Archbishop Burke proceeds toward the Sanctuary flanked by Knights of Columbus Honor Guards.
Archbishop Burke greets one of the faithful.
As the cathedra is vacant, Archbishop Burke did not occupy the marble seat where the faithful had become familiar seeing him and where his Coat of Arms had previously hung. Here he sits on the opposite side while one of the lectors reads the 2nd Reading.
Archbishop Burke gives his homily from the ambo.
Archbishop Burke hugs his sister, who with her husband were among the gift bearers at today's Mass.
At the conclusion of Holy Mass, Archbishop Burke offer thanks to all who helped in preparing for the liturgy and to all the faithful of St Louis. He also promised to continue to pray for us and asked all of us to pray for him as well. This was an emotionally trying time for many of us and for our spiritual father, Archbishop Burke.
At the recessional, Archbishop Burke reaches out to comfort his sister, who like others was in tears.
On leaving the Cathedral for what may be the last time, His Excellency imparts his blessing to the faithful.
Archbishop Burke listens intently, as he always does, to one of the hundreds of faithful who gathered to wish him farewell and thanks for his courageous leadership and fidelity.
It's difficult to accept the fact that he is leaving us and many hearts grieve. Many have nurtured a deeper faith and understanding because he was our shepherd. May all faithful Catholics continue to pray for him and remember to give thanks to Our Lord that He saw fit to grant us such a wonderful bishop, although it was such a short time. Many Catholics across this country have yearned for a bishop like Archbishop Burke, and now, we are now numbered among them.
May God bless Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and may our Blessed Mother cover him with the mantle of her protection!
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The Archdiocese has more here:
Archbishop Burke Leaves His Mark on the Life of the Church
Archbishop Burke Photo Gallery
Farewell Mass Program (440.22 Kb PDF file)
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The Post Dispatch has an article here.
2 comments:
Would someone PLEASE nail down definitively this question that will not die regarding priestess wanabee Louise Lears.
Did the Archbishop's decree forbid her the sacraments everywhere in the Universal Church or only in the St. Louis Archdiocese?
The National Catholic Reporter has mangled this part of the story and I keep hearing different versions about the scope of the decree.
Secondly, please someone discover for me, and others, whether the charge of Communio in Sacris made against Sr. Lears might not result in her excommunication after the case reaches the CDF.
You might want to check out this post: http://slatts.blogspot.com/2008/06/decree-of-extra-judicial-adjudication.html
What I read in the "Statement" is this:
"As a result of his judgment of the case, Archbishop Burke has also imposed the following canonical penalties upon Sister Louise Lears: 1) the penalty of interdict and 2) the prohibition of receiving any mission in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, effective immediately. Interdict prohibits the reception of the Sacraments. The prohibition of receiving any mission prohibits the holding of any Church position or the exercise of any apostolate of the Church in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis."
It appears that the "ferendae sententiae interdict" applies everywhere but the "ferendae sententiae prohibition" only applies in the St Louis Archdiocese.
The "Communio in Sacris" issue, as I understand it, will be decided by Rome and it seems that it could result in excommunication but I'd have to defer to an expert in this matter.
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