Monitor Mag April 2024 In Focus: Eucharistic Revival

Divine Invitation

National Eucharistic Revival: Rekindling a relationship with Jesus

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

The National Eucharistic Revival and its opportunities for renewing devotion to the Blessed Sacrament are less about what we Catholics want to do and more about what Jesus wants to do through us.

“Jesus wants us to enter into this dynamic and dramatic love story. … Jesus wants to change the world,” wrote David Spesia, executive director of the secretariat of evangelization and catechesis for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an article for Our Sunday Visitor on embracing the “Eucharistic dynamic.”

 “... go and bring that message that you heard to everyone that you will meet.”

“Why now?” asks the National Eucharistic Revival website. “Because the Church needs healing. And the world needs Jesus.” Listing scandal, division, disease and doubt among the challenges of Church history, the website continues, “today we confront all of them, at once. Our response in this moment is pivotal.”

With the second of its three-year celebration nearly complete, the revival will launch its third and final year with a focus on evangelization, beginning with a gathering in Indianapolis for a National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21.

Leading up to that Congress is a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will join thousands of people in a cross-country journey from May to July – all designed to respond to the dynamic of Jesus’ sacrifice, our acceptance of that love and willingness to carry it forth.

“Jesus received every day of his earthly life as a gift from the Father ... then he allowed himself to be broken open and given away for others,” Spesia wrote. “He deeply desires that we offer him our very selves … our broken and yet repaired, limping and yet loving selves.”

Father Martin O’Reilly, co-chair of the Eucharistic Revival for the Diocese of Trenton and pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown, likened the July Congress to the gathering of the multitudes in the Gospels.

“In a way, that’s what we’re ultimately doing in Indianapolis, the gathering on the mountain with Jesus,” he said, “and we’re coming … to have Christ reassure ... invigorate and ignite us in faith.”

In a video Father O’Reilly recorded for the Diocese, he urged people unable to make the trip to Indiana to plan their own pilgrimages at that time – possibly even within the Diocese of Trenton. He suggested a pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Shrine in Middletown, the Blessed Carlo Acutis Shrine in St. Dominic Church, Brick, or any adoration chapel at a local parish.

“Pilgrimages are an old tradition dating back long before the time of Jesus,” he explained. “Think of the pilgrimage as you going to that mountain where Jesus

spoke the beatitudes … hearing what Jesus is saying to your heart … being filled back up again, so whenever you come back down the mountain, then you can go and bring that message that you heard to everyone that you will meet.”

Spesia challenged Catholics to “ask Jesus to take that one person or situation that poses the greatest challenge for us right now into his holy hands. Let’s dare to let Jesus bless that person or situation (yes, that one). Let’s invite Jesus to break open our hearts to offer some prayer or some penance, some gesture or some grace, for that person or that situation. And then let’s watch Jesus deliver light and new life where it seems like there is only darkness and even death.”

SHARE THE JOURNEY:

For updates on which parishes are traveling as groups to Indianapolis, visit https://dioceseoftrenton.org/eucharistic-revival

We want to hear from you! Share your pilgrimage experiences with The Monitor — email photos and stories to Monitor-News@dioceseoftrenton.org.

Video screenshot of Father Martin O’Reilly, diocesan co-chair of the Eucharistic Revival.

Fr. Richard Basznianin, presider, holds the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance during an October 2023 Forty Hours devotion in St. Hedwig Church, Trenton. Mary Stadnyk photo

Eucharistic Adoration:

BY F. DOUGLAS KNEIBERT  OSV News

Suppose you were told that Jesus wanted to meet with you personally for an hour at your parish. Who would say no to such an invitation?

Me, for one. When Eucharistic Adoration was inaugurated at our church several years ago, I politely declined to be an adorer, as I didn’t feel the devotion suited me. I had come into the Catholic Church late in life and with a lot to learn in a short time, including the finer points of Eucharistic theology. While I believed in the Real Presence, it was mainly an intellectual assent. Its profound implications had yet to settle in my soul.

As an evangelical Protestant, I had been quick to quote John 3:7 – “You must be born again” – yet skipped right over the astounding things Jesus said to his disciples only three chapters later about eating his body and drinking his blood. But Jesus made the blind see, and that included spiritual blindness, as I was about to learn.

Mainly to get some very persistent women off my back, I finally consented to put in my hour every Thursday in the chapel that had been set aside for Eucharistic devotion. At first it was just another hour in the day for me, with wandering thoughts and frequent checks of my watch. But as the weeks went by, I gradually began to use my Holy Hour more productively. I prayed. I read the Bible. I meditated. And, in time, I began to adore.

