Bishop Dennis Walsh carries the “Vocation Monstrance,” blessed by St. John Paul II, during a Corpus Christi procession in Grinnell June 7. Also pictured, second from left, is Father Dominic Nguyen, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Grinnell and St. Patrick Parish in Brooklyn.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
GRINNELL — Earlier this month, St. Mary Parish in Grinnell hosted a Corpus Christi Mass, procession and consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Bishop Dennis Walsh presiding. The presence of a “Vocations Monstrance,” blessed by St. John Paul II just days before his death, made the event even more memorable.
The former pope blessed one “Vocations Monstrance” for each of the six major continents at the start of the Year of the Eucharist in 2004, designating each for Eucharistic adoration for vocations. The monstrance traveled to 45 dioceses in the U.S. and Canada between 2005-06 and is now available to travel to parishes, upon request, under the supervision of Serra International’s USA council.
Father Dominic Nguyen, pastor of St. Mary Parish-Grinnell and St. Patrick Parish-Brooklyn, said he first heard of the monstrance last year while serving at parishes in the Burlington area.
Eager to bring the monstrance to the diocese for the first time in recent memory — possibly ever — Father Nguyen contacted Serra’s U.S. council headquarters in Chicago. He learned it would be available on June 7, 2026 — the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — and reserved it with the intention of hosting a Eucharistic procession. He assumed it would take place in Burlington, but plans changed after he was assigned pastor of the Grinnell and Brooklyn parishes last July.
Father Nguyen saw an opportunity to tie in another significant event with the procession — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The USSCB has encouraged parishes around the country to join the bishops in consecrating the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The priest invited Bishop Walsh to lead the procession and consecration. He happened to be available, and offered to preside at Masses in Brooklyn and Grinnell that morning, as well. Father Nguyen prepared the parish for the big day by leading a Corpus Christi novena online. “We also had the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition at our church for two weeks leading up to Corpus Christi, and I gave brief presentations on Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist after our daily Masses during those two weeks,” he said.
Bringing the monstrance to Iowa
The monstrance is typically used for holy hours for vocations, but can be reserved for other prayerful celebrations, as well, said Bill McAfoos, a member of the St. Serra Club of Davenport. “These monstrances are available to different pastors for different reasons,” he explained. “There’s not a really hard and fast rule.”
Local Serrans are responsible for ensuring the monstrance arrives safely at each destination, McAfoos said. The monstrance, enclosed in its protective hard case, is heavily padded and placed in a secure package for FedEx or UPS to deliver. Serra International pays the cost of the shipping and $10,000 insurance coverage.
A Serran from Nebraska shipped the monstrance to McAfoos in late May. He handed it to Father Nguyen June 6 while the priest was in Davenport for Father Alfonso Pizano’s ordination Mass. It was McAfoos’s first time serving as a “hand-off” person, and possibly the monstrance’s first trip to the Davenport Diocese. The Catholic Messenger archives have no record of it coming to southeast Iowa.
Bishop Dennis Walsh offers a prayer of consecration at the end of a Eucharistic procession in Grinnell June 7.
The big day
Bishop Walsh spoke about the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ during his homily in Grinnell on June 7, sharing a “legendary story from the art world” about a stained glass window that reveals its true beauty when the sun shines through it. “Today … we celebrate that we, too, are designed to be illuminated from within,” he said. “Left to ourselves, we can become cold, dull and darkened by the struggles of the world. But today, Jesus offers us his very self so that his divine light can shine through us.” After Mass, the bishop placed the Eucharist in the monstrance for exposition and led the congregation in the Diocesan Prayer for Vocations.
There were concerns that wet weather might cast a shadow on the much-anticipated procession that was to follow. “The weather forecast was not great at all for that weekend,” Father Nguyen said. “Before the big day, (we asked) God for favorable weather, safety, and especially a spiritual encounter with Jesus for all who would join us for the day.”
Waking up to rain “was such a disappointment given all of the hard work, mostly by Father Dominic, that went into planning the procession,” said parishioner Sharon Mealey. “I should have had more faith that our prayers would be answered, as the rain stopped by the end of Mass so we could proceed as planned.”
Bishop Walsh covered his hands with the ends of a liturgical shawl called a humeral veil and picked up the Vocations Monstrance. He led the faithful outdoors for a prayerful, song-filled procession around the block. The walk concluded at the church steps, where Bishop Walsh offered the prayer of consecration.
The event concluded with lunch in the parish hall, served by about 20-30 volunteers from the Grinnell and Brooklyn parishes. The camaraderie throughout the event was touching, Mealey said. “Seeing so many volunteers that agreed to take on roles, from the first communicants and servers to the Mary statue, canopy, and banner carriers warmed my heart.”
McAfoos, who was unable to attend the event in Grinnell, drove to town the next morning to overnight ship the monstrance to Dallas. The deadline was tight, but McAfoos received word from Serrans in Texas that the monstrance arrived safely and on time.
Father Nguyen said, “I truly believe that everything went so well because of God’s providence and favors for our parish, through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, our patroness.”
Reserving the monstrance
The monstrance’s schedule usually books up several months in advance, depending on what date is requested, McAfoos said. “It’s really a beautiful monstrance,” he said, adding that he hopes its continued travels “help keep momentum going for, hopefully, new vocations around the country, which is our goal.”
To learn more about the monstrance or to ask about available dates, contact McAfoos at bill.mcafoos9@gmail.com or 563-940-2566.
