From the earliest days of Her history, Holy Mother Church has employed beautiful sacred vessels in Her liturgical ceremonies. This is an important point because the Sacred Liturgy is the primary means by which we offer worship to God, and in the course of that undertaking, are truly sanctified. The Sacred Liturgy is not primarily a tool for social animation or fraternal relationship. It is the context in which we offer fitting worship to the God who is “the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the one who is, who was, and who is to come.” In the final analysis, the wonderful social doctrine of the Church, everything we can do in our country and in the political arena to bring the realm of Christ to real brilliance and to power, all this is ultimately a consequence. A consequence that is very important and cannot be belittled if we are true disciples of the Lord, but it is still a consequence because the centrality and heart of the call of the Church is not there. The call is a liturgy. The call is the foremost and grandest liturgical act ever. The call is the sacrifice of the cross that is perpetuated on our altars.
Liturgy done properly and done well (with reverence, artistic grace, and making use of the most appropriate vessels and vestments) places us, interiorly, in a disposition to offer fitting and true worship to God and to be inspired with a spirit of humble adoration and contrition thereby creating a fertile ground for prayer and penance. The vessels used for the Eucharistic celebration should always arouse wonder in the presence of the beauty that leads one's whole being to adore the glory of the Lord.
The chalice is the sacred vessel used at the Mass which contains the Blood of our Lord. Oftentimes, priests have their own chalice, and many of them are quite rich in symbolism with words, images and designs that are special to the priest himself. Most chalices have a rich history, and sometimes, that history can be revealed by looking on the bottom of the chalice. One may find a series of inscriptions indicating when the chalice was commissioned, the occasion in which the chalice was first used in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, and perhaps the name or names of those who gave the chalice as a gift.
The initial design work for Fr. Cooper’s ordination Chalice began in the summer of 2002. Fr. Cooper employed Adrian Hamers Church Interiors, located in Larchmont, New York, to sketch and craft his chalice. Since 1887, the Hamer’s family rich history of craftsmanship of chalices and other liturgical vessels truly preserves the mystery and wonder of the Eucharist – an artistry that gives glory, laud and honor to Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. Over the next five years, the head work master, in collaboration with the silversmiths, artists, jewelers, and craftsmen, employed reverent dedication and artistic skill in handcrafting the chalice.
The chalice was given the name The Chalice of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus since many of the hand-painted enamel panels at the base of the chalice depict Biblical scenes which inspire devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. Family jewelry and precious stones were incorporated into the design a chorus of three dimensional cherubim surrounds the base of the cup. The chalice was a gift from Fr. Cooper’s maternal grandparents.