Eucharistic Revival: Two Regional Ministry Gatherings in November focus on Eucharist

In October at Our Lady of Victory in Fergus Falls, Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens presented a Regional Ministry Gathering in which he spoke on the importance of living out the National Eucharistic Revival in our lives.

Two more Eucharist-themed Regional Ministry Gatherings will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at St. John’s University Abbey Chapter House in Collegeville and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Christ Our Light Parish in Princeton.

The gatherings are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative by the U.S. bishops to increase devotion to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Daniella Zsupan-Jerome will speak on “Communication and Communion: Becoming What We Receive for Digital Culture” on Nov. 5.

The keynote speaker for the Nov. 5 event is Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, director of ministerial formation and field education at St. John’s University School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville. Her presentation is titled “Communication and Communion: Becoming What We Receive for Digital Culture.” The focus will be on how to live the Eucharist in the digital age and in communications.

“We are living in a cultural context full of screens and the constant flow of information. What does it mean to live eucharistically as we post, comment, browse, share, follow? How can our transformative encounter with the Real Presence of Christ shape our presence in these spaces?” Zsupan-Jerome said. “My presentation is an invitation to reflect on these questions.”

She compared the encounter of the Real Presence with the encounter of presence digitally.

“In the Eucharist, we encounter the Real Presence of the Lord as mediated through the eucharistic species. In a different vein, digital culture is an experience of mediated presence, the presence of others through the screen,” she said. “The intention we bring to encountering the real human presence of others in digital spaces makes an enormous difference for shaping digital culture toward the positive. I believe that the Eucharist has transformative potential for us in this regard.”

Zsupan-Jerome also noted the value of the communal aspect of reflecting on the Eucharist, saying, “This event is a beautiful opportunity for that.”

Anne McCarney
Arturo Salgado

Her presentation will last about an hour and will be offered both in person at the Chapter House and online via Zoom. Those interested can register online (see below).

Following Zsupan-Jerome’s presentation on Nov. 5, the public also is invited to attend veneration and a reliquary tour of the Shrine of St. Peregrine at the Abbey Church at 11 a.m. and the Saturday daily Mass at the Abbey Church at 11:30 a.m.

The theme of the Nov. 16 event is “Love Stories of the Eucharist: Yours, Mine, Ours” and will feature personal testimonies about the Eucharist.

“The last Regional Ministry Gathering is taking what was heard in the first two sessions and making it personal,” said Kristi Anderson, chair of the diocese’s Eucharistic Revival efforts. “Arturo Salgado, from the Eucharistic Revival core team, and Anne McCarney, from the education team, will speak from the heart about their own love stories with the Eucharist.”

Father Kevin Anderson

In addition to the testimonies from Salgado and McCarney, Father Kevin Anderson, pastor of Christ Our Light, will conclude by addressing how “our own voice in the Christian story plays a role in the greater community and world as witnesses to the Gospel.”

By having personal testimonies, “it is the hope that every person can begin to think about and articulate his or her own experiences with the Eucharist,” Kristi Anderson said.

The Nov. 16 gathering also will be a hybrid event, available both in-person and via livestream.

LEARN MORE

To register for both Regional Ministry Gatherings and to learn more, visit stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival. Recordings of the presentations — including Bishop Cozzens’ October talk — will be available with Spanish subtitles on the Diocese of St. Cloud’s YouTube channel.

image: Cathopic.com

Author: Gianna Bonello

Gianna Bonello is a multimedia reporter for The Central Minnesota Catholic Magazine.

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