. I think we all understand how timely and necessary that is,” she said. “We are so thankful we were able to host a Holy Hour spent in the presence of Jesus.”
Omar J. Pena, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council #5348 at St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church in Premont, said he and other parishioners were honored to have hosted the Traveling Monstrance at their smaller, rural parish.
“This was such an honor to be part of something much larger than just our parish. In reality, this was much larger than even the Diocese of Corpus Christi. So, the Feast of Corpus Christi is special to the Church as a whole. And for those who were not able to attend the Feast of Corpus Christi festivities, having so many parishes across the diocese where the monstrance visited helped us all feel connected,” Pena added. To view all the parishes the Traveling Monstrance visited go to
feastofcc.org.