St Michael Archangel Church Blessing

Rev. Robert Brucciani, 16 December 2023

And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them. And they shall be his people; and God Himself with them shall be their God. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true. And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely. (Apoc 21)

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My Dear Brethren,

These words from Chapter 21 of the Apocalypse of St. John may be admirably fitted to this ceremony of benediction of this splendid new church.

A place of perfection of individual souls

Here in this church, behold the tabernacle of God with men. Here, in this church, God as Alpha, Creator, will beget souls in grace by the sacrament of Baptism, and make souls new again by the sacrament of Penance. Here, in this building, souls in a state of grace will be further adorned as a bride for her husband by the sacraments of Confirmation and Marriage and chiefly by the greatest of the sacraments, the sacrament of Holy Communion.

God is Omega, our Omega, our finality, our perfection, and here, in this church, He will show Himself as Self-sacrificing, All-consuming Love in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and will draw souls into Himself, into Infinite Divine Love, by our worthy reception of Him in Holy Communion.

Here, in this church, is truly found “the fountain of the water of life to them that thirsteth”. The same water as promised to the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well in the gospel of St. John.

A place of perfection for society

Here, in this church, my dear brethren, refreshment is not only for individual souls, it is for the whole world. For here, in this church, we have the remedy to society’s woes.

We are living in a time of civilisational collapse more profound than the demise of Athens, and more extensive than the collapse of Rome. We are living in a time where reason counts for nothing and vice is considered virtue.

This falling, failing world will not be righted by democracy, monarchy, republicanism, or any other political system. It will not be righted by science and technology, by music and art, or by military might. It can only be righted by the incorporation of souls into Our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. St Paul’s omnia instaurare in Christo [Eph 1:10]), and this happens principally within the material edifice of a Catholic church like this.

The world will not be righted until mankind, as individuals, communities and all of society lift their minds and the hearts to God within His house — acknowledging Him to be their God, and they His people.

We give thanks

And so today, my dear faithful, let us do just this. Let us lift our minds and hearts to God in prayer to acknowledge His entire dominion over us, and especially to thank Him for giving us everything we needed to build this Church.

We thank Him for inspiring all those who played a part in its realisation:

  • the benefactors (both living and deceased) who sacrificed of their substance;
  • the architects for their enlightened vision (this edifice really is wonderful in its light and proportions, and acoustics, and simple elegance);
  • the builders and their managers (may they all become fervent Catholics!);
  • the priests and faithful who have prayed and toiled for nearly three years to realise this project.

All of you, please know that your sacrifice is your prayer. And in this building, your prayer is now written in stone.

We ask St. Michael Archangel to ever shelter this building and the souls within it from the wickedness and snares of the devil. And we beseech the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven to lovingly present every prayer offered in this Church to her Divine Son for His glory and our salvation and that of the whole world. Amen.+

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