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bishop braxton to celebrate 40 years of service

This spring Bishop Edward K. Braxton will celebrate a number of milestones in his ministry, including his 40th anniversary as a priest. He was ordained a priest on May 13, 1970, by His Eminence, John Cardinal Cody, Archbishop of Chicago. His 40th anniversary will be Thursday May 13, 2010, Ascension Thursday. He was ordained a Bishop on May 17, 1995, the anniversary of his First Mass by His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali, then Archbishop of St. Louis. His 15th anniversary as a Bishop will be Saturday, May 17, 2010. He was installed as 8th Bishop of Belleville on June 22, 2005. His 5th anniversary will be Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

Ordinarily, the Bishop would celebrate his 40th ordination with the priests of the Diocese celebrating 25th, 40th, and 50th anniversaries. However, none of the priests are celebrating major anniversaries this year. The Bishop will return to his home Archdiocese of Chicago on his actual anniversary, May 13 for a Mass of Thanksgiving with his classmates. The Bishop will mark his ordination anniversaries in Rome, while participating in the close of Pope Benedict XVI’s “Year of the Priest.” He will join fellow Bishops and Priests at a special Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican concelebrating with the Holy Father.

In order to avoid significant expenditures on the part of the Diocese, the Bishop has decided to commemorate these anniversaries as a part of certain already scheduled events.

The first event was the Chrism Mass, which was celebrated on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at 11:30 a.m., at the Cathedral of St. Peter. A large number of priests and representatives from almost every parish were present. The second event will be the Priesthood Ordination which will be celebrated on Saturday, May 22, 2010, 10:30 a.m., at the Cathedral of St. Peter. No invitations are required. All are welcome to attend the Ordination and join the Bishop in praying for vocations to the priesthood. The third event will be the Mass of Thanksgiving for couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, wedding anniversaries on Sunday June 20, 2010, the Cathedral of St. Peter at 2 p.m. All are welcome. The final regularly scheduled event will be the Annual June Parishioners Appreciation Reception at Bishop’s Residence on Sunday, June 27, 2010, at 2 p.m. All are welcome.

Commenting on these milestones, Bishop Braxton said, “I am happy to be marking these key moments in my life and ministry in a year that our Holy Father has designated the “Year of the Priest”, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Baptiste Marie Vianny, patron saint of parish priests. My life has had a moving view point taking me to many diverse places. While each setting has been quite different, I have always found a meaningful experience of the Priesthood in each setting. It is a great grace and blessing to serve the Church as Priest and Bishop. While I have certainly had my share of unhappy days in my life as a priest, I have never experienced even one day that I was unhappy that I was a priest. Please pray that the Lord who began a good work in me will bring it to fulfillment. Please pray for vocations to the priesthood as well.”