Centennial Mass Homily

Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary! Today we celebrate our parish feast day and with the beginning of this New Year we celebrate the founding of our parish. For a century we have been gathering as a parish family to celebrate Jesus Christ our Emmanuel. We have seen His star and have come to adore Him. Those words carved into the front façade of our church serve as a constant reminder that we are here seeking Jesus Christ. We make it clear today and throughout this year of celebration that it is Jesus who brings us together, it is Jesus who sustains our community, and it is Jesus who accompanies us on our pilgrimage of life.


We have seen his star and have come to adore Him. The Magi appear in Jerusalem looking for the new born king of the Jews. All of Jerusalem is surprised by the appearance of these men from the East. How is it that they have seen the sign and we have not? How is it that they have discerned the meaning of this event while business went on as normal in Jerusalem? Life goes on as normal for most people, Herod is disturbed and anxious, the chief priests and scribes are sent to find the meaning. Many different individuals seeking the same person, but not all seek with the same intention. Not all will be open to the true meaning of this phenomenal event. Most will simply miss it.

Mary & Joseph welcome Him with love, the Magi seek to offer Him homage, Herod seeks to end His life. St. Matthew situates the birth of Jesus in the midst of obscurity. Here is the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham, David and the prophets. Here is the one longed for after many centuries of return from exile. But it is neither a king that Herod desires, nor the type of king that the people desire. Herod wants no king other than himself; the people want a king like David and a kingdom that is powerful, autonomous and free of outside control. Jesus’ life will reveal who he is as Messiah, not a person of political influence, but as the new Moses instituting a new Covenant, seated not upon a throne, but the Cross.

Each of the Magi discerns a different aspect of this child and what the future holds for Him. We know the meaning of the three gifts. We have heard countless homilies, sung our various hymns and have personally reflected upon the gold, frankincense and myrrh. We have prayerfully reflected upon Jesus as our King, as our God and as our brother. We acknowledge that we appreciate the mystery of Jesus without completely understanding the fullness of the gifts. Our prayer at the altar before we enter into the Eucharistic prayer calls to mind that we do not come to offer gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but the sacrifice and food the symbolize, Jesus Christ. Bread and wine become His body and blood, to which we join our prayers and our lives in one sacrifice offered to the Father. We pray that the fruit of this altar will not be limited to this experience of worship but is carried into our daily life to transform it. We gather together with the Magi as a people called to adore Jesus and to offer our gifts in humble homage. They are the first representatives of the gentiles; we are the current members of the church.

We look back over the last one hundred years and remember those who first celebrated Mass in the storefront on Ivanhoe at Arloe station with a priest from Kenrick seminary. Fr. English’s was appointed pastor in September of 1911. We remember the nickelodeon that served as church and school during the following year and the final building of the “old school” in 1912. It would serve as both church and school until the building of this church in 1929. During those first decades of the parish, the life of the church and the life of its members were one and the same. There truly was a sense that your life as a person and as a Catholic revolved around the life of your parish. It was a reality for members of most parishes in the United States until the 70’s.

It was not easy in the early days of our parish to be Catholic and American. Hard to believe that at the founding of this parish that Catholics were often viewed with suspicion and most compromised the lower class of immigrant America. The parish became a place of belonging and source of refuge in a culture that was unwelcoming. Epiphany and the church in America “came of age” during the 50’s and 60’s and Catholics became part of mainstream life and entered into the middle and upper classes of our nation. Roles of prominence that had previously eluded Catholics were now accessible. A sense of prosperity that was unimagined by earlier generations was now becoming common for most Catholics.

As we look back over the changes in Catholicism and in our parish during this past century we want to discern what is good and sift it from what is not. Not all the changes of prosperity, of “arriving” are a blessing. One of the real challenges we face today as Catholic Americans is losing the distinctiveness of our faith. Faith is not one identifying element among many; it is the first and foundational element upon which the others must rest. While the parish may no longer be the center of our lives as we are pulled in countless directions, our faith must remain the compass that guides us in all of our other endeavors.

As people of faith we must constantly strive against the prevalent attitude that says our faith is a private affair meant solely for the expression of worship. Our faith is both a personal and communal affair that is meant transform our lives. We pray for an understanding of our identity that allows us to celebrate what is distinctively Catholic in a way that is both courageous and humble. For a century we have celebrated our faith at Epiphany embracing the challenge of the Gospel to live in the world, but not of the world. We pray that our adoration of Jesus is not limited to expressions of worship, and not minimized by an attitude that places personal preference and cultural convenience above matters of faith. We want Jesus to change us and our society with the light of His Gospel. If at one point we were excluded from the common culture, today we are called to be counter-cultural.

As we begin our centennial celebration this weekend, we remember fondly all those who have celebrated life at Epiphany. We remember family members, friends, neighbors, religious sisters, deacons and priests who have shared in our story and have left their impression upon our own faith. We pray that this year of grace will be a time of grateful contemplation and joyful anticipation. Here is where we come to adore Christ, at this altar we find the meaning of our lives; here we answer the call to discipleship. It is here that our Eucharistic Lord opens our eyes to His presence hidden elsewhere in our life. From worship we are sent forth into service. It is in service that the hidden presence of our Savior in our neighbors will grace us with gift of discipleship. The life of our parish, it’s past, present and future bear witness to the presence of the Holy Spirit animating and guiding the body of Christ. We have seen His star and have come to adore Him.