The list of notable Catholics devoted to Eucharistic Adoration is a long one. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen saw it as essentially an act of obedience: “The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an Hour of companionship.”

Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist with his disciples in the upper room. I had often thought of the privilege enjoyed by those who were there that night. Then, while I was praying in the chapel one Thursday, it struck me: There is no difference. The Jesus who was in the upper room is the same Jesus who is in the chapel with me. The church makes no distinction. He is fully present – body, blood, soul and divinity – in the monstrance. Yes, he is in his Eucharistic disguise, but he is one and the same Jesus nevertheless.

As Pope Pius XII put it, “A Holy Hour of Adoration testifies to the fact that the Jesus who died on the cross, is present in the Eucharist and reigns in heaven, are identical.”

This understanding constitutes the very heart of the Catholic faith, the distinctive dogma that sets us apart. It should be the treasure of every Catholic. Sadly, it is not. According to opinion surveys, which can vary widely, Catholic belief in the

Adoration: A treasure of the faith

real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is on the decline, with an average of only around half or fewer holding it to be true.

Much has been written about “cafeteria Catholics” who go down the church line and pick and choose what to believe and what to pass up. But not believing in the Real Presence isn’t the spiritual equivalent of choosing the apple pie over the cherry. The late Jesuit Father John Hardon, writing on the centrality of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, stated: “If we believe this, we are Catholic. If we do not, we are not, no matter what people may think we are.”

If we lack physical strength or stamina, we can join a gym and begin working out. For those Catholics whose faith is weak in this area, I would recommend spending some time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, even if you are among the doubters. Look upon it as a spiritual gym. I discovered that you

can be theologically challenged and still reap great spiritual benefits from simply being in his presence one hour a week. Jesus meets us where we are. If we persist, he will deepen our understanding.

Two virtues that are especially needed by those beginning Eucharistic Adoration are humility and patience. Set aside all pride and preconceived notions. You are in the presence of the living Lord; conduct yourself accordingly.

The blessings I have received from Eucharistic Adoration are many and varied. Some I can define, and others remain more elusive, such as the growing sense that I am changing for the better in some important respects. I began to perceive this change only after I became involved in Adoration.

Pope Benedict XV called Eucharistic Adoration “the queen

Eight things to do during Eucharistic Adoration

BY OSV NEWS

Father Benedict Groeschel, a founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, pointed out in his book “In the Presence of Our Lord: The History, Theology, and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion” that there are “four kinds of prayer most appropriate in the presence of the Eucharist, namely Adoration and praise, thanksgiving, repentance, and trusting intercession.” Here are suggestions for what to do during private Eucharistic Adoration.

1. Pray the psalms or the Liturgy of the Hours. Whether you are praising, giving thanks, asking for forgiveness, or seeking an answer, you’ll find an appropriate psalm. The ancient prayer of the Church called the Liturgy of the Hours presents an excellent way to pray through the Book of Psalms throughout the year.

2. Recite the “Jesus Prayer.” Say “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner,” repeatedly as you quiet your heart and mind.

3. Meditate using Scripture. Choose a passage from the Bible. Read the words and ask God to let the passage speak to you. Pay special attention to anything that strikes you and ask God what He wishes for you to draw from that passage.

4. Read the life of a saint and pray with him or her. Most holy men and women have had a great devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist. Therese of Lisieux, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Peter Julian Eymard, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa of Kolkata and Baroness Catherine de Hueck are just a few. Read about them and pray their prayers before the Blessed Sacrament.

5. Pour out your heart to Christ and adore him. Speak to Jesus, aware that you are in his presence, and tell him all that comes to your mind. Listen for his response.

Pray the prayer that St. Francis instructed his brothers to pray whenever they were before the Blessed Sacrament: “I adore you, O Christ, present here and in all the churches of the world, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”

6. Ask for forgiveness and intercede for others. Think of those who have hurt you and request a special blessing for them. Ask God to forgive you for all the times you have neglected or hurt someone else. Bring before the Blessed Sacrament all those who have asked you to pray for them. Ask the Lord to address their concerns.

7. Pray the Rosary. Pope St. John Paul II reminds us, “is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion?” Ask Mary to join you as you gaze on Christ in the Eucharist and as you pray the Rosary.

8. Sit quietly and just “be” in the presence of God. Think of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament as coming to see your best friend. Sit quietly and enjoy being in each other’s company. Instead of talking to the Lord, try listening to what he wants to tell you.

