Feast of Corpus Christi
Blessing of Bells

Homily

By the Most Rev Don Sproxton
Auxiliary Bishop of Perth

St Joseph’s Church, Bassendean
Sunday 23 June, 2019

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This will be one of those events that I’m sure you will remember for many years to come.

It will always be a wonderful reminder to us, that we the Catholic Community, are here, in this place and it is to this Church and Parish that we wish the Spirit of God would work through us in a very special way.

That is our vision, that, as we celebrate this great Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we realise that the gift of the Eucharist is given to us so that through this community and through this church people can experience the love and the mercy of Jesus Christ.

So as we prepare to celebrate this Mass, we call upon the Spirit to renew the spirit within us and enable us to turn away from our sins and be even more able and strengthened to follow him today.

Dear brothers and sisters, today is a joyous and happy day for all of us, as the bell tower and our bell are installed in our church and we have the opportunity in this celebration to praise God’s name.

Bells have a special place in the life of God’s people: the peal of bells marks the hours for prayer and calls us to the celebration of the liturgy; bells alert us to important events, both happy and sad, in the life of the Church and the community.

Let us then participate devoutly in this celebration, so that whenever we hear the ringing of the bells, we will remember that we are one family, coming together to show our unity in Christ.

In the name of the Most High God, I exorcise all evil and dark influence from this bell. May they be forever banished and driven from this bell which we are about to dedicate to His service.

In the name of the Most High God, I invoke the holy Archangel Raphael; I anoint this bell for the healing of Christ’s faithful followers; that those who hear it may be strengthened in soul and body, through Christ the Lord of heaven and earth.

This community is here in this place, in this part of the Archdiocese, in order to welcome people in order that they may be fed, fed in so many different levels of their lives.

We provide because of us being united and working together, we provide for the physical needs of people - for example, LifeLink and Caritas Australia - these are ways in which we practically and physically attend to the needs of people.

But this community is to be the place where people will meet Jesus Christ and they will meet Jesus through what we do and who we are – a community that wishes to be disciples of the Lord; to be like him; to be welcoming; to be loving and caring, to be encouraging.

We pray that we might be the Body of Christ for those who are seeking to find the truth for their lives, to find a place where they belong, where they are accepted – a place in which they can experience this growth of faith, the growth of their spirit and which will enable them finally to come into that great Kingdom of God.