Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in Santa Clarita honored local first responders during a special mass on Saturday evening.
Bishop Gerald Wilkerson began the service, while Saint Kateri Pastor Vaughn Winters delivered the main sermon. There to also recognize first responders were Pastor Craig Cox from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Newhall, and Associate Pastor Marko Rudela from St. Clare of Assisi Church in Canyon Country.
“We are delighted to be with you here today to celebrate the Eucharist,” said Wilkerson to start. “And as the three parishes here in Santa Clarita Valley honor our first responders, we welcome them in a very special way, and I’m sure that there are some of them not able to be here today because they are on call or on duty, but we want them to know of our appreciation, of our love, of our support, and in a very special way of our prayers for them in the service that they give to each and every one of us.”
During Winters’ sermon, he spoke about Jesus Christ as the “suffering servant” who gave his life by dying on the cross to save and give eternal life to all, and how so many people don’t often think about or want to relate to Jesus as that suffering servant. Winters spoke of what Jesus told his disciples.
“‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me,’” Winters said, citing Jesus’ words. “We all need to take up our cross. And thinking about our first responders in all these various ways, those who are active, and in the past — those who are retired — they take up their cross each and every day in serving us.”
Winters went on to share further words from Jesus to his disciples, which were that whoever loses his life for his sake will, in the end, save it.
“Our first responders,” Winters said, “take these words literally every day that they take up their cross and get up and go out to the community to serve us.”
Later in the evening, Wilkerson spoke again to the congregation, sharing a story that related to what people in uniform might feel on a regular basis. The story he told was about a family that had just finished dinner.
“The mother,” Wilkerson said, “says to little Johnny — he’s 7 or 8 years old — and she says to Johnny, ‘Go out to the back porch and get me the broom because I want to clean up.’ And he says, ‘Mom,’ he says, ‘You know, I’m afraid of the dark, and it’s really dark out there. I can’t go out there.’ ‘Johnny, go out to the back porch and get me the broom.’ ‘Mom, I just cannot do that.’ ‘Johnny, you know that Jesus is everywhere. He’ll be with you, nothing to worry about, go out now and get me the broom.’ So finally, Johnny reluctantly goes to the back door, he opens the back door about this much, and he says, ‘Jesus, if you’re out there, would you hand me the broom?’”
The story got a laugh, then Wilkerson said he feels first responders probably experience the same thing in their work lives, wondering if Jesus is there with them in times of struggle and tragedy.
“As priests, from time to time, we face that ourselves, and, you know, we say, ‘How do I find Jesus in this tragedy?’” Wilkerson said. “But I think that’s why Father Vaughn’s words are so important. If we’re going to do and be who we’re called to be, we really have to be spiritual, really have to know the Lord, really have to be one with the Lord and say, ‘Lord, I don’t have an answer to this, but I give it to you.’”
Toward the end of the service, first responders — those active and retired — came up to the altar, and Wilkerson blessed their badges. The congregation stood and applauded. They did so for quite some time.
In the courtyard outside the church following the mass, parishioners expressed their gratitude to the many in uniform, thanking them for what they do on a daily basis, for taking up their crosses, as Winters had suggested. The first responders accepted the church’s graciousness. And then they were on their way, back out into the community to serve.
