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Perpetual adoration explored as 125 year vigil recognized

For three days and three nights, July 31 through Aug. 3, the FSPA with affiliates, prayer partners, invited guests and the public celebrated the 125th anniversary of FSPA adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. The festivities included prayer, liturgy, music, dance, good food and time to visit with friends and family.

The celebration began with a congregation-focused welcoming ritual and reached a pinnacle on Aug. 1 at 11:00 a.m. when the bells tolled to recognize the completion of 125 years of uninterrupted prayer. The activity continued at a full pace throughout the next two days. The public procession with final benediction was another peak moment as hundreds filled Mary of the Angels Chapel. The final celebration Mass on Aug. 3 was the culminating event which sent everyone forth charged with new energy for their ministries.

Members and affiliates renewed their friendships in the gathering room on Thursday evening until 9:00 p.m. when Sister Grace McDonald redirected their attention. She rang the small bell in the chapel foyer 125 times as a signal to move silently into the chapel. The opening rite on Thursday evening began with a renewal of the covenant in scripture and in FSPA history.

Following the covenant renewal Sister Marlene Weisenbeck and a procession of FSPA, prayer partners and an affiliate brought the monstrance from the Adoration Chapel into Mary of the Angels Chapel. After the monstrance was placed on the altar, FSPA novices processed in with a large lard light and placed it on a pedestal below the altar. The lard light was crafted and donated by Gerard Ferrari, art professor at
Viterbo University.

The rite ended with everyone singing O Sacrament Most Holy. Adoration continued in Mary of the Angels Chapel until 10:00 p.m. when the monstrance was returned to the Adoration Chapel. Local communities and individual members continued the prayer vigil throughout the night.
Liturgy was the connecting element for the entire celebration. Sister Rosemary Riesberg estimated that at least 275 people were involved with the liturgies. This number included four choirs, lantern bearers, trumpeters, readers, ushers and many others.

Father Anthony McSweeney, SSS, carries the monstrance to the center of the crowd gathered in the Viterbo courtyard. Lantern bearers, on left, Sisters Nancy Lafferty, Jean Ann Rausch and affiliate Mary Ellen Dunford, and Sister Charlotte Seubert, right, accompany the procession.

If liturgy was the seam, music was the embroidery of the celebration. In addition to the St. Rose Schola, there was a thirty-five member celebration choir, a bell choir, and the volunteer choir of affiliates and members, known as the CD choir, who later recorded a compact disc (CD) of traditional FSPA hymns. Many members participated in more than one choir. Instrumental music included piano, organ, cello, violin, flute, harp, hand bells and Orff instruments.

Nine priests and a deacon joined Bishop Raymond Burke for the anniversary Mass on Aug. 1. In his homily Bishop Burke suggested that the FSPA practice of continuous adoration has created their identity. He referred to the FSPA as “women of the Eucharist.” Bishop Burke also expressed his gratitude for “all of the graces that have come to the church” from 125 years of uninterrupted adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

Promptly at 11:00 a.m. Sisters Mary Avila Wittig and Margaret Heil began ringing the chapel bell. The bell’s song was joined by bells throughout the city of La Crosse. Mass concluded with the recessional song, Canticle of the Sun.

A press conference followed Mass. Held in the St. Rose Convent courtyard, the press conference featured brief presentations by Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, Bishop Raymond Burke and Mayor John Medinger. The mayor suggested that the La Crosse community is a better place because of the FSPA presence and their prayer. He concluded by saying, “If FSPA are on a marathon, this is just the first 100 yards.”

By midafternoon many were back in the chapel for an affiliate covenant ceremony. Covenant and prayer renewals were also celebrated. Two women, Krista Clements Orlan and Jennifer DeNetz, made their first covenant as affiliates. Nancy Allen, Sheila Garrity, Joyce Hanson, Sharon Laitinen and Bonnie Pilcher renewed their commitment as covenant affiliates. Chandra Sherin and Mary Skemp renewed their prayer commitment.

Father Anthony (Tony) McSweeney, SSS, delivered the first of his keynote addresses on Friday afternoon. The address, titled Eucharist, Wisdom’s
Banquet: Adoration and its Pathways into Transformation, used the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John as a biblical meditation to explore eucharistic adoration as a prayer form. Father Tony suggested his goal was “to draw people into a new appreciation of the text as well as offering them an approach to and suggestions for adoration.”

In the evening everyone returned to the Fine Arts Center at Viterbo for vespers. The evening service started with a choral reading performed by some St. Rose sisters. The reading, written by Sister Laurian Pieterek, dramatized Mother Antonia’s promise. As the storyline reached the actual promise, a video was interjected to reenact the scene. The video, which was produced by Sister Marie Leon LaCroix, was filmed by Sister Lisa Zmuda in the relic chapel.

