According to Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, he wears his red vestments – following Pope Francis’s recommendation —when he is dressing for some special events. On Sept. 16, he donned his red robes for St. Mary's School of Piscataway’s 60th Anniversary Mass and spoke to the students on the significance of Catholics remembering the sacrifice martyrs made for the faith.
About 200 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attended the Mass celebrated by Cardinal Gregory.
During his homily, the cardinal explained that he was dressed in red vestments to commemorate the Feast Day of St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian.
“A pope and a bishop, [St. Cornelius and Cyprian] happened to be friends,” Cardinal Gregory said. “I am fortunate enough to know Pope Francis, and I’d even be bold enough to say we’re friends, and when he made me a cardinal, he told me I have to wear red when I get really dressed up, not just on feast days of martyrs.”
St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian were Christians from the third century who lived through Emperor Decius, whose orders were to have all Christians killed if they did not apostatize from their faith.
“Red is the color of martyrs, it’s the color of blood, and St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian both shed their blood as martyrs for the faith,” Cardinal Gregory said.
The cardinal went on to explain how many Catholics are not required to put their lives on the line to demonstrate faith in a life-or-death circumstance. He noted, “Our belief in Jesus Christ risen from the dead is so important that we would be willing to give up our lives for that faith, but most of us have to live our faith in ordinary ways, by being good students, by being good, devoted teachers, by being good, devoted parents and grandparents each and every day.”
Cardinal Gregory went on to explain how St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian were concerned about Church unity and how the Church is most successful when presented as a united front.
After Communion, Cardinal Gregory blessed the students.
Lynsie Reavis, the principal of St. Mary’s School of Piscataway, said there is a lot to look forward to in the school’s 60th year, as they continue to grow and focus on expanding their programs.
“We split our pre-K this year, so now we have a room of pre-K3s and a room of pre-K4s, which is pretty big, and this is the biggest we’ve been I think since I’ve been here for the past 14 years,” Reavis said, noting that the school now has 204 students. “So just to see more smiling faces and more families coming to St. Mary’s, so that’s going to be our big thing this year.”
Reavis said that the school is celebrating 60 years with one event a month. The cardinal’s Mass was September’s event, and in October they will host their annual Fall Family Festival.
“[St. Mary’s] is a family, it’s a home, so everybody knows each other, and I’m really excited for this year of growth,” Reavis said.
