Teaching the Eucharist

TROY NIEMERG ’24, DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD IN ILLINOIS

Teaching the first communicants at St. Patrick’s about the Eucharist has been grace-filled and rewarding work. The students always pose excellent questions about the sacrament, and their faithful wonder inspires me. Having the opportunity to communicate the teachings of the Church about the Eucharist is a particular privilege because I not only enjoy the chance to catechize the kids in my class, but I also get to share how my relationship with our Eucharistic Lord has changed, enriched, and sustained my own life. Without the Eucharist, I would have never found my vocation. The Eucharist gives me the grace and strength needed to love God above all things and to give my life in service to him and his Church.

After each session, the other seminarians in the apostolate and I stay at St. Patrick’s for the Saturday evening Mass. I believe participating in Mass with the students and their families immediately after their class on the Eucharist is the perfect way to concretize their instruction. It gives them the opportunity to appreciate the reality of what they’re being taught in class, and it’s apparent to me that they are having a true encounter with Jesus in the Mass. It is evident that God is working in their lives, and it is encouraging to witness an increase in their faith and zeal for the Lord. It is edifying to hear the students share what their growing relationships with Christ are like, and how even at their young age they communicate their faith with their peers and parents. My apostolate at St. Patrick’s has been a great experience, and I am honored to help educate the next generation of Christians in the love of Christ in the Eucharist. n