By Guest Author, Fr. Owen Korte
Do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is truly present; that the Bread and Wine, at mass, really become the Body-Blood-Soul-Divinity of Jesus Christ while at the same time still appearing as Bread and Wine? Do you believe that?
When put that way, many Catholics cannot say yes. That’s what the surveys tell us. The Eucharistic Revival going on in our nation seeks to renew that Eucharistic faith in the lives of our Catholics so that more can say yes and that those who do believe can enthusiastically say yes.
Parishes have been asked to participate in this renewal process. Local parishes are hosting Processions, Eucharistic Adoration Services, 40 Hours, and formation opportunities, educational videos with discussions in small groups. But with the work of the Journey of Faith, we have not been able to launch a full Archdiocesan Renewal effort. All of our energies have gone into the Journey and its implementation.
But, is not the Eucharist the center of our Church. Could not the Eucharist be a fulcrum to keep us “One Church”? If we attend to this core truth and practice we will find ourselves traveling the road of the Journey with lighter steps. If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life then I think we can say the Eucharist is our Way, our Truth and our Life.
The National Revival has a neat saying: Every Movement needs a Moment. The Moment will happen with a National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Indianapolis, IN, July 17-21. I am intrigued by the invitation to gather with 80,000 other Catholics to pray, learn about, celebrate and worship our Lord—to have our faith ignited into a flame that breaks out in service and mercy.
One particular and fascinating event that will coincide with this parish renewal year as we approach the Congress are the four great pilgrimages or Eucharistic Processions starting at the four compass points of our nation and converging on Indianapolis for the Congress. They begin in California (The Serra Route) , Minnesota (The Marian Route), Texas (The Juan Diego Route) and Connecticut (The Seton Route). Each begins on May 17 and ends up arriving at the Congress on July 17. Our Serra Route will arrive in Omaha on June 21 and will leave Omaha on June 23. Each of the pilgrimages can be joined by groups to walk along for a distance…thus joining in the great pilgrimage of faith across our country. This is really neat! I hope many will learn of the details and the routes, once they get solidified, and find a way to accompany our Eucharistic Lord as he travels through our countryside and neighborhoods. 48 young pilgrims will accompany the procession all the way; 12 on each route. They will depend on the hospitality of folks along the way to give them lodging, food and rest. This is amazing!
The website for the Eucharistic Revival: www.eucharisticrevival.org has tons of information about our Renewal, the Congress and the Pilgrimage. Lots of resources are appearing on the site daily as the site grows more detailed the closer we get to July, 2024. Check it out.
Want to go along with me to Indianapolis? We leave July 16 and return July 22. We have hotels rooms booked, we will have a bus dedicated to our group to carry us to Indianapolis and get us to and from the Lucas Oil Stadium Complex and our Hotel.
Email me at: [email protected] and I will send you a brochure and a registration form. We will be registering for the Congress as a diocesan group so we get a nice discount on that.
Fr. Owen Korte
Did you get a chance to watch Spirit Catholic Radio’s Eucharistic Encounter events from the summer of 2023?
