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December 1, 2021Parishioners and visitors at Dickinson’s Queen of Peace were blessed to witness the sacred rite of the order of dedication of the altar within Mass. Bishop Kagan presided at the Nov. 6 Mass with parish clergy Msgr. Thomas Richter, Fr. Kregg Hochhalter and Deacon Leonard Krebs.
The beautiful rite within the Mass involves anointing of the altar where Bishop Kagan poured sacred chrism oil on the four corners and middle of the altar. Just prior to doing this, he recited a prayer, “May the Lord by His power sanctify this altar, which by our ministry we anoint, so that, as a visible sign, it may express the mystery of Christ, who offered Himself to the Father for the life of the world.”
After the anointing, he incensed the sanctuary saying, “Let our prayer rise, O Lord, like incense in your sight and as this house is filled with a pleasing fragrance, so let your Church be fragrant with the aroma of Christ.”
After this, ministers of the Church wiped the altar, covered it with a cloth and placed candles and an altar cross. Then, Deacon Krebs received a candle lighter from Bishop Kagan saying, “May the light of Christ shine upon the table of this altar and may those who share the Lord’s Supper shine with His light.”
Once the candles were lit by Deacon Krebs, the Mass proceeded as usual on the beautiful new altar to serve and glorify God with the sacrifice of the Mass for years to come.
—Staff report
During the dedication of the new altar at Queen of Peace in Dickinson, Bishop Kagan placed a first-class relic of three fragments of hair of St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
Gianna Beretta was born in Italy in 1922. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery, eventually specializing in pediatrics. In 1952, Gianna opened a clinic in the small town of Mesero, where she met and married Pietro Molla. Early in her final pregnancy, doctors discovered that Gianna had a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommended, which would have killed the child. Seven months later in April 1962, Gianna Emanuela Molla was born, but post-operative complications resulted in an infection for her mother. The following week Gianna died at home. She was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on April 28.
Gianna Emanuela went on to become a physician herself and resides in Italy. She personally gave the relic of her mother with a letter that read:
“I, the undersigned Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, declare the authenticity of the fragments of hair of my holy mamma, placed in the little reliquary with my seal. I make a gift of it to Msgr. Thomas Richter, pastor of Queen of Peace Parish in Dickinson, ND, USA, so that these precious relics of my mamma the saint can be placed in the new altar of the parish.”
Some information provided by franciscanmedia.org.