175th Anniversary Mass

A message from Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

In just over a week, the Church in southern and central Indiana will gather for the 175th Anniversary Jubilee Mass to give thanks to God for the many graces and blessings he has bestowed upon our archdiocese during the past 175 years. Excitement is building throughout the archdiocese. Join us for this historic event. All are invited!

Our celebration will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 3, at 3 p.m. The stadium is the largest facility available in our archdiocese, and we wanted to have room for everyone who wants to attend. During our gathering, we will celebrate the Eucharist and honor our first communicants of this Easter season. The sacrament of confirmation will be administered to nearly 3,000 young people, a nuptial blessing will be given to all married couples present, religious in the archdiocese who are celebrating jubilee anniversaries will be recognized, and we will all pray to the Holy Spirit to give us all the grace to carry out the evangelizing mission of the Church.

This Jubilee Mass is the culmination of our celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. We trace the history of the archdiocese back to the establishment of the Diocese of Vincennes on May 6, 1834, by Pope Gregory XVI. This is a perfect time for us to gather as the Church in central and southern Indiana and to experience the unity we share as sisters and brothers in the Lord. It is also a graced time, a time for us to witness to the larger community how the Good News of Jesus Christ has changed our lives and made us a hope-filled people.

Please make plans now to join me, 19 bishops and abbots from across the country and priests from our archdiocese who will be assisting in celebrating confirmation, and all clergy, religious and laity of our local Church as we gather as one family to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Together, let us thank God for the

extraordinary blessings our archdiocese has received and invoke the power of the Holy Spirit to help us reach out to inactive Catholics and to those who have no church home.

I look forward to being with you on May 3.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Rev. Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B.
Archbishop of Indianapolis