January 14, 2020 // Bishop
‘Cor Jesu’ young adults celebrate ministry’s first year
For a year, tens of young adults from the Fort Wayne area have met for a weekly evening of eucharistic adoration, reconciliation, benediction and Mass. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, Cor Jesu, as the ministry is called, celebrated the anniversary of its first gathering.
The group hopes to connect the Summit City’s many pockets of young Catholics to each other.
They meet at St. John the Baptist Church. Throughout Cor Jesu’s inaugural year, attendance increased steadily, something leader Isabella Durán-Price hopes will continue in 2020.
On the anniversary, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades offered the sacrament of reconciliation during eucharistic adoration. He then celebrated Mass before socializing with the growing ministry.
Click here to read bishop’s homily.
“It’s so good to be with you this evening as we approach the final days of the Christmas season, and especially happy to be here for the first anniversary of the Cor Jesu adult group,” he said to the young Catholics at the beginning of Mass. “I pray that the Lord will bless you in this new year and that more young adults will be drawn closer to Christ through praise.”
Later, the bishop commended the group for making a weekday Mass feel like a “solemn Sunday Mass.” He and St. John the Baptist parochial vicar Father Patrick Hake joined in the food, music and colorful birthday party hats provided for the occasion. Those celebrating took advantage of the opportunity for fellowship and discussion, an indication that Cor Jesu’s mission of building a citywide community of young Catholics may continue successfully into its second year.
Cor Jesu (pronounced Core Yay-soo) takes its name from the Latin for “Heart of Jesus.” Its liturgy also uses Latin segments in conjunction with Novus Ordo, the post-Vatican II form of the Mass, which seems to contribute to the solemn atmosphere that attracts many young people.
The group’s mission statement says that the phrase “Cor Jesu” “points us towards the real heart of flesh of Jesus. There is a close connection between the Eucharist and the Heart of Jesus, for in the Eucharist our Lord is physically present.”
The group also offers a guide at each gathering that includes advice on how to practice “Lectio Divina,” or “divine reading,” and explains the four-step “ARRR” method of relational prayer: acknowledge, relate, receive and respond. The guide also provides an extensive examination of conscience for the sacrament of reconciliation.
“In naming this event ‘Cor Jesu’, we want to be able to give you the opportunity to lay your own head on the heart of Jesus and hear his heart beating for you,” the mission statement also says.
All meetings of Cor Jesu begin at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate, but a particular invitation is extended to young adults. For more information, find the group on Facebook under @CorJesuFortWayne and on Instagram at @corjesu.fw.
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