Father Steve Hoyt celebrates Mass, leads Corpus Christi procession on 30th anniversary of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in High Point
HIGH POINT — Joyful devotees of the Eucharist gathered June 2 at Pennybyrn retirement community to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
The feast, with roots in the 13th century, celebrates Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, and coincides with the first day of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at the High Point retirement community 30 years ago this June.
Father Steve Hoyt, Pennybyrn chaplain, offered the Mass, with concelebrant Father Jim Solari and Deacons Francis Skinner and David King assisting.
The rain held out for the Eucharistic procession, a longtime tradition of the feast. Father Hoyt led approximately 150 people around the courtyard with a beautiful statue of Jesus presiding over the scene. It was the second time the community held the celebration since the pandemic temporarily closed the Adoration Chapel in 2020.
Resident Sandra Malkovsky, who has lived in the community for six years, says this was her third Corpus Christi celebration at Pennybyrn.
“It's exciting to do because it brings everybody together. People show up who don't come up regularly,” she said. “We can bring a lot of people with the wheelchairs, and it's just a little thing around the garden, but it's something special.”
In his homily, Father Hoyt highlighted the things that keep us from being open to the Lord Presence – pleasure, power and possessions.
“These are typical temptations that try to replace God in our life, and that's where Jesus says, ‘Well, you know, I'm not into that. I didn't come to offer you that. I actually came to save you from that.’”
He also talked about the intimacy of sharing a meal with someone and the fact that Jesus gave us Himself in the Eucharist through a meal shared with His apostles.
“Now that act gives spiritual nourishment to nurture our hearts and our souls, and with this bread from heaven the Lord is feeding us,” Father Hoyt said. “He is offering us something beyond just the physical body. He's offering something that is much greater than ourselves – much greater than this world.”
The Perpetual Adoration Chapel, which is adjacent to the chapel where Mass is held at Pennybyrn, opened on Corpus Christi on June 5, 1994. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chapel closed March 14, 2020.
It took time to re-recruit people to commit to a Holy Hour, but they were able to reopen in March three years later.
Debbie Harris, who once covered the 2 a.m. time slot at the Adoration Chapel, traveled from out of town to take part in the Corpus Christi celebration this year. She remarked on the holiness that pervades the Eucharistic Adoration chapel.
“You should know that Jesus is present,” she said. “If you ever go to the Adoration Chapel, there's lots of company there. He doesn't go anywhere without His angels.”
Sister Lucy Hennessy, S.M.G., mission leader and chairperson of Pennybyrn’s board of directors, said she was pleased to be able to hold the Corpus Christi celebration again.
“In a very small way, we hope what we did today celebrating the Solemnity of Corpus Christi gave glory to the Lord because that is what it is about,” she said. “We appreciate the people coming, and we continue to hope that their lives will be deepened, and their faith will be deepened as a result of being here and loving the Lord in the Holy Eucharist. We thank them all.”
The Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God founded the retirement community in 1947. In 2022, they transferred pastoral sponsorship of Pennybyrn to the Diocese of Charlotte. Pennybyrn is currently in year two of a three-year process of transitioning Father Hoyt to fully take on pastoral leadership at the retirement community. Year three begins July 1. The sisters are returning to London, after the mother house called them home after decades of service in the High Point area.
Father Hoyt’s faithfulness, care, and understanding of Pennybyrn’s charism have already been a blessing to the community, which was evident in his homily.
“It’s the Body of Christ that nurtures us in love, and the Blood of Christ that washes away our sins,” he said.
Then Father Hoyt encouraged those who love the Eucharist to be Jesus to each other and the world because in the words of St. Paul, “We become what we receive.”
— Annie Ferguson
