A series of three Regional Ministry Gathering hybrid events this fall will focus on the National Eucharistic Revival.
The first one is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Our Lady of Victory in Fergus Falls and is a joint event with the Diocese of Crookston. All are invited to participate either virtually or in person.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, the national chair of the revival and keynoter, will speak in both English and Spanish about the Eucharist as an integral part of the Catholic faith and the importance of the revival. He also will pose a series of reflection questions. In-person participants will be invited to discuss the questions in small groups. Parish and Area Catholic Community groups will be encouraged to hold “watch parties” to view the livestream together and discuss the questions, said Bailey Ziegler, chair of the RMG planning committee.
“I hope these gatherings will invigorate and educate people on the importance of the Eucharist in their lives and get them interested and excited for this three-year revival we’re undertaking,” Ziegler said. “There will be a lot of different ways people can be involved with the revival, and there will be something for everybody.”
Bishop Cozzens’ bilingual presentation will be recorded so people can view it afterward, she said. “But we’d love for people to participate live so we’re all together, whether we’re watching from home or we’re in Fergus Falls.”
In addition to the presentation, the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, patrons of the Eucharistic Revival, will be on display at Our Lady of Victory that day as part of a national tour.
Prior to Bishop Cozzens’ presentation, from 3 to 5 p.m. there will be an opportunity to participate in a variety of prayer experiences and venerate the relics. These opportunities are open to all, and people will be able to join them at any time during the two-hour timeframe. A light meal will be served at 5 p.m. (meal registration required; see end of article). The relics will be available again for veneration following Bishop Cozzens’ presentation until 8 p.m.
Blessed Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian Catholic who died of leukemia in 2006, was an expert in computer programming and created an online database of information about eucharistic miracles, according to the official website for his canonization cause. He was beatified by Pope Francis in 2021.
St. Manuel, known as the “bishop of the tabernacle,” was deeply devoted to eucharistic adoration. He founded the “Union Eucaristica Reparatoria” (“Eucharist Reparation Union”), an order devoted to the Eucharist and caring for the sick, the poor and abandoned children. He was bishop of Palencia, Spain, when he died in 1935. He was beatified by St. John Paul II in 2001 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.
The second Regional Ministry Gathering will be held in a central location of the diocese and feature speakers from the diocesan Eucharistic Revival core team. They will address the power of the Eucharist to transform lives and how individuals can tell their own stories in that regard, Ziegler said.
The third gathering, which will be held at a location on the eastern end of the diocese, will feature a panel of speakers telling stories of the Eucharist’s impact on their lives and look ahead to the diocesan Eucharistic Congress planned for fall 2023.
All of the gatherings are free to attend.
Registration for in-person attendance at Regional Ministry Gathering events is encouraged. Registration to view the livestreams and for the retreat meal is required. Visit stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival for information. The webpage also includes a list of Eucharistic Revival core team members from the diocese and other information about local revival plans.
This story contains information from Catholic News Service.
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NATIONAL RELIC TOUR OF EUCHARISTIC SAINTS MAKES STOPS IN DIOCESE
Relics of St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia and Blessed Carlo Acutis will be available for veneration in parishes around the Diocese of St. Cloud between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5. The relics are on tour as part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year focus on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
- St. Mary Parish in Alexandria will be the first stop on the diocesan tour with a youth event Friday, Sept. 30, titled “Evening with the Saints” at 6 p.m.; veneration on Saturday,
Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by 5 p.m. Mass, and resuming veneration until 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the relics will be displayed again at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, pausing during the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses, and resuming veneration after Mass until noon. - The relics will then travel with the priests and deacons of the diocese for the kickoff of their annual clergy conference on Oct. 3.
- On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the relics will be on display and available for public veneration at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud in the upper church following the 7 a.m. Mass. There is also a regularly scheduled daily Mass at 12:05 p.m. and a special evening Mass at 6:30 p.m., both held in the upper church.
- The final opportunity to venerate the relics in the diocese will take place at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Fergus Falls from 3 to 8 p.m. Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens will present a talk at 6 p.m. on the National Eucharistic Revival, which he chairs, as part of a joint Regional Ministry Gathering event (see accompanying story). All are welcome.
LEARN MORE
For more information, visit stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival or email eucharisticrevivalstcloud@gmail.com.
Photo of the wine and host by Dianne Towalski / The Central Minnesota Catholic