A Centennial Mass was celebrated at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville on Monday, August 3, with Rev. Jean Oscar Nlandu, CICM presiding. Approximately forty parishioners attended the 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.  The Centennial theme, “Courageous in Christ” was evidenced throughout the mass readings from Isaiah and from the Gospel of Mark, as well as from the homily by Father J.O.  The Prayer for the Centennial Anniversary was recited at the end of Mass by all attending. The text of Father J.O.’s homily is included below.

 

“The Gospel Is Never Meant to Remain Within the Walls of the Church.”

Every family celebrates milestones. But the value of an anniversary is measured not only by how many years have passed, but also by whether we have remained faithful to the purpose for which we began.

Today, as we celebrate one hundred years of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, we rightly give thanks for the countless priests, religious, and lay faithful whose faith, sacrifice, and missionary zeal have built up this local Church. But today’s readings invite us to ask an even deeper question: Why did God establish this local Church?

Through the prophet Isaiah, God proclaims, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” The light God gave His people was never meant to remain in Jerusalem. It was meant to shine before the nations, drawing them to the Lord.

In the Gospel, the risen Jesus entrusts that same mission to His disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel.” The Gospel is never meant to remain within the Church. It is meant to reach every family, every neighborhood, every workplace, every school, and every heart searching for hope, meaning and healing. Even after His Ascension, the Lord continued to work with His disciples, reminding us that Christ still carries out His mission through His Church today.

As we celebrate this centennial, let us give thanks not only for what God has done among us in the archdiocese of Sab Antonio, but also renew our commitment to what He continues to do through us. The Church exists not to keep the Gospel within her walls, but to bring the light of Christ to the world.

So today, let us ask ourselves: Has our Archdiocese continued to arise and shine? Have we continued to bring the Gospel beyond the walls of our churches into our homes, workplaces, schools, and communities?

Because the greatest way to honor our first one hundred years is not simply to remember them, but to recommit ourselves to continuing the mission Christ has entrusted to His Church.