A woman becomes emotional as she prays with a Rosary during Eucharistic Adoration in this file photo. OSV News photo/Bob Roller

This map shows the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Pilgrims traveling in “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day congress opens. OSV News illustration/courtesy National Eucharistic Congress

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage coming to Trenton Diocese

BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

Contributing Editor

From four corners of the nation, pilgrims are accompanying Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament as they make their way on a massive expedition to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this July.

 About 100,000 people nationwide are expected to take part ...

The Diocese of Trenton is blessed to receive these pilgrims May 28-30 as their journey intersects with three of its parish communities, and invites the faithful to participate in Adoration,

Masses and a local procession at each of these locations – St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton; St. Mary of the Pines, Manahawkin, and St. Mary, Mother of the Church, Bordentown.

About 100,000 people nationwide are expected to take part in processions along the pilgrimage routes. With pilgrims walking side-by-side on major portions of the Eucharistic caravan, interspersed with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament while riding in a pilgrimage van, the four country-spanning routes add up to 6,500 miles for their 60 days on the road.

Meanwhile, a small, dedicated group of young adults will make the entire journey to Indianapolis as full-time traveling pilgrims from May to July, led by clergy and a support van. To learn more about these individuals, visit www. eucharisticpilgrimage.org/perpetual-pilgrims.

Beginning May 17 in New Haven, Conn., the East Route – dubbed the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route – of the pilgrimage will make its way through the northeast, coming through the heart of the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton in New Jersey before continuing to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and beyond.

The hope of the National Eucharistic Revival, its Pilgrimage and Congress, is to create more opportunities for encounter and mission, increase belief in the Real Presence and engage the local and universal Church.

Other ways the NER suggests for participation include making a personal pilgrimage by visiting other holy places of the Diocese, adoring the Eucharistic presence of Jesus there; and accompanying the pilgrimage in prayer, that the nation encounters the Lord powerfully during this historic event.

MAY 28

St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton

5:00 – 6:00 PM: Arrival and food

7:00 PM: Arrival of National Eucharistic Revival Pilgrims.

7:15 – 8:15 PM: Celebration of the Mass

8:15 PM: Adoration and worship

9:00 PM: Candle Procession around the block.

9:30 PM: Final blessing.

MORNING EVENING

Procession Route

6:30 PM: Mass with O’Connell, C. M.

MAY 29 St. Mary of the Pines Church, Manahawkin MORNING EVENING

Mary, Mother of the Church Parish – Fr Martin O’Reilly 45 Crosswicks St, Bordentown, NJ 08505 609-298-0261

Exposition of the Blessed Praise and worship rocession to Church Procession Route

7:30 PM: Procession

7:50 PM: Adoration Sacrament with Praise (Parish Center)

8:30 PM Benediction

MAY 30 St. Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown

6:00 – 7:00 PM: Talks for various groups: Ages: 4-12 y/o, 13-18 y/o (English)/ men, women (Spanish)

8:30 PM Benediction School

6:30 PM: Mass with Bishop David O’Connell, C. M. (Church)

NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE, DIOCESE OF TRENTON:

MAY 28 

ST. MARY OF THE ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL

151 N. Warren St., Trenton 609-396-8447

5 – 6 p.m.  Arrival and food*

6 – 7 p.m.  Talks for various groups: Men, Women (Spanish); children ages: 4-12, 13-18 (English)

7 p.m.  Arrival of National Eucharistic Revival Pilgrims

7:15-8:15 p.m.  Celebration of Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

8:15 p.m.  Eucharistic Adoration and worship

9 p.m.  Candle procession around the block

9:30 p.m.  Final blessing

* Registration is requested for those attending at 5 p.m. to allow planning for food; please email EucharisticRevival@ dioceseoftrenton.org

9:00 AM: Mass

MAY 29  ST. MARY OF THE PINES CHURCH

100 Bishop Way, Manahawkin 609-698-5531

MORNING

7:30 PM: Procession to Parish Center

Church

7:50 PM: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Praise and worship (Parish Center)

Procession Route

MAY 30  ST. MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH PARISH

After Mass: Process through Bordentown-to-Bordentown Hilltop Park –Farewell

45 Crosswicks St., Bordentown 609-298-0261

Drive to Walking bridge in Trenton, NJ – and walk over the bridge to Morrisville, PA.

