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The night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness (and) put on the armor of light;

In the Name of the Father . . .

Dear Friends in Christ,

There are certain moments in life, that will stay in your memories for the rest of your days. This is one of those moments. This is an event that will weave its way into the course of your life, like a golden thread running through the center of a beautiful piece of fabric. All the other threads will cling to that center filament of gold, all will reflect its golden light, all will be enhanced by the anchor of that center cord, as it gives the cloth unity, beauty, and meaning.

This is not just a fanciful image - for the dedication of this church, is the blessing and dedication of a place that will be with you from now on - whether you stay in its physical embrace for the rest of your days, or whether you move to some other place, and it becomes but a memory on the road of your life - it will have its place in you no matter what. Think of it - the baptisms and confirmations of your children, the marriages of your young people, and the commendation of those whose time has come to go to the Lord.

So many people in this world have turned these holy events over to photograph albums and catered buffets and nothing more. But God be praised - Catholics still have the good sense, the inspired sense, and enough honest, deep feelings for one another to make of these events, the most important events in life, things to share with the Lord, and to ask Him to make holy.

For Catholics want their lives to be filled with holiness, to be filled with that spiritual beauty, which, when the Lord calls, will see them ready to take His hand, and to follow Him into the life that waits beyond death, the life of eternity.

Throughout this very special and beautiful liturgy we are celebrating today, certain words and phrases are repeated frequently, such as "God in His holy dwelling" or references to the "holy temple of the Lord." Since the earliest times of belief in the one, true God - since the times of Abraham, our Father in Faith, believers have been not just concerned, but possessed by the necessity for having holy places, holy spaces, holy things. The substance of this dedication today is sanctification - the making holy of this church space - its doors, its walls, the very floors upon which the people of God will walk and process - and above all, the altar, upon which the sacrifice of the Mass will be offered, and from whose holy surface, the meal of our eternal life, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be served.

We Catholics cannot be satisfied with a simple meeting hall - for us, the hall must be a meeting place between God and man. And for this reason, every inch of space, every vessel and sacramental, everything we can touch, see, feel, hear and taste in our church, must be marked with that holiness that comes from God, and fills our souls with His saving grace - the knowing, the feeling, that by His power we are being saved, we are being made holy, we are being made worthy to share with Him, eternal life in Heaven.

Grace builds on nature, says the wisdom of our Church's teaching, and through these natural things - the shape of the building and the treasures which adorn its interior - through these natural things, we are welcomed into those many means by which we gain holiness and grace.

We do not believe this simply because theology tells us it is so. We have the evidence of holy human beings - of people just like us, who have dwelt in the Church, and who have won the life victorious by their own conversion to holiness. (The Litany of the Saints, central to this liturgy, is our call to them, our greeting, by which we welcome their memory, and by which we acknowledge their intercession - that favor of God which allows them to plead with Him on our behalf.)

St. Brigid we especially recall today, as she is the patronal saint of this parish, and her intercession is and will be so important a spiritual force here in our midst. St. Brigid was famous for drawing into her company teachers and artists, and writers - she was dedicated to the advancement of the intellectual and artistic powers of Catholicism, in addition to being devoted to the faith and to works of charity. Her foundation at Kildare, for centuries was one of the glories of Catholic Ireland, producing missals and altar linens and sacred vessels of unsurpassable beauty. Few of these remain, but her legacy, both spiritual and artistic, lives with us today. Already, her influence has been felt here in the parish - in the schools of religion and programs for adult education, in the many ministries of charity and outreach, and in Holy Redeemer School, which has been welcomed and embraced into the life of this parish, into the lives of the parents and children and all who come to this center of grace, this well-spring of hope for the future.

But today, the influence of St. Brigid, and the power of the Holy Spirit, reach a height we could not have envisioned 16 months ago, when this work began - for here is certainly one of the most beautiful churches to be found in this part of the country. And for a new church already to possess the degree of majesty and beauty that yours enjoys, and in a Catholic community barely four years old - is a rare gift indeed. We thank the Lord, we thank His Spirit for making this possible, and we bless the intercession of St. Brigid and all the saints whose prayers on our behalf keep us strong, and keep our minds on the important things in life.

But all who have had a part in the erection of this church deserve the thanks of the Church on this day as well - Father Corbett, your loving and vigilant pastor who has watched over every stage of the planning and construction, with no holding back as to the time and energy that were required of him - the architects, contractors, artists, and laborers, who have toiled with the energy of their creative spirits and the sweat of their hands to get every detail not just good enough, but exactly right - and you, the people of the parish, who have brought forth, not just money, but devotion, enthusiasm, and the love necessary to make any project, or I should better say, to make any dream of this size actually come true.

And now, as Scripture says, the day is at hand, and with this celebration of blessing and dedication, we fill this new church with the light of our faith - a light given by the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord, a light set on a mountain, and not to be hidden, so that all may see the good work of our hands, and give God the glory.

Until the last day of time, we hope that there will always be Catholics in this place, and on this day, November the 2nd, to remember what we have done, and to pray for our souls, having left for those who follow, this beautiful legacy, this beautiful church, this beautiful dwelling for the Lord our God.

But let us also remember that the Church is not just what has been done - the Church is not just what will be - let us remember that the Church is also now. We have our lives to live today, our children to lead and guide, our families and parents to strengthen and encourage, our old people to protect and assist, our sick to heal, our sorrowing to comfort, our dead to mourn - we have all these good things, because we have one another to serve. And Jesus, our Lord has told us:

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

So let us be known by this wonderful church - let us be known by the resources, the crafts, the arts, the education, the outreach, and all the talents God has given to us in the blessed richness of His One True Church. But in the final analysis, and always, when the darkness of the times encroaches from without these sheltering walls, let us put on and wear the armor of light, and sing of the Lord's day, and be known by this above all other things, that we "have love for one another."

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