SAN ANTONIO • A blessing of the renovated St. Joseph Chapel at the Catholic chancery by Archbishop Patrick F. Flores was held the evening of Dec. 13, the memorial of St. Lucy, and televised live by Catholic Television of San Antonio.
Archbishop Flores consecrated the reconfigured worship space with a blessing and the sprinkling of holy water following the singing of the gathering hymn.
In his homily at the eucharistic celebration, the archbishop said he and fellow chancery employees gathered with hearts full of gratitude. “The chapel is a source of joy and pride for all of us,” said Archbishop Flores. “We thank the Lord and ask the Lord to bless all who gave talent, time and money.”
While thanking God, the archbishop said he would continue to ask God for special graces, and he asked attendees and his television audience to ponder their graces.

“All of us have the same beginnings as Jesus did. He had the simplest, poorest site for his birth. But even though he started in a stable, look at what has happened around the world. He has been followed for 20 centuries,” exclaimed Archbishop Flores.
He continued, “All of us could learn a lesson from these humble beginnings. That is, to get a sense of hope. The first settlers to San Antonio celebrated Mass beside a river. We’re not about buildings, but the people who build buildings with the help of God.”
The archbishop told of attending a celebration in Panna Maria the previous Saturday which marked the 150th anniversary of Polish immigration to the archdiocese. The Immaculate Conception Parish community began by celebrating a Christmas night Mass under a tree, and the settlers took two years to construct their first church.
Although praising the fact that faith and development has continued to take place, the Alamo city prelate challenged listeners to serve others better. “We might know a lot, but we have a lot more to learn,” he emphasized.

The archbishop asked all who visit the chancery to spend a few minutes in the chapel in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and a portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom he called the greatest evangelizer of the Americas.
“During the first 10 years of Franciscan ministry in the Americas, they baptized very few people, but 10 years after the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac more than 10 million Indians had been baptized,” he claimed.
The San Antonio spiritual shepherd concluded by saying that he has been a priest for 49 years, and that there is much more to do in ministry today then ever before. “Evangelization is needed by couples and families. As long as there is work to do we should only sleep six or seven hours a night and spend the rest of the time doing the work of the Lord,” he smiled to laughter from those gathered. “We should be all about evangelization, a shower of blessings.”