When Bishop Emeritus Donald Kettler asked me to chair the Eucharistic Revival efforts for the Diocese of St. Cloud, I eagerly and impulsively said “Yes!” In the seconds that immediately followed, my heart and mind started racing and I recall thinking, “Why did I do that?”
Maybe it was fear of failure, maybe that only-too-common feeling of unworthiness or maybe just realizing this was a daunting task. Any way you look at it, this was meant to be important in the life of the whole Church and it felt like a significant responsibility. I knew I couldn’t do this alone.
With a little hesitation and deep trust in the Holy Spirit, I dove in headfirst. And when I did, the Spirit led me to ask Father Derek Wiechmann to be the co-chair, serving as the public spokesperson and the clergy connection. The two of us met and mapped out a plan. What came next was nothing short of beautiful.
With a core leadership team and four additional working groups in mind – events, education, prayer and outreach – people from all over the diocese and every walk of life began getting involved. What followed wasn’t just a diocesan initiative, it was a work of heart.
My initial dream was that at the end of the three-year initiative, people would not only witness “Eucharistic love stories,” as I like to call them, but that they would be able to articulate their own love story with Jesus, and work toward sharing it with others. I envisioned it like an “elevator speech.” Let’s say you are in an elevator with someone, and you only have 60 seconds to tell them why you love the Eucharist. What would you say?
From this idea came the idea of hosting BREADTalks, nights of praise and worship and other public events where people shared their testimonies and inspired others to share theirs. These events took place all around the diocese.
In 2023, Bishop Patrick Neary published a pastoral letter on the Eucharist and includes his own Eucharistic love story, inviting others to write theirs down, too. (Click here to read/download the pastoral letter).
Over these past months, I’ve had the privilege to listen, to witness and to tell the stories of people encountering Christ more deeply through the Eucharist. I’ve covered events like Corpus Christi processions winding through the streets of St. Cloud and I’ve listened to small-town farmers tell how eucharistic adoration grounds their week. I’ve heard how simple gestures of kindness and service exemplify recognizing Jesus in our neighbors.
In 2024, we had the incredible gift of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that traveled through our diocese (huge shout out to Tricia Walz for her countless hours of service in planning it). We then had a full diocesan delegation that trekked to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. Both pilgrimages were not just trips, they were movements of the heart.
Time and again, I’ve seen that the Eucharistic Revival has never been about flash or fanfare. It’s been about faces. Hearts. The hush of holiness in the quiet moments where God breaks in.
And maybe that’s the real story. That the Body of Christ is not just what we consume, it’s what we become.
A great thing to witness is all the beauty, truth and goodness of our faith and all the ways we can become like Jesus – by spending time with him, of course – and also by spending time with his people, especially those often missed or forgotten.
The Revival may have had a start and end date, but Jesus doesn’t want a moment. He wants our lives.
Let’s keep breaking bread, sharing stories and staying rooted in the Eucharist. This has been more than a revival. It’s been a rediscovery. And we’re just getting started.
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Locally, two events marked the closing of the Eucharistic Revival
After three years of local efforts in promoting the National Eucharistic Revival in the Diocese of St. Cloud, the initiative has come to a close.
Hannah Molitor, a Rockville resident, chaired the local Events Team. She and Tricia Walz, who coordinated the diocese’s leg of the Marian Route for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, came together again June 21 for a final BreadTalk at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Witness speakers sharing their Eucharistic love stories included Tim and Mandy Schmidt of St. Mary’s, Sara VanBeck of Sacred Heart in Freeport and Adam Saltmarsh of Parishes on the Prairie ACC.
On Sunday, June 22, Father Doug Liebsch celebrated the closing Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud.