Parishioners of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville took part in an outdoor Eucharistic Procession led by Father Noah Carter, pastor. (John Bunyea | Catholic News Herald)Renewed devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is the aim of the National Eucharistic Revival – the U.S. Catholic Church’s three-year Eucharistic revival that is an invitation to the faithful from God to go on mission and be compelling witnesses of our faith, said Tim Glemkowski, the newly named executive director of the National Eucharistic Congress.
“We the Church have to be clear about telling our story, getting to the core” of our faith, that “God is not just some distant someone who is not engaged,” he said.
“He’s alive and real and can be encountered in the Eucharist, source and summit of the faith. ... This is where God is with us.”
The National Eucharistic Revival began June 19, the feast of Corpus Christi, and will culminate with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024. Along the way, there will be parish, diocesan and regional events to increase Catholics’ understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
The Church has always taught that the Eucharist contains the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ under the appearance of bread and wine that has been consecrated at Mass. However, polls show that in recent years people’s faith and understanding of the Eucharistic Presence has declined, particularly among Catholics who do not attend Mass regularly.
The first year will get underway at the parish and diocesan levels with initiatives such as Eucharistic Adoration and processions, the development of parish teams of revival leaders and conferences on the Eucharist. The following year there will be regional revival events, leading to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024, the first to be held since one took place in 1976 in Philadelphia.
Here in the Diocese of Charlotte, people celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi June 19 with Eucharistic Adoration, public processions and prayer – often combined with prayer intentions for fathers as June 19 was also Father’s Day.
— Catholic News Herald. Catholic News Service contributed.
Members of St. James Parish in Concord gathered for a special outdoor Mass followed by “ReGatherBration,” a repeat of their successful fall 2021 event to encourage people back to Mass and parish life.
