PORTLAND — The annual Neophyte Mass (www.portlanddiocese.org/olff/neophyte-mass) will be celebrated on Sunday, June 19 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. All are welcome and the Mass will also be livestreamed at www.portlandcatholic.org/livestreamed-liturgies.
A neophyte is a newly initiated person who is going through the final period of Christian Initiation, the post-baptismal catechesis called mystagogy. The Neophyte Mass invites the neophytes and the newly received, along with their families and friends as well as parishioners and community members, to rejoice in their initiation together.
June 19 also marks the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as the Feast of Corpus Christi or Corpus Christi Sunday, which celebrates the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The feast is often marked by eucharistic processions, during which the Blessed Sacrament is carried in a monstrance through the church and into the streets. Such a procession will be held at the end of the Neophyte Mass.
While the neophyte Mass is a time for the Church to celebrate its newest members, the Mass reminds all that faith is much more than reaching an achievement. It is something that must be lived.
“To grow in faith is something we are all called to do. The ceremonies which took place at Easter were part of a journey of growth in faith,” said Bishop Robert Deeley. “This ongoing conversion is not just for those who have been baptized or received into the Church; it is for the whole community. Together, we grow in our appreciation of God’s work in our lives. Together, we grow in an appreciation of God’s love in our lives.”