Photo by Peter G. Sánchez
On Feb. 2 Bishop Dennis Sullivan led the celebration of Candelmas, the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, at Mater Ecclesiae in Berlin.
Candelmas remembers Mary’s purification, 40 days after Jesus’ birth and the infant’s presentation to the temple in Jerusalem where, upon recognizing the son of God, the prophet Simeon proclaimed him “to be a light to lighten the gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel” (Lk 2:32).
Joined by Father Robert Pasley, Mater Ecclesiae rector; diocesan priests and deacons; Knights of Columbus; and faithful of all ages, Bishop Sullivan marked the feast in the Traditional Latin Rite of the Mass.
Before the liturgy, the packed congregation processed through the church carrying candles given to them by Bishop Sullivan, who charged all “to be a source of God’s light (and) carry him into a world that is so dark and cold.”
“May we allow Jesus to fire us up with his love, so in turn we can make his love visible to others,” he said.
Mater Ecclesiae serves Catholics who feel an attachment to the traditional Latin Mass. Established in 2000, Mater Ecclesiae is the first canonically established church owned and staffed by a diocese that has been granted exclusive use of the Roman Missal Typical Edition of 1962.
Father Pasley, the rector, calls Mater Ecclesiae “a living miracle where the faith is vibrant and totally Catholic.”
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