Following the vespers FSPA renewed their vows, and affiliates and prayer partners renewed their commitments. Sister Mary Sullivan renewed her
temporary vows individually, and then each group stood for their renewal. A checkerboard of relationships was revealed when members of each group stood, since they were interspersed throughout the auditorium.

The public celebration on Saturday, Aug. 2, began with morning prayer. Sister Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS, then delivered her keynote presentation, Eucharistic Adoration as a Blessing in Disguise. She greeted those in attendance with eucharisteo which means “I give thanks.” Sister Joyce Ann demonstrated a keen understanding of the FSPA congregation as adorers. She also reflected on the theology of presence and the relation of adoration to eucharistic celebration as she moved toward her discussion of the theology of eucharistic adoration.

Participants in procession for the 125th anniversary of perpetual adoration stream into Mary of the Angels Chapel for the final benediction. Records indicate that 438 registered forthe Aug. 1 events, 746 for the public celebration on Aug. 2, and 386 for Aug. 3. Photo by Kevin Buelow, FSH

Father Tony delivered his second address, titled Adoring at the Lord’s Table: Eucharistic Adoration in the Light of Luke’s Gospel, on Saturday afternoon. In keeping with his first address, Father Tony used a familiar scripture text to exemplify his message. In this talk he used Luke’s Last Supper account to respond to the question “What and whom do we meet in adoration?” He highlighted key themes such as covenant, bread, body, wine and blood.

The FSPA bell choir created a prayerful atmosphere in the lobby just prior to the procession. Rain threatened as the procession was beginning, but umbrellas were not necessary after the first few paces.

In solemn procession hundreds of people interspersed by bell ringers and topiary bearers processed to the statue of the Dancing Francis in the Viterbo courtyard. The procession was led by lantern bearers. The monstrance, carried by Father Tony, was at the end of the procession. Sister Mary Becker walked just in front of him with a lard light. A trumpet fanfare composed by Sister Rosemary preceded the singing of O Sacrament Most Holy. There were two readings just before Father Tony gave the benediction and the throng moved on to the next stop.

Next to Franciscan Skemp Medical Center, on Tenth Street, the crowd stopped to repeat the ceremony. Then the procession walked on the Market Street sidewalk, circling around the spirituality center and the convent, and finally arriving at the chapel.

An experienced group of ushers under the direction of Sister Marie Leon efficiently moved everyone into the chapel. When Father Tony entered the chapel, the three-part trumpet fanfare led into the final singing of O Sacrament Most Holy. Father Tony gave the final blessing, and as the two-part choir and three-part trumpet with organ led the congregation in singing Holy God We Praise Thy Name, he returned the monstrance to the Adoration Chapel.

Exhilarated from the final benediction, everyone streamed into the convent for hors d’oeuvres and beverages. FSPA who still had energy attended a dance and karaoke sing-along, coordinated by Sister Jean Moore, in the evening.

Father Tony presided at the final Mass of the celebration on Sunday. Sister Marlene Weisenbeck gave the reflection. Included in the reflection was a procession of four past presidents, Sisters Grace McDonald, Lucille Winnike, Alice Kaiser and Marla Lang. Each carried a candle which was placed near the lard light, as though their light flowed from the lard light. Sister Kathleen Johnson carried the fifth symbol, a chalice and paten she crafted for the celebration.

A dedicated committee began the planning for this colossal event a year ago. Each member led or worked with a subcommittee to carry out the plans.

Sister Mary Ann Gschwind chaired the committee, and the subcommittee for program, procession and mayoral proclamation. She was joined by affiliate Linda Kerrigan. Sister Rosemary Riesberg led the prayer, ritual and environment subcommittee. The logistics and procession altars subcommittee was led by Sister Donna Snyder. With the help of her group, Sister Donna managed to keep everything running on Saturday even though she was unable to attend.

Sisters Fran Browning and Rita Feeney headed up the registration, housing and transportation subcommittee. Sisters Ronalda Hophan, Sharon Bongiorno and affiliate Carol Meirick also worked on this subcommittee. The publicity subcommittee was led by Sister Margaret Heil. Sister Mary Ann Gaul headed the food subcommittee and Sister Marie Leon LaCroix was in charge of the Friday evening vesper service. Sister Mary Kathryn Fogarty led the local community preparation process and coordinated the July 31 adoration vigil.

Sister Marlene Weisenbeck announced that a commemorative booklet with texts from most of the presentations, homilies and reflections will be distributed later this year.

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