Adoremus, Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
ADOREMUS Celebrates
The Year of the Eucharist
October 2004-2005
Year of the Eucharist Main Page –Articles – International & Organizations – Eucharistic Hymns – The Holy Eucharist Booklet – Prayers – Quotes
US Diocesan Activities – Bishops’ Statements
Updated 11/28/2005
NOTICE: To submit diocesan or parish events planned for the "Year of the Eucharist" E-mail or write to us, and we will post it on this section. Be sure to Include 1. name and brief description of the event, 2. Sponsor (organization, parish, etc), 3. dates, times 4. location 5. Diocese 6. Info contact.
This site will be updated regularly, and new material will be added.
NOTE: Link to Vatican Website:
SYNODUS EPISCOPORUM BULLETIN — XI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
ALPHABETICAL LISTS
Dioceses & Archdioceses
Allentown Diocese (updated 3/1/2005)
Arlington Diocese (updated 3/1/2005)
Atlanta Archdiocese
Austin Diocese
Boston Archdiocese
Bridgeport Diocese
Camden Diocese
Charleston Diocese
Charlotte Diocese
Chicago Archdiocese
Cincinnati Archdiocese
Cleveland Diocese
Colorado Springs Diocese
Corpus Christi Diocese
Dallas Diocese (updated 2/21/2005)
Davenport Diocese
Detroit Archdiocese
Dodge City Diocese
Dubuque Diocese
Duluth Diocese
El Paso Diocese
Fargo Diocese
Fort Wayne-South Bend
Galveston-Houston Diocese
Green Bay Diocese
Greenburg Diocese
Hartford Archdiocese
Indianapolis Archdiocese
Kalamazoo Diocese
Kansas City in Kansas
Kansas City-St Joseph Diocese
Lafayette in Indiana Diocese
Little Rock Diocese
Lincoln Diocese(updated 12/14/2004)
Los Angeles Archdiocese
Memphis Diocese
Milwaukee Archdiocese
New Orleans Archdiocese
New York Archdiocese
Oakland Diocese
Omaha Archdiocese
Orange Diocese
Peoria Diocese
Philadelphia Archdiocese(updated 3/28/2005)
Pittsburgh Diocese(updated 11/29/2004)
Rapid City Diocese(updated 3/28/2005)
Rochester Diocese
Rockville Centre
St. Louis ArchdioceseUpdated 8/11/2005
St. Paul/Minneapolis Archdiocese
Salia Diocese
Salt Lake City
San Bernardino Diocese
San Francisco
Scranton Diocese (Updated 2/16/05)
Springfield in Illinois Diocese
Toledo Diocese
Tyler Diocese
Wilmington Diocese
Worcester Diocese (updated 2/16/2005)
Youngstown Diocese
Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals
Bishop Samuel J. Aquila
Bishop Gregory Aymond
Bishop Robert J. Baker
Bishop Gerald R. Barnes
Bishop Leonard P. Blair, STD
Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt
Bishop Tod D. Brown
Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz
Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein
Archbishop Raymond Burke
Bishop Matthew Clark
Bishop Paul Coakley
Bishop Álvaro Corrada, S.J.
Bishop Edward P. Cullen (updated 3/1/2005)
Bishop Blase J. Cupich(updated 3/28/2005)
Archbishop Elden Curtiss
Bishop John M. D’Arcy
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
Archbishop John F. Donoghue
Cardinal Edward M. Egan
Bishop Robert W. Finn
Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza
Archbishop Harry Flynn
Bishop William Franklin
Bishop Joseph A. Galante
Cardinal Francis George
Bishop Charles V. Grahmann
Bishop William L. Higi
Archbishop Alfred Hughes
Bishop Daniel R. Jenky
Bishop Peter J. Jugis
Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher
Archbishop William J. Levada
Bishop William Lori
Bishop Paul S. Loverde (updated 3/1/2005)
Bishop George J. Lucas
Cardinal Roger Mahony
Cardinal Adam Maida
Archbishop Henry J. Mansell
Bishop Joseph F. Martino (Updated 2