By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
A new opportunity to learn what the saints and holy men and women can teach us about the Eucharist is now available online and on the radio in “Eucharistic Moments with Bishop O’Connell.”
Beginning in late September, one-to-two-minute video clips of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., expounding on the saints’ Eucharistic insight will be posted every Thursday at 10 a.m. for 25 weeks to the diocesan YouTube channel at youtube.com/trentondiocese, and other diocesan social media. Spanish versions will also be posted.
Audio versions of “Eucharistic Moments with Bishop O’Connell” will also play on Domestic Church Radio, which initiated the audio spots idea with Bishop O’Connell, and promoted them to Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).
“In late Spring I asked the Bishop if he would like to record some 60-second ‘Eucharistic Moments’ spots that I could air during the Eucharistic Revival,” said Jim Manfredonia, co-founder of Domestic Church Media – the Catholic media apostolate in Ewing.
Bishop O’Connell recorded an initial six audio spots.
“Obviously, they were very good, so I sent them to Thom Price, who is the Director of Radio Programming at EWTN to see if the network would like to air them as well,” Manfredonia explained. “Within minutes of receiving my email he responded and enthusiastically asked if the Bishop could record more. When I asked the Bishop, he agreed to do additional spots. This time he focused on teachings on the Eucharist by various saints, popes and the Vatican.”
In addition to recording the Bishop’s audio versions for DCM, the Diocese’s Department of Multimedia Production also made video recordings of the Eucharistic Moments, holding to the 60-second format. Saints and other blessed, venerable and notable Catholic persons’ input in the audio and video spots will include St. Vincent de Paul, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict, Pope Francis and many more.
Bishop O’Connell added his own reflections from his 2022 catechetical series on the Eucharist, which can be found at dioceseoftrenton.org/eucharist-series and dioceseoftrenton.org/eucharist-series-spanish.
The audio spots will be aired on DCM’s radio stations and audio platforms at various times throughout the broadcast day, continuing throughout the National Eucharistic Revival; visit domesticchurchmedia.org for station information, or click on the livestream section of the webite. EWTN will also air the spots on their worldwide radio network at www.ewtn.com/radio/listen-live.