Eucharist

Here’s a refresher for longtime Catholics as well as a resource for those who are preparing to enter the Catholic Church or be in full communion with the Church at Easter.

Just a day shy of her 55th birthday, with the children and St. Wendelin School community as her witnesses, Kristin Matchinsky received the Eucharist for the first time at a school Mass.

“‘Believe. Celebrate. Live.’ describes our response to this sacred mystery, the source and summit of our faith. The ministries supported by the Bishop’s Annual Appeal bring people closer to Christ and share his Good News.”

As they accompanied one man on his life’s journey with all its challenges, St. Mary’s Cathedral parishioners rallied around him with a spirit of compassion.

The impetus for both the statement on the Eucharist and the eucharistic revival was a Pew study in the fall of 2019 that showed just 30% of Catholics understand the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

“There are two ways that ongoing faith formation is likely to touch the majority of Mass-attending Catholics: the homily and Catholic media.”

The revival will officially start on the feast of Corpus Christi June 19, 2022, with a diocesan focus that will include eucharistic processions and other events of adoration and prayer around the country.

The document explains the importance of Communion, often calling it a gift, and uses references from Scripture, prayers of the Church and Second Vatican Council documents to back this up. It also explains, citing words of the saints, how Communion is not just a symbol but the real presence of Christ.