CROWN POINT – Perhaps no aspect of the Catholic faith is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. The Church teaches, however, that guardian angels accompany all people throughout their lives. Bishop Robert J. McClory expressed this belief and others as he celebrated the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on Oct. 2 with students and families of St. Mary Catholic Community School.
At the beginning of Mass, student Ella Okoroafor took to the lectern to announce, “Today, we celebrate the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, patrons of the Diocese of Gary. We are reminded of God’s loving care and the angels who guide and protect us. May we always trust in God's love and seek His guidance in all that we do.”
Okoroafor continued, “As we celebrate this Mass, let us open our hearts to God's word, receive His grace, and carry His love with us throughout the coming week.”
In his opening remarks, Bishop McClory told the students, “Today's a great day to be with you. As we learned in the opening announcements, today is a special day. The patron saints of the Diocese of Gary are the Holy Angels, so we come here today grateful that the Lord sent us his angels.”
During the homily, the bishop asked the students to share their definition of an angel. The students described angels as heavenly beings to whom they can pray, often portrayed with wings yet invisible to those living on earth.
“These are all very good, excellent answers,” Bishop McClory said. “They really apply to everything we know about angels. Angels are spiritual beings, which means they don't have bodies like us, but they surround us, and they guide us. We also know that they praise and worship God. And throughout the scriptures we see the active presence of the angels.”
Bishop McClory then shared a conversation he remembered having with a priest while he was in the seminary. He and the other seminarians once asked the priest whether he was ever lonely, and he responded, saying, “I'm never alone. I have God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have Mary, the Blessed Virgin, who is always with me. And I have my guardian angel. So, I have five people with me. I’m never alone.”
The bishop also pointed to a passage from the Gospel that affirms the presence of angels. Reading from the Gospel, he said, “I promise you that there are angels always with my Father in heaven.”
Bishop McClory called it “an amazing thing to think about” that “God wants us to know his love. God wants us to know we have a guardian angel, and we can pray that our guardian angel guides us and leads us.”
“It’s a sign of the goodness of God,” the bishop said. “He loves us so much that He doesn’t want to leave us. He wants to guard us, lead us. He wants us not to feel alone and know that the presence of God is always with us in our guardian angels.”
Assistant Principal Bea Kozlowski said it was a special opportunity to have Bishop McClory at the school and celebrate Mass with the students.
“It’s nice just to enjoy the beautiful day with him,” she said.
Student Lyla Finn helped pass out and collect worship aids among her classmates for Mass. The eighth grader called the service a very cool experience and said it was great for the students to hear from Bishop McClory. When asked what she took away from the homily, she said, “How our guardian angels are always with us.”
Teacher Jillian Borozan said she felt the enthusiasm of those gathered for the liturgy. The fourth-grade teacher commented that the staff and students were excited to be together with the bishop.
“This was a good way to kick off October,” Borozan said.
