This past Saturday, I was able to join a few brave souls from our parish for a joint procession of the Blessed Sacrament from St. Brigid Catholic Church to Mary Our Queen Catholic Church. For those unfamiliar with the practice, it was a walk on foot behind the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance. We hiked for seven miles, out in the Georgia summer sun along the side of busy streets.
I appreciated the chance to participate in such a public procession in the United States. While I have been part of processions around parish grounds, at my seminary, or in countries like the Philippines or Poland, places where the faith is nearly universal and commonplace, this felt like stepping out into a world that does not know the faith as we Catholics do. For many observers, seeing a crowd marching in the heat behind a monstrance is a novel, if unusual, event. As we marched past stopped cars and followed the directions of our police escorts, I was vividly aware of the attention we gathered. Many people stared from their vehicles, some pulled out their phones to take pictures, and a few even shouted words of praise and encouragement.
Being a public witness to the faith is something the world often does not know how to handle. It is easy to dismiss someone at your door trying to talk about their beliefs, but when someone quietly lives out their faith, it is a different story entirely. Living our faith publicly without political or practical strings attached is something the modern world struggles to understand. We received no physical reward at the end of our procession, nor did we take the opportunity to push pamphlets onto spectators. Our actions were motivated solely by a desire to show our love for Christ.
Next year, I hope you will join us for the procession. However, this act of faith is not limited to a once-a-year event. Living out the faith outside the designated areas of our church takes courage. Maybe it’s being willing to bear a few stares as we say a small private prayer before lunch, or quietly forgiving someone who wronged us rather than complaining to our friends. We aren’t doing it to show off, but because we know who we are as Catholics and want to live that out fully. As a recently ordained deacon, I am growing in this myself: the collar around my neck ensures that everyone knows I am Catholic. Sometimes this can be a little uncomfortable, as
standing out isn’t always fun, but I have never regretted it.
If you have thoughts or stories about how you have lived out your faith, I’d love to hear from you via email at deaconchrystian@allsaintsdunwoody.org. Thank you again for the warm welcome to All Saints. I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you this summer.
In Christ,
Deacon Chrystian Bis