“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (CCC 1324)
A 2019 study from Pew showed that about only 30% of Catholics believe fully in the Real Presence. This led the USCCB to envision a Eucharistic Revival to “rediscover the source and summit of our Faith through a deep commitment of prayer, pilgrimage, and worship on the part of the entire Church in the United States.” The Revival will take place over three years, each year with a specific focus.
The Eucharistic Revival launches on June 19, the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is the beginning of the first phase and the focus is a Diocesan Year of Eucharistic Revival. The second phase will start on June 11, 2023, focusing on a Parish Year of Eucharistic Revival. This will lead to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, which will be the launch for the third phase that focuses on Going Out on Mission. How the Eucharistic Revival is celebrated will vary dioceses to dioceses, but we all share the same vision: A movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.”
Many details and much work will go into this initiative. In the Archdiocese of Detroit, we will launch the Eucharistic Revival with a Eucharistic Procession on Sunday, June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ [Corpus Christi]. The procession will begin with Mass at 1:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The procession will follow and will end at Sacred Heart Major Seminary with Benediction. Here are a few ways to help your parish or school community join in for this historic occasion.
Invite your parishioners and families to join. This event is for all who are able to participate in this walking procession. The procession begins at 1:00 p.m. the Cathedral. First Communicants and those who are newly initiated are encouraged to attend! If participants cannot process the entire route, they can park at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and join the procession at a closer point. You can find promotional materials and the RSVP form here: 2022-2025 Eucharistic Revival - Archdiocese of Detroit (aod.org)
Attend the procession yourself. Your witness and example can help others grow in their relationship with Christ. This is about your own faith journey as well. As Archbishop Vigneron often reminds us, “… we cannot give away what we do not have.” (Unleash the Gospel, Marker 4.1). Take this time to strengthen your faith and grow closer to the Lord through the Eucharist.
Follow-up. Offer opportunities for people to grow closer to the Lord in the weeks and months following the Eucharistic Procession. This may mean offering Eucharistic adoration with prayer aides or journals more frequently. It could be pointing to the Eucharist through homilies and the Universal Prayers at weekend and weekday liturgies. Your parish may create a playlist of Eucharistic themed songs that is linked to your parish website for people to reflect on during the week. You might utilize 52 Sundays for family activities and prayers that focus on the Eucharist. The possibilities are endless.
Archbishop Vigneron states in Unleash the Gospel,“In the Holy Eucharist we reach the summit of our participation in the victory of Christ over sin and death—the triumph we proclaim in the new evangelization. In this Most Blessed Sacrament we have the source of our zeal and strength to unleash the Gospel” (Marker 3.4). May our parishes, schools, and families draw closer to the Lord as we begin the Eucharistic Revival here in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