10 a.m.  Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Praise and worship –parish center

10:10 a.m.  Procession to church

10:40 a.m.  Talk

11 a.m.  Celebration of Mass

EVENING

6:30 p.m.  Celebration of Mass with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

7:30 p.m.  Procession to Parish Center

7:50 p.m.  Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worshipparish center

8:30 p.m.  Benediction

9 a.m.  Celebration of Mass

After Mass  Process through Bordentown to Bordentown Hilltop Park; farewell. Drive to Lower Trenton Bridge and walk on pedestrian path over the bridge to Morrisville, Pa.

OTHER STOPS ON THE WAY TO DOT:

May 27 & 28  Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen

May 28  St. Peter the Apostle University and Community Parish, New Brunswick

May 28  St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, Kendall Park

To view the entire East Route, visit www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/ st-elizabeth-ann-seton-route

Video series on Jesus, Eucharist to support Revival efforts in parishes

BY EMMALEE ITALIA  Contributing Editor

Small parish groups may use a new seven-part video series created by the National Eucharistic Revival to help Catholics understand the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

“Jesus and The Eucharist” is available for download free of charge in English and Spanish at www.eucharisticrevival. org/jesus-and-the-eucharist and can be viewed by individuals, or as originally intended, by small discussion groups.

The series will guide parishioners through the “kerygma,” Greek for “proclamation,” at the center of Eucharistic faith. Building in personal stories as well as time for table discussions, each session lasts about two hours.

The Diocese of Trenton has embraced the initiative and trained people in each parish for leadership roles, to prepare them to guide the study sessions.

“Small groups are a powerful way to see the fruit of the Revival at your parish,” the diocesan website notes.

Training videos for leaders address the steps needed to prepare for smallgroup discussions. Those interested in leading or participating in a small-group session are advised to contact their pastor and to watch the training videos available on the series website.

Topics for each of the seven sessions are:

SESSION 1: WHAT’S OUR STORY?

The Bible is the story of God’s love for us. He created us out of love, redeemed us by his love, and transforms us in his love.

SESSION 2: WHO IS JESUS?

Jesus is both God and man; therefore, he reveals who God is in relation

to us. Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15) He asks this same question of us: Who do you say Jesus is?

SESSION 3: AM I SAVED?

Salvation is a gift from God through Jesus Christ that requires our “yes.”

SESSION 4: WHY A CHURCH?

Jesus didn’t simply leave us a written message or instruction manual to follow. He gave us a living, dynamic Church, where we encounter him personally and allow ourselves to be transformed into his likeness.

SESSION 5: GOD IS WITH US

God’s presence in the Old Testament foreshadows the gift of the Eucharist, one of the seven Sacraments of the

Church. Jesus established the Eucharist to give us strength and accompany us at every moment of our earthly journey.

SESSION 6: THE STORY OF THE EUCHARIST

The story of the Eucharist can be traced throughout Scripture. From Genesis to the present day, this session explores how the Cross is the new Tree of Life and the Eucharist is its fruit.

SESSION 7: BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY

The Eucharist sustains us on our spiritual journey. Our participation at Mass through the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is an offering of thanksgiving to God. We are then sent forth to share what we have received.

The essential connection between Eucharist, Catholic Social Teaching

BY KURT JENSEN  OSV News

Although the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharist commits us to the poor,” many still don’t make this connection between the Sacrament that is the “source and summit of the Christian life” and Catholic social teaching.

As Michael Baxter said during a recent webinar from the University of Notre Dame on the Eucharist, it’s as if the liturgy and social justice “were these two separate entities.”

But it’s all of a piece as Baxter and other experts said during a discussion hosted by Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life in advance of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this summer. The congress is the main celebratory event of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival launched by the U.S. Catholic bishops in June 2022.

Baxter, who has a long academic career and is a visiting associate professor at the institute, characterized the Eucharist as a command to be involved in one’s community and the world.

 “We’re all acknowledging that we’re God’s welfare recipients.”

“The last place you want to be after an hour of devotion to the Eucharist is by yourself,” he said.

“The very character of God is self-giving and self-abandonment,” observed Jennifer Newsome Martin, a Catholic systematic theologian, author and incoming director of Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. “The Eucharist is God in his form of giving-ness,” she said, and “this gift obliges us to return with more gifts.”

William T. Kavanaugh, professor of

Catholic studies and director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago, pointed to another foundational text, “The Confessions of St. Augustine,” written in the fourth century.

