Preparing for the Year of Parish Revival

BY MARK MOITOZA, TH.D.

Last June, the bishops in the United States announced a three-year Eucharistic Revival that began on the Feast of Corpus Christi. is current year, known as the Year of Diocesan Revival, invites diocesan sta , bishops, and priests to respond to the Lord’s personal invitation and equips them to share the love of Christ with the faithful through eucharistic congresses and events. In August, the AMS hosted a virtual Novena to Saint John Marie Vianney to pray for an increase of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life. It remains available on the AMS website, https://www. milarch.org/resource/nationaleucharistic-revival/.

Soon the National Eucharistic Revival moves into the Year of Parish Revival, from 11 June 2023, through 17 July 2024. It will place an emphasis on the parish (Catholic faith community), diocesan, and digital e orts focusing on formation, community, and encounters. ere is not a program to download and follow, but rather an encouragement to foster a grassroots initiative that ts the needs of your community. A variety of resources are available on the National Eucharistic Revival website, https:// www.eucharisticrevival.org/. e four pillars of the revival are:

Personal Encounters: Bring your people to Jesus

Reinvigorating Devotion: Receive Jesus. Worship Jesus

Deepening Formation: Learn and preach the truth about Jesus

Missionary Sending: Go out and bring Jesus to the world

While this Eucharistic movement is national in scale it also has a local reach. Much has been written recently indicating that around 50 percent of Catholics are unaware of the Church’s doctrine on the Real Presence. e revival seeks to promote bold clarity in the true teaching of the Church to encourage understanding. is includes pursuing robust formation through spiritual reading, educational events, and study groups that will help many to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. e more intimately we know Our Lord, the better we can love Him, serve Him, and bring other people to know Him!

Consider ways that your community may pursue these four pillars in the coming year. Gather with a core team to pray and consider what could be encouraged locally. A visit to the EucharisticRevival.org website will surface additional resources. For example, the leaders guide has suggestions for each pillar to build your own unique revival blueprint. A free online course and bulletin inserts (scroll down to Resources) are also available to share with your community.

Today much is written about absence and anxiety. As the world becomes increasingly digitally connected there remains a deep longing for personal relationships that o en get lost in the digital mix of daily life. Helping people recognize the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist renews relationships between the individual and the Lord. It also renews the Church, and helps each one of us to recognize the healing presence of God’s love in our daily lives. Encourage your Catholic faith community to make the Year of Parish revival a blessing for all. e following year begins with the National Eucharistic Congress to be celebrated in Indianapolis, Indiana from 17-21 July 2024. From there the Church in the United States enters a Year of Going Out on Mission in anticipation of the Universal Church celebrating a Year of Jubilee in 2025.