Altar Was the Foundation of the Diocese

In the Book of Genesis, we learn that when Abraham arrived at the land promised to him by God he “built an altar to the Lord”(Gn 12:7).   By building an altar to the Lord first, even before he built a shelter, Abraham declared that his relationship with God was first and his covenant with God was the foundation of all that he would accomplish from that day forward. 

The Catholic history of the Diocese of Baton Rouge began with the building of an altar.   The history of the Catholic Church in our diocese was founded on the heroic efforts of French missionaries among the native American people of the area. In particular, French Jesuits and Capuchin Franciscans were responsible for the preaching of the Gospel along the Mississippi River during the first half of the 18th century. It is recorded that Father Père Pierre Charlevoix SJ celebrated the first Eucharist in Baton Rouge on New Year’s Day, 1722, on the present site of the State Capitol building.  In other words, Father Charlevoix built an altar to celebrate Mass to give thanks to God and to offer a sacrifice of praise, which created the foundation on which our Diocese of Baton Rouge was established.   

When I was appointed a bishop in 2008 I looked up the definition of a diocese in Canon 369 in the Code of Canon Law and found a description that, like me, you might find surprising.  It reads, “A diocese is a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him to shepherd with the cooperation of the presbyterium (the priests), so that, adhering to its pastor (the bishop) and gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes a particular church in which the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative” (CC 369).

We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the foundation of our diocese and for those 60 years we have built upon the foundation of that first altar and Mass celebrated in 1722. As we celebrate and recall our 60 years as a diocese we should remember that our true identity as Christ’s church is not found in our church buildings, schools, institutions or even in our charitable programs but first and foremost when we gather around the altar to celebrate the Eucharist, most especially at Sunday Mass.  Around the altar each Sunday we are created as the church as we hear the word of God proclaimed and receive the body and blood of Christ.  We are Catholic not like a membership in a club but because of our profound communion with the body and blood of Christ received at the altar.  The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is not a random rule but a reminder that we are not truly Catholic separate from the Eucharist. Our pride in the accomplishments of our parishes, schools and charitable programs for the past 60 years is only appropriate to the degree they reflect the mission of our diocese formed by the word of God at the altar of the Eucharist.  If what we do as the body of Christ does not draw its meaning from the word of God and the Eucharist, then it is not of Christ.  If we have lost our way and drifted away from the church then our first step back is to return to Mass, back to the altar.

In the 60th anniversary edition of our Catholic Commentator we are celebrating and remembering the history of our growth as a diocese.  We can be thankful for so many achievements that have laid a foundation for the support of our mission to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to build up the kingdom of God.  For 60 years Christ’s church in all its fullness has been present in this portion of the people of God we call the Diocese of Baton Rouge.  The challenge placed before us is how will we meet the challenges of the next 60 years.

As I contemplate the next 60 years I cannot help thinking about the definition of a diocese. I believe that we can only move forward into the future by reclaiming the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives as the source and summit for everything we do as the body of Christ.  The Bishops of the United States (USCCB) believe this too, so we are planning a national spiritual journey to awaken a renewed love of the Eucharist over the next two years to rediscover our foundational understanding of who we are as the body of Christ.  

As it has always been, even from the time of Abraham and from the Last Supper, we will discover ourselves as Catholics by gathering around the altar, in the Holy Spirit to hear the Gospel and to encounter Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist.  At the altar we will discover the new ways to bring Christ to others.  If we do not begin at the altar, then we will build on sand and not succeed.  At the altar we will discover our mission for the next 60 years and will find the hope, forgiveness, grace, mercy, enthusiasm and renewed faith that will give us the spiritual strength to meet the seeming overwhelming challenges of our times.