His Eminence, Cardinal Edward M. Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York celebrated Holy Mass at the New York Encounter on Jan. 20 with residents of the City and those visiting for the three day event held at the Hammerstein Ballroom, becoming one of the highlights of the weekend. Although the theme of the New York Encounter was “Experiencing Freedom” worldwide, Cardinal Egan’s message within his homily was to engage in the heart of our community, and experience the parish.
The goal of the New York Encounter is to “discover, affirm, and offer to everyone truly human expressions of the desire for truth, beauty and justice, uniting people of different beliefs, traditions and reciprocal understanding, mutual building and true friendship.” At the core of the NYE is faith, the Catholic tradition as evident by the beautiful exhibits, artwork, history and speakers spreading the word of Jesus and the heart of the religion.
With a commanding voice, Cardinal Egan addressed the faithful with reverence, speaking to a room packed for Holy Mass, asking worshipers to support their local parishes any way they can. His Eminence explained that although the leaders of the Church are an important aspect of our religion, the parish is imperative in forming the faith of the individual and when the communities fail, the Church crumbles.
The Choir of Communion and Liberation under the direction of Christopher Vath with cantor Lucy Zepeda provided the angelic music to Cardinal Egan’s Holy Mass, truly making this one of the highlights of the New York Encounter.
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Deirdre Haggerty, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission and consent from the author or Clarity Digital Group LLC, DBA Examiner.com.
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