Bishop to celebrate Mass on Vigil of Pentecost

By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger

On the Vigil of Pentecost, Bishop Thomas Zinkula will celebrate Mass livestreamed from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Davenport. The Mass will begin at 4:30 p.m. on May 30 and will be available for viewing on the parish’s Facebook page.

The bishop had hoped to celebrate a public, diocesan-wide event to acknowledge parishes’ Vision 20/20 initiatives to share the joy of the Gospel, but the coronavirus pandemic required postponement of the June 14 public gathering and liturgy.

Consulting with the Vision 20/20 Steering Committee, Bishop Zinkula decided to do the next best thing. He will celebrate a virtual Mass, reflecting during his homily on how to keep the flame of Vision 20/20 lighted in the midst of a pandemic. Vision 20/20 calls the people of the diocese to “a revitalization of our faith and a renewal of grace in the spirit of Pentecost,” the bishop said. “Now, more than ever, we need Vision 20/20.” In this time of the coronavirus, “There’s opportunity for evangelization, guided by the Holy Spirit, to spread the Good News.”

The Church celebrates the memory of the Pentecost event each year “as the beginning of the ‘new age of the Church,’ when Christ lives and acts in and with his Church.” The Holy Spirit makes present the mystery of Christ (the Catechism of the Catholic Church).

Vision 20/20 works through the Holy Spirit to reach out to people in creative ways, to instill in them faith, hope and love, the bishop said. “That’s what Pentecost is all about.”

Bishop Zinkula chose to celebrate the Vigil of Pentecost Sunday at St. Paul the Apostle because he celebrated the Easter Triduum there, with livestreamed liturgies. The parish has experience with live streaming liturgies, prayer services and other activities.

The Mass is being celebrated on the Vigil rather than on Pentecost Sunday because the bishop hopes to encourage people to watch livestreamed or recorded liturgies from their own parishes to maintain a connection with their faith communities.

He plans to record a two-minute video that captures the heart of his homily message to share with the parishes for their virtual Pentecost Sunday Masses.

Seven weeks will have passed since Bishop Zinkula celebrated the Easter Triduum at St. Paul the Apostle. “I want to reconnect with the people of our diocese,” he said.