In Chapter 10, St. Augustine wrote of hearing “a voice on high” reminding him, “I am the food of grown men, grow, and thou shalt feed upon Me; nor shalt thou convert Me, like the food of thy flesh into thee, but thou shalt be converted into Me.”

being apprehended on the Southern border. The ministry has expanded to include “buildings we’ve not been using.”

Additionally, he said, Chapter 12 of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians exhorts Christians to recognize that “when we suffer, we all suffer together. When we rejoice, we all rejoice together.”

The Eucharist should be seen, Kavanaugh said, as a way of breaking down literal boundaries to those in need.

This has been expressed, he said, in his own Chicago parish, which began a ministry to Nicaraguan refugees bused north by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after

Father Emmanuel Katongole, ordained by the Archdiocese of Kampala, Uganda, and a professor in Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, said he found inspiration in Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’.”

“This has drawn me deeper into appreciating the connectedness,” he said. “We need integrated ways to think about it.”

Baxter concluded that every time a Catholic is in a Communion line, “we’re all acknowledging that we’re God’s welfare recipients.”

Both Martin and Kavanaugh said the Eucharist should not be politicized, as has sometimes occurred in American politics.

“It should never be political,” Martin said. “Christ places himself in our hands.”

Kurt Jensen writes for OSV News from Washington.

Young people from St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, participate in a Martin Luther King Day of Service effort in which they prepare sandwiches and bags of food to be given to outreach agencies in Mercer, Burlington and Camden Counties as well as in Philadelphia. Mary Stadnyk photo

First National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years to be held in Indianapolis

BY EMMALEE ITALIA 

Contributing Editor

As the second year of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival reaches its zenith, Catholic pilgrims from the Diocese of Trenton and across America will gather in Indianapolis July 17-21 with a common purpose: to revere Jesus and revive devotion to his Real Presence.

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress “is the continuation of a legacy,” states the Congress website. “We now resume the work begun long ago to understand and adore the greatest gift humanity has ever received. A milestone within the National Eucharistic Revival, this will be a generational moment and the beginning of a new chapter for the Church in the United States.”

the Congress planning and sessions and programs were held for lay Catholic men and women. When World War II broke out, Eucharistic Congresses across the globe were put on hold. Although International Congresses resumed in 1952, with a historic gathering in Philadelphia in 1976, a National Eucharistic Congress has not been held in the U.S. in 83 years.

As accommodations are quickly filling, pilgrims from the Diocese are already making travel plans to attend the Congress. For those interested in attending, passes can be reserved at www.eucharisticcongress. org/register. EWTN is offering $60 off total registration: www. eucharisticcongress.org/ewtn.

PLANNING TO ATTEND?

If you wish to attend the Congress in Indianapolis, a limited number of 5-day admission tickets are available for purchase for $200 each through the Diocese of Metuchen.

 Write a check for total cost of tickets made out to “Diocese of Metuchen.”

 Mail checks and include note with name, email address and number of tickets, to Adam Carlisle, Secretary for Evangelization and Communication, Diocese of Metuchen, 146 Metlars Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

 Upon receipt, purchasers will be emailed a code for registration on the National Eucharistic Congress website, at which time breakout sessions may be selected.

 Follow up mailing with an email to Adam at acarlisle@diometuchen.org indicating that the check has been mailed and the number of tickets requested.

orders and publishers, giving attendees a taste of what is happening across the Catholic world. Masses will be celebrated in multiple rites and languages, and Eucharistic processions, Adoration and opportunities for Confession will be available daily. For a comprehensive schedule and speaker list, visit www. eucharisticcongress.org/schedule.

The last National Eucharistic Congress took place in June 1941, in St. Paul, Minnesota. For the first time the laity were invited to participate in

The Congress will include full-group revival sessions and smaller impact sessions with topics for various ministries and stages of life, with talks for adults, youth, ministry leaders and families. Special sessions will be planned at the Congress for youths ages 12-18. An Expo Hall at the Indiana Convention Center will host apostolates, ministries, religious

“A pilgrimage is ‘the simultaneous movement of the feet and the soul’ – a journey made both externally and internally,” the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website explains. “The pilgrim travels to a location of spiritual significance, stepping outside of themselves in order to encounter God in places where he has revealed himself. This action mirrors the interior journey of the pilgrim, who uses this experience to draw closer to Our Lord and seek him more intentionally.”

The value of a pilgrimage, the site continues, “is not in the distance traveled but in the disposition of our own hearts and the zeal with which we seek God. Many saints have had life-changing experiences while on pilgrimage, and the practice has been a part of Christianity from the beginning.”

eucharisticcongress.org graphic