Archdiocese of Indianapolis 175th Anniversary Mass
New! See special news section about this event below
The Archdiocese’s 175th Anniversary Celebration will culminate with a Mass at 3 p.m. on May 3, 2009 at the Lucas Oil Stadium. Everyone is welcome! We expect as many as 30,000 people to attend. Nineteen bishops and abbots will be participating including Cardinal George from Chicago.
Please encourage people in your parishes to attend and ask them to spread the word among their friends. In addition to thanking God for 175 years of blessings on our Archdiocese, we hope that Catholics who may not be active will see this as an opportunity to reconnect with their faith. We also hope that people with no Church home may be inspired to come and learn more about the Catholic faith.
Please use this information for any parish bulletin announcements or speaking points for talking to parishioners. We will be sending more information soon that can be used in parish bulletins. Also, don’t forget all of the 175th Anniversary resources on the archdiocesan website at www.archindy.org. A special supplement with more details about the Mass and helpful information, including a map of downtown Indianapolis, will be published in The Criterion in late April.
The doors to the stadium will open to the public at 1 p.m. Choirs will perform before the Mass starting at 1:30 p.m. We will also be showing videos that will highlight the history of the Archdiocese before the Mass. The Mass will begin promptly at 3 p.m. and should last roughly two hours.
This Mass will be similar to the Great Jubilee Mass we held in 2000. Staff from the Catholic Center have been in contact with parish staff members for the past several months working on the details.
Confirmation -- About 2,800 youth and adults will be confirmed at the Mass. For more information call Ken Ogorek, Director of Catechesis, at 317-236-1446 or e-mail him at kogorek@archindy.org.
First Communion – We will be recognizing the children who made their first Communion this year. Two first communicants from each parish will take part in the procession. All additional first communicants are invited to attend the 175th Anniversary Mass and sit with their families. For more information call Kathy Mears, Associate Director of Schools, in the Office of Catholic Education at 317-946-9405 or e-mail her at kmears@archindy.org.
Golden Wedding Jubilee – The 175th Anniversary Mass will replace the Golden Wedding Jubilee Mass normally held in September at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral for both 2008 and 2009. For more information contact David Bethuram, Associate Executive Director, in Catholic Charities and Family Ministries at 317-236-1530 or e-mail him at dbethuram@archindy.org.
Special Criterion news section
Click on any of the links below to learn more about the 175th Anniversary Mass: