U.S. Bishops launch Eucharistic Revival to renew devotion to the Eucharist
April 9, 2022 at 10:19 p.m.
The Diocese of Trenton will join Dioceses from throughout the country in a national three-year Eucharistic Revival as a way to encourage Catholics to renew their devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Initiated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Eucharistic Revival will begin June 19, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Diocese will launch its observance of the revival that day when Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrates the 11 a.m. Mass in Corpus Christi Church, 11 South Sunset Rd., Willingboro.
Described as a “grassroots call and a challenge for every Catholic across the United States to rekindle the fire of love and devotion for the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,” the Eucharistic Revival was developed in response to a 2019 Pew Study which stated that only about 30 percent of Catholics truly believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Revival will address the Pew Report findings in three phases with Year One, the Diocesan Year of the Eucharistic Revival, running from June 19, 2022, to June 11, 2023. Year Two, the Parish Year of the Revival, is planned from June 11, 2023, to July 17, 2024. And in Year Three, the Revival will culminate with the first National Eucharistic Congress scheduled for July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis and is expected to draw an estimated 100,000 Catholics.
In the Diocese of Trenton, the Department of Evangelization and Family Life along with Father Martin O’Reilly, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown, are working together to plan Revival events to help the faithful encounter Christ in the Eucharist.
Josue Arriola, director of the Department of Evangelization and Family Life, shared that during the first phase of the Revival the theme of “The Eucharist and The Real Presence of Christ” will be incorporated in diocesan events such as the priest convocation, parish catechetical leader workshops, young adult retreats, spirituality day for principals and the Diocesan Youth Conference.
The Family Day that’s scheduled for June 18 at Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold, will also incorporate the Eucharist in a day of fellowship, food and fun.
“[The U.S. bishops] believe that God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, and this is what we as a Diocese will be able to offer all people who participate,” said Arriola.
A number of parishes in the Diocese, including Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, are planning to host home visits in which clergy and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist will bring the Blessed Sacrament to parishioners.
As Father O’Reilly recently explained during a Lenten Eucharist Retreat held in his parish, “You will essentially be having Eucharistic Adoration in your home. You will be inviting Christ in and spending some time with Jesus.”
Father O’Reilly stressed that all clergy and ministers will be expected to follow directives and receive training to make the home visits.
The hope is that as the home visits are scheduled, invites will be extended to those who may have yet to return to Church since the pandemic or those who have been away from the Church and are unsure how to begin their journey back home, Father O’Reilly explained. To emphasize his point, he referenced the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, the unpopular tax collector who climbed a tree hoping to see Jesus.
“He never imagined that Jesus would call him down from that tree and tell him he wanted to have supper with him that evening in his house. We have no idea of the conversation he and Jesus had that night, but what we do know is that it changed Zacchaeus’ life.
“And this is what I am hoping will happen to the people that you invite into your homes,” Father O’Reilly said. “All Jesus wants to do is be with us and listen. I am asking you to be the beginning of something phenomenal, something that can be life-changing and world-changing.”
While plans for the Eucharistic Revival are still being made on national and diocesan levels, the USCCB website, https://eucharisticrevival.org/, includes resources and information on this nation-wide program.
Be sure to visit TrentonMonitor.com as more information on the Revival becomes available.
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The Diocese of Trenton will join Dioceses from throughout the country in a national three-year Eucharistic Revival as a way to encourage Catholics to renew their devotion to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Initiated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Eucharistic Revival will begin June 19, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Diocese will launch its observance of the revival that day when Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrates the 11 a.m. Mass in Corpus Christi Church, 11 South Sunset Rd., Willingboro.
Described as a “grassroots call and a challenge for every Catholic across the United States to rekindle the fire of love and devotion for the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,” the Eucharistic Revival was developed in response to a 2019 Pew Study which stated that only about 30 percent of Catholics truly believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Revival will address the Pew Report findings in three phases with Year One, the Diocesan Year of the Eucharistic Revival, running from June 19, 2022, to June 11, 2023. Year Two, the Parish Year of the Revival, is planned from June 11, 2023, to July 17, 2024. And in Year Three, the Revival will culminate with the first National Eucharistic Congress scheduled for July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis and is expected to draw an estimated 100,000 Catholics.
In the Diocese of Trenton, the Department of Evangelization and Family Life along with Father Martin O’Reilly, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown, are working together to plan Revival events to help the faithful encounter Christ in the Eucharist.
Josue Arriola, director of the Department of Evangelization and Family Life, shared that during the first phase of the Revival the theme of “The Eucharist and The Real Presence of Christ” will be incorporated in diocesan events such as the priest convocation, parish catechetical leader workshops, young adult retreats, spirituality day for principals and the Diocesan Youth Conference.
The Family Day that’s scheduled for June 18 at Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold, will also incorporate the Eucharist in a day of fellowship, food and fun.
“[The U.S. bishops] believe that God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, and this is what we as a Diocese will be able to offer all people who participate,” said Arriola.
A number of parishes in the Diocese, including Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, are planning to host home visits in which clergy and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist will bring the Blessed Sacrament to parishioners.
As Father O’Reilly recently explained during a Lenten Eucharist Retreat held in his parish, “You will essentially be having Eucharistic Adoration in your home. You will be inviting Christ in and spending some time with Jesus.”
Father O’Reilly stressed that all clergy and ministers will be expected to follow directives and receive training to make the home visits.
The hope is that as the home visits are scheduled, invites will be extended to those who may have yet to return to Church since the pandemic or those who have been away from the Church and are unsure how to begin their journey back home, Father O’Reilly explained. To emphasize his point, he referenced the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, the unpopular tax collector who climbed a tree hoping to see Jesus.
“He never imagined that Jesus would call him down from that tree and tell him he wanted to have supper with him that evening in his house. We have no idea of the conversation he and Jesus had that night, but what we do know is that it changed Zacchaeus’ life.
“And this is what I am hoping will happen to the people that you invite into your homes,” Father O’Reilly said. “All Jesus wants to do is be with us and listen. I am asking you to be the beginning of something phenomenal, something that can be life-changing and world-changing.”
While plans for the Eucharistic Revival are still being made on national and diocesan levels, the USCCB website, https://eucharisticrevival.org/, includes resources and information on this nation-wide program.
Be sure to visit TrentonMonitor.com as more information on the Revival becomes available.