For the first time in more than a century, the Eucharist, which Catholics consider the embodiment of Jesus Christ, was removed from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday.
In an elaborate procession, church officials took the cathedral’s golden vessel containing the Eucharist, or consecrated communion host, into the light of day for the first time since the church was built in 1889.
Sacramento Bishop William K. Weigand removed the Eucharist in preparation for the first major renovation in the church’s 114-year history. Construction on the $30 million project begins today.
“Pardon the Elvis pun, but God has left the building,” said Marcos Espitia while holding his 1-year-old son, Marcos Alejandro, after Sunday’s Mass. “It’s not just an empty building (now), it pretty much has no soul.”
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I am a little nervous about the renovation of the Cathedral, but the interior was already loused up in the 70’s. Bishop Weigand is a pretty good bishop, so I doubt that we will be seeing really goofy stuff. It is a shame, however that the first instinct towards a renovation is one of dread. Structurally the Cathedral needs a lot of work, though.
Quite right Erik. It is hard to imagine it emerging any worse for it.