Thousands of pilgrims at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress experienced the “Eastern flavor” of Catholic liturgy, as they were exhorted to draw strength from the body and blood of Christ to become missionary disciples, bringing the Gospel to a world in need.
As dioceses across the United States continue to consolidate parishes, the changing landscape will prompt questions of worship. There are people who struggle with the current liturgy as practiced in their parishes.
During the pandemic, Zarifis Zarifopoulos worked on the restoration of some 20 icons both on canvases and walls inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for eight months.
Here is a collection of notable quotes from Pope Benedict XVI from homilies, documents, messages and speeches from 2005 to 2013, the years he served as pope.
“We all desire for the next generation to develop a deep and abiding love for Scripture and the sacraments, in particular the Eucharist, but how do we develop and ‘unleash’ that love in an increasingly overstimulated, disengaged, and screen-obsessed culture?”
The pope is asking Catholics worldwide to prepare for the next jubilee year by studying the council documents, especially its four constitutions, which focused on: the liturgy; the Church as the people of God; Scripture; and the role of the Church in the modern world.
The “sense of mystery” and awe Catholics should experience at Mass is not one prompted by Latin or by “creative” elements added to the celebration, but by an awareness of sacrifice of Christ and his real presence in the Eucharist, Pope Francis said.
The Vatican asked bishops and priests to be prudent in their planning for Holy Week and Easter liturgies but offered no firm instructions.
