Catholic Celebration Vatican Representative Joins Pentecost Mass At Arena, Symbolizing Spokane’S Part In Larger Church

Catholics from all over the Spokane Diocese will flood Spokane on Sunday for a massive Pentecost Mass with Cardinal Edmund Szoka, president of Vatican City. He will be attending as a representative of Pope John Paul II, the leader of the Catholic Church.

“It’s the first time since Bishop Welsch’s ordination in 1978 that we’ve come together as a diocese for a celebration,” says Bishop William Skylstad, leader of the Spokane Diocese. “Pentecost Sunday is the Sunday of the birthday of the church, in a way.”

The diocese stretches west to include Lincoln County, south to Walla Walla County and north to Pend Oreille County. All 81 churches in the diocese will cancel all Masses after 9 a.m. in order to encourage priests and church members to attend the special Mass, says Skylstad. Bus loads of worshippers are expected to arrive from outlying towns.

“We hope we will pack the Arena,” says Skylstad.

A program will be held at 1 p.m. and will include a tour of the diocese through stories and song. The 2 p.m. Mass will begin with a procession of representatives of all 81 churches in the diocese. Nearly 200 priests and deacons will be on hand to serve as Eucharistic ministers at locations scattered throughout the Arena.

Szoka will participate in the service and has been given information on the diocese and its history, Skylstad says. “We’ve invited the cardinal himself to do the homily.”

Szoka is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was ordained in 1954. He was named the bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Mich., in 1971, was named archbishop of Detroit in 1981 and became a cardinal in 1988. He has worked in Rome since 1990 and has served as President of Vatican City since 1997.

Skylstad says he wanted to invite a representative of the Vatican to the event because it is important to remind Catholics of their connection with the larger Catholic Church rather than simply focusing on the local diocean family.

The Mass was organized not only to observe Pentecost but also in honor of the Jubilee year declared by the pope in 1999. The Jubilee year, which is not a standard calendar year, began last November with the start of Advent and will continue though the Epiphany celebration in January 2001.

The Catholic Church has celebrated a Jubilee year regularly for several centuries, says Skylstad. “It happens every 50 years or so,” he says. “The Jubilee concept comes from the Old Testament.”

The roots of the Jubilee year can be traced to Leviticus 25:10, which reads, “And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family.”

In years past, however, Jubilee year events have been held primarily in Rome. Such a worldwide celebration is unusual. “This one is a little different,” says Skylstad. “The 2,000th anniversary has really sparked a lot of interest and excitement. It’s kind of a mark of celebration and anniversary that brings us, hopefully, to a deeper spiritual awareness and a sense of gratitude for what we have.”

Churches around the country have been putting on special events to celebrate the Jubilee. The Spokane Diocese has designated a different church each month as a pilgrimage church. Churches have been encouraged to host their own events and there has also been a focus on reconciliation and forgiveness, he says.

A special Holy Trinity icon was commissioned last year and has visited every church in the diocese. “We’ve had no hitches that I know of,” says Skylstad of the icon’s travels. “It’s been a good way to connect the diocese.”

The icon will be on display during the Mass in the Arena, after which it will be on permanent display at the mausoleum of Holy Cross Cemetery.

This sidebar appeared with the story: AT THE ARENA Jubilee year celebration

The Pentecost Mass begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Spokane Arena, preceded by a program at 1 p.m. Doors open at noon. Parking will be available in the surrounding Diamond Parking lots for $3 per car. The Mass is expected to last two hours.