Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning said his experience at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July had a profound effect on him. He will likely refer to that event and try to replicate some of the atmosphere when he delivers the keynote address at the Diocese of Wilmington’s Eucharistic Congress on Oct. 5 in Ocean City, Md.
The archbishop-elect, who will soon be leaving the Diocese of Providence, R.I., for the Archdiocese of Boston, has a background in Scripture studies, and that is going to be evident in his talk at the Ocean City convention center, he said in a recent phone interview.
“What I’d like to do is to kind of offer a scriptural view of the central place of the Eucharist in God’s plan for salvation and in the life of the church,” he said.
He will point to a number of stories from Scripture. In particular, Archbishop-elect Henning said he will rely heavily on the Book of Genesis, the theology of St. Paul and the Gospel of John.
He has referred to the eucharistic congress in Indianapolis as “a beginning, not an end.” He will try to convey some of what he experienced there to the audience in Ocean City. Indianapolis was never intended “to be the end of the story,” the archbishop-elect said.
Archbishop-elect Henning wrote in the Rhode Island Catholic that the experience in Indianapolis was hard to describe, but that he was left with “a deep sense of joy, gratitude and love.”
“There were great speakers, of course,” he told The Dialog. “But those speakers talk at lots of gatherings.
“This was something more, and I think the reason it was something more is because it was not primarily focused on the talks. It was focused on the worship of the Lord and the celebration of the Eucharist and in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.”
Photo: Laura Kilgus, Rhode Island Catholic
Archbishop-elect Henning said the national congress reminded him of sunflowers. Immature sunflowers tend to track the sun across the sky.
“As the Eucharist entered Lucas Oil Stadium, as the procession passed around the floor, everyone in that place was just riveted on the Eucharist, and they all turned toward it as it moved. It reminded me of that idea of turning toward the sun. There was a real beauty to it,” he said.
The archbishop-elect accepted the invitation of Bishop Koenig to speak at the diocesan congress. The two have known each other since Archbishop-elect Henning was a seminarian for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, also Bishop Koenig’s home diocese. He taught Scripture at Immaculate Conception Seminary on Long Island for many years and has extensive experience in priestly formation.
His friendship with Bishop Koenig is not his only connection to the Diocese of Wilmington. The bishop of Rockville Centre, Bishop John Barres, was ordained for the Diocese of Wilmington and served here for many years. In Providence, one of his predecessors is the late Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, who served as the seventh bishop of Wilmington from 1985-95.
The bishop’s chapel in Providence is named in Bishop Mulvee’s memory, and Archbishop-elect Henning said he wears one of Bishop Mulvee’s pectoral crosses. That was given to him by Bishop Barres.
There was a bit of uncertainty about Archbishop-elect Henning’s visit to the Eastern Shore after he was named to succeed Cardinal Sean O’Malley in Boston until the date of his installation was announced. That had to be delayed a few weeks and is scheduled for Oct. 31.
“(The eucharistic congress) is an important commitment,” he said. “I wouldn’t have canceled unless there was a conflict with the installation.”
He is looking forward to spending the day in Ocean City and said he hopes to be able to stay to concelebrate the closing Mass in the afternoon.
“It’s going to be a nice experience, an uplifting one, for the Diocese of Wilmington,” he said. “It will not be about what I say or what anyone else says. The real piece in here is people gathered together and really place their trust in the Lord Jesus.”
