Bishop Kemme Blesses Renovated St. Margaret Mary Parish Sanctuary

Bishop Kemme literally went up in a lift to bless the new bells in the church’s new bell tower. After presiding over a Saturday evening vigil Mass at Wichita’s St. Margaret Mary Parish, Bishop Carl A. Kemme rode a lift high into the church’s new bell tower and blessed the bells that would soon ring out over the neighborhood, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita reported.

The ceremony capped a major expansion and renovation of the parish sanctuary, celebrated during the vigil Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints. Earlier in the liturgy, Kemme had blessed the expanded sanctuary itself, and by the Mass’s conclusion the new bells were ringing from their tower for the gathered congregation.

A Mass in Three Tongues

The first reading was proclaimed in Vietnamese, the second in Spanish, and the gospel in English, and a group of St. Margaret Mary Catholic School third graders dressed as various saints carried the gifts before returning to their seats.

In his homily, Kemme told the congregation:

“As I look out among you today, I see a reflection of what I think Heaven will be like.”

Bishop Kemme Blesses Renovated St. Margaret Mary Parish Sanctuary

He pointed to Scripture’s description of Heaven as populated by people from every race and tongue, and said the Mass demonstrated the Church’s unity in Christ.

“We come from various walks of life, different cultures and languages,” he said. “We are young and old. We are rich and poor. We are healthy. We are sick. We are God’s people, looking for him, loving him, trying to serve God in this passing world in which we find ourselves.”

Kemme said St. Margaret Mary’s vibrant cultural assortment and strong unity reflected that heavenly picture, and he emphasized the parishioners’ shared discipleship and eternal destination as saints.

“While in so many ways they seem unlike us, they are not,” he said of the saints. “Sometimes those men, women, and children experienced great struggles, experienced incredible difficulties, temptations, and even moments of weakness. But what made them saints was their willingness to allow God’s sanctifying grace to change them.”

Trials Before the Bells

St. Margaret Mary Pastor Fr. Ned Blick recounted some of the trials that preceded the evening. The parish’s organ died suddenly just two weeks before the Mass, until some social media sleuthing uncovered a replacement in Oklahoma City.

Another moment, Blick said, prompted him to smile and shake his head. Shortly after the unblessed bells were hung in the tower, the parish tested them, and as they rang for the first time, a trio of jets practicing for that weekend’s air show flew into view.

“Three Thunderbirds flew over,” he said. “Then they did a heart in the sky.”

After the Mass ended and the bells were blessed, Blick expressed his gratitude for Kemme’s willingness to climb the tower.

“I used to look up to him, but now I really look up to him,” Blick quipped. “He really came through.”

The evening closed with musicians playing as Kemme returned to the ground, the expanded church blessed, its new bells pealing, and a congregation that had gathered in three languages now sharing one celebration.