Blessing of the Chalice and Ciborium Please join us as Fr. Cooper will bless our new Chalice and Ciborium on Pentecost Sunday, May 27th at the 9:30 AM Mass. This beautiful Chalice and Ciborium were made possible because of the overwhelming generosity of the parishioners of St. Peter Parish. The Chalice and Ciborium are an antique set fashioned in the late 1800’s by liturgical silversmiths and craftsmen. Only the purest techniques, transmitted from the Medieval Ages, such as embossing, hand engraving and fire enameling have been applied to this Chalice and Ciborium resulting in a real work of art. Fashioned in sterling silver and set with a multitude of genuine stones, as well as adorned with cloisonné fire enamel, the chalice and ciborium are a superb blend of beauty, regality and dignity of design. This masterpiece is a replica of the original 12th century St. Remy Chalice (Chalice of St. Remigius), housed in the Cathedral of Reims in France. The St. Remy Chalice has been preciously kept since then in the treasury of the Cathedral of Reims, being used by the Kings of France to communicate under the species of wine at the end of the Coronation ceremonies. We will formally receive this beautiful Chalice and Ciborium during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Pentecost Sunday and bless it for use in the sacred liturgy. Thank you again for your generosity as we continue to acquire sanctuary furnishings and altarware worthy of the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the Most Holy Eucharist is the Church's treasure, the heart of the world, the pledge of the fulfillment for which each man and woman, even unconsciously, yearns. As our Holy Father of happy memory, Blessed John Paul II wrote: “In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into His body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and He enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope. If, in the presence of this mystery, reason experiences its limits, the heart, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration and unbounded love.” Every commitment to holiness, every activity aimed at carrying out the Church's mission here at St. Peter Parish, every work of pastoral ministry and planning, must draw the strength it needs from the Eucharistic mystery, and in turn be directed to that mystery as its culmination. In the Eucharist we have Jesus; we have His redemptive sacrifice; we have His resurrection; we have the gift of the Holy Spirit; we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father. ~ Fr. Cooper .