In Our Mother's Court
by Bishop Joensen | August 12, 2024
In his recent book True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church, former National Catholic Register editor, episcopal advisor and author Francis Maier talks with a variety of people about why they remain steadfast in their Catholic faith.
In his conversation with former presidential speechwriter Bill McGurn and his wife, Julie, she recalls one of St. John Bosco’s dreams: “In it he sees a ship—the Church—with the Holy Father at its bow. And it’s on stormy seas filled with enemies. But he also sees two pillars: the Eucharist on one pillar and the Blessed Mother on the other, and that’s where the Church finds safe anchor. So I keep coming back to those two pillars. Those are my lodestars” (Maier, True Confessions, p. 159).
It’s been a stormy summer: tornadoes and thunderstorms wreaking havoc in our state; ongoing war in the Middle East, Ukraine, and other regions; an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate; depressed farm prices and markets; even the splendor of the Olympic opening ceremony was marred by the blasphemous parody of the Last Supper.
Yet it has also been a summer of momentous grace, renewed strength and hope, and radiant light breaking through the clouds that roil around us. And at the heart of it all are the twin pillars of the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother.
At the end of June, we were privileged to host a segment of the Serra Route of the National Eucharistic Procession, kindling a burning love for Jesus in the hearts of thousands of people in Council Bluffs, Glenwood, Imogene, and Shenandoah while welcoming pilgrims from our state and across the country.
Then, in July, about 300 pilgrims from our Diocese joined a gathering of 55,000+ Catholics at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. I and other pilgrims are still reflecting and sharing the high profile and humble witnesses we encountered, absorbing the high-octane Spirit energy that enveloped us. We know we cannot keep the grace to ourselves; we embark upon the third year of our National Eucharistic Revival by drawing close to individuals who have yet to encounter the living Lord, inviting them to experience Jesus and committing ourselves to “Walk with One” in the enduring pilgrimage of life.
One particularly inspiring witness at the Congress was Sister Josephine Garrett, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She shared her story of a heart-wrenching, early-childhood trauma and ensuing questions why God allows that memory to surface on occasion. Yet she knows that in embracing personal brokenness--in admitting we hurt, we sin, and we hunger for healing--we can press on with deepened trust mingled with consolation, joy and hope in God’s unceasing love for us. The Eucharist is essential medicine in this transformative process of letting wounds come to light and allowing Jesus to enter into our aching souls as balm, blessing, and sturdy support in whom we can find rest and relief.
As summer transitions into fall, we will again have an exceptionally graced opportunity in our Diocese with the upcoming Christ Our Life Catholic Conference Sept. 28 & 29 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Sister Josephine and several other speakers from the National Eucharistic Congress will be at this eighth biennial conference right here in our own backyard!
This year’s Christ Our Life (COL) will again assemble world-class speakers, celebrate opening and closing Masses, offer numerous opportunities for adoration and reconciliation, and supply inspiring music for many thousands of in-person attendees and those who follow on livestream. For the first time in COL history, all young people age 23 and under are invited to attend free of charge, thanks to generous donors who sponsor them. High school and college students are invited to a special lunchtime breakout session exclusively for them. By whatever means, I encourage you to secure your ticket and join us! Go to ChristOurLifeIowa.com to learn more and get your ticket plus one for a friend.
This past May and June, in various sites around the Diocese and in these pages and other venues, we also rolled out our refreshed diocesan mission and vision: “Sowing God’s Spirit: Cultivating Connections in Christ through Encounter, Friendship, and Communion.” Parish leaders and folks in the pews are now intentionally engaged in a period of Spirit-led discernment and commitment from among the six mission priorities and corresponding “toolkits” that have been crafted by a diverse array of lay persons and clergy from Central and Southwest Iowa. These toolkits are offered as a rich resource equipping us to bring the joy of the Gospel to bear upon the lives of our families, friends, and those who are searching for a sense of connection and belonging in an otherwise scattered culture. You can check out any or all of these toolkits by going to: dmdiocese.org/about-us.
We believe our Diocese’s mission and vision is not something we came up with on our own. It is the same Holy Spirit of Pentecost, the Spirit by whom Mary conceived her Son and our Savior Jesus, who inspires our vision and propels us to be witnesses and bearers of Jesus to others in our own right. The Blessed Mother is both the pillar upon whom we can lean and the lodestar fixing our hearts on where God intends our lives to lead: to enduring communion with Jesus, Mary, and all God’s friends in the court of heaven.
On Aug. 22, we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Queen of Heaven, who is the principal patroness of the Diocese of Des Moines. In my pastoral introduction to the mission and vision toolkits, I write:
"We take heart that Mary continues to accompany her Son’s Church and intercedes on our behalf. Like her Son, Mary is forever “for us”; she “courts” us with the Spirit’s gentle tug on our hearts. With the evangelical energy and good counsel of the Holy Spirit guiding our discernment, we enlist the practical wisdom and common sense of priests, deacons, religious, parish leaders, and lay persons of faith and good will who accompany us now, and who will soon, we pray, join our mission of Sowing God’s Spirit.
We may not put a hand to a physical plow, but we invest our hearts and minds in this Kingdom project of allowing God to save souls through us, drawn in hope by our common vision: “Cultivating Connections in Christ through Encounter, Friendship, and Communion.”
As we mark the Feast of the Queenship of Mary and prepare to embark upon a new school year, I think Sister Josephine is right: God is present and ready to reveal himself to those poised to perceive him. May Jesus, the Bread come down from heaven, open our senses and hearts to grasp how ordinary and simple encounters among the Body of Christ can be profoundly blessed. May God’s Spirit pour down abundant gifts upon us in the ever-unfolding mystery of his love. I look forward to encountering you around the Diocese, and at the Christ Our Life Catholic Conference next month.
Come, Holy Spirit! Come ignite our hearts and seal the bonds of friendship and communion that are to be found in Christ, in union with Mary, Queen of Heaven.