real presence

I AM HERE campaign to encourage devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

“Music has this really unique ability to really capture the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist,” said Marilyn Santos, associate director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis.

The documentary “Alive” tells the stories of five people changed by their encounter with the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist during Holy Hour. It opens across the United States for one night only April 25.

The newly named executive director of the National Eucharistic Congress sees the revival and congress as “a milestone moment” for the Church and “a generational moment” that can change lives.

One Catholic theologian said the current discussion about Communion is one that could provide a way for Catholics to renew their understanding of the sacrament not just to benefit their own faith — but to help the Church community at large.

A 2019 Pew Research Center study showed that 69% of all self-identified U.S. Catholics said they believed the bread and wine used at Mass are not Jesus, but instead are “symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” The other 31% said they believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Topping the meeting’s agenda will be debate and votes on a proposed document on the Eucharist, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” and on a eucharistic revival initiative.

“Before every Mass or after, parish leaders should be enriching their people’s understanding of what it is they celebrate. If we want to teach about the Real Presence, we need also teach about the Mass.”