“We Become One Body Because We Share One Bread”

It was just a few weeks ago that our Diocese celebrated a historical day: we opened the doors of our Corpus Christi Cathedral, consecrated its new altar, and I, your Bishop, took formal possession of this cathedral church. And it happened on the day of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi. The words of the Lord in the Gospel reading of that Feast Day are especially powerful: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).

These sacred words invite us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Eucharist, the greatest gift Christ left to his Church. God has a constant desire to nourish and sustain His people. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites that the Lord led them through the desert for forty years, humbling them, testing them, and feeding them with manna, a food unknown to their fathers, so that they may learn that “one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Mt 4:4). 
That same God continues to feed us today, not with manna but with the true bread from heaven, His own Body and Blood. Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians reminds us that the bread we break and the cup we bless (see 1 Cor 10:16) are our participation in the Body and Blood of Christ, and that though we are many, we become one body because we share the one bread. In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises with unmistakable clarity that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in Him, and He in them, and will have eternal life (cf. Jn 6:54).

These are not merely beautiful words; they are the very foundation of our faith and the source of our unity as a Diocesan family. The cathedral is where these promises are most visibly fulfilled for the entire Diocese of Corpus Christi. It is our Mother Church, the spiritual home from which the faith has been nourished, celebrated, and sent forth for more than a century. Within these sacred walls, generations of bishops have preached the Word of God with courage and fidelity; priests and deacons have been ordained; the young have been confirmed; converts have been welcomed into the Church; and marriages have been blessed, sins have been forgiven, and souls have been committed to the mercy of God at the end of their earthly journey. 

Clergy and religious have served in these places, and thousands upon thousands of the lay faithful have been embraced by this Mother Church through the sacraments, prayer, and the quiet daily witness of Christian life.

As I entered the doors and took possession of the Cathedral, I did so not as an administrator but as a shepherd who receives from Christ the care of this living family: you, the beloved people of God in South Texas. It gave me great joy to be welcomed by my predecessors, Bishop Emeritus Michael Mulvey and Bishop Emeritus Edmond Carmody, and by my brother priests. They led me to the cathedra, a true sign of communion, continuity, and unity.
The Cathedral now has a side chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, our patroness. She watches over this diocese with motherly love. Under her protective mantle, this local church was born and has grown through many challenges and blessings. She who appeared as the Mother of the true God continues to point us to her Son, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. May her intercession help us remain close to the Eucharist, to the Eucharistic heart of Jesus, and to live as her faithful children.

I entrust this new chapter in the life of our cathedral and our diocese to the powerful intercession of the Saints whose relics now rest within the new altar. We placed there the relics of Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595), the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, whose joyful and contagious love for the Eucharist inspired countless souls to return to the sacraments.

The second relic belongs to Saint José Sánchez del Río (1913-1928), the young Mexican martyr who gave his life at age 14 during the Cristero War in Mexico. He reminds us that the Eucharist is worth every sacrifice. We also placed a third relic of Blessed Stanley Rother (1935-1981), the Oklahoma priest and missionary who laid down his life for the poor and for the faith, showing us that the love we receive in the Eucharist must be poured out in service to others. May the witness of these Saints strengthen all of us to live the mystery we celebrate with greater fidelity, courage, and joy. 

After this Feast Day so dear to us as the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the Consecration of the United States of America to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, may the fire of Christ’s love be enkindled more deeply in every parish, mission, and home throughout the diocese, so that we may become living witnesses of His love in our families, our community, and our world. May the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ keep us united, protect this diocese, and lead us all to eternal life.