Above: Father Pius Wekesa was incardinated into the Diocese of Raleigh during Chrism Mass. Photo by Greg Mintel.
RALEIGH - The purples, whites and pinks of azaleas were reaching their peak just outside of the cathedral. For Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, there was beauty everywhere. It was beautiful to process in and see the faces of hundreds of people gathered, he said. It was beautiful, too, to see the line of deacons and priests. Even challenges, it seemed, were beautiful in how they help people to discover.
“What we celebrate is beyond our comprehension,” Bishop Luis added during the homily, noting the beauty of the mystery of the sacraments.
Chrism Mass, which was held April 15 at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, is an important event in the life of a diocese. During Chrism Mass, three oils are blessed by the bishop. Often held on Tuesday of Holy Week, it’s an opportunity for priests to renew their promises made at ordination, and for parish representatives to receive bottles of sacred chrism, oil of catechumens and oil of the sick.
In the Diocese of Raleigh, people from each of the eight deaneries came forward to receive oils for the sacraments, such as baptism and anointing of the sick.
Speaking to the priests of the diocese, Bishop Luis said, “Everything that we do is to serve the people in every sacrament. Servants of healing. Servants who heal the hungry people with the table of the banquet of love. Accompany them in the journey of life. From baptism until death … in love and in mercy.”
Speaking to the congregation, Bishop Luis spoke of how Jesus wants to be present in people’s lives. “How open are we when the Lord challenges us to receive him? How willing are we to let him to mold us?” he said.
About an hour into Chrism Mass, Bishop Luis invited Father Pius Wekesa to the area near the cathedra, or bishop’s chair, for incardination, the process by which a priest originally ordained for another diocese, officially becomes a priest of another diocese.
Father Pius made his declaration and Bishop Luis responded, “As the bishop of this local church, I welcome Pius as a priest of the best diocese of the world.” To the sound of the congregation’s applause, the two hugged and walked together to the altar, where they signed the parchment.
Father Pius, who was originally ordained Oct. 29, 1995 for the Diocese of Nairobi in Kenya, has been in the Diocese of Raleigh’s geographical area for 20 years. He came to the United States in 2001 to study at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, where he earned a B.A. in communication.
He came to North Carolina in 2005 to minister to the Swahili Catholic community in the Diocese of Raleigh, something that he said was important to [then] Bishop Joseph Gossman, Monsignor Thomas Paul Hadden, then vicar for the African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network, and Monsignor Michael Shugrue, who was vicar general at the time.
During that time, Father earned a M.S. in communication at N.C. State University and served at Raleigh’s Sacred Heart [then] Cathedral from 2005 until 2009. He later served at St. John the Baptist Parish in Roanoke Rapids (2009 – 2021) and, most recently, at Holy Cross Parish in Durham.
“It has been a long wait,” he told NC Catholics before Mass about the incardination. “I feel a little nervous, but excited. I feel super golden to belong to this diverse diocese.”
During Mass, students from Catholic high schools, both independent and diocesan, assisted in the celebration by carrying oils and offering prayers of the faithful. Also present to serve during Mass were many diocesan seminarians, including Juan Fernando Rodriguez, who shared a reading in Spanish. Seminarians also assisted volunteers from parishes who bottled the newly blessed oil in the sacristy during Mass so it could be boxed and given to representatives toward the end of Mass.
Photos
Photos by Greg Mintel. Click/tap photos to view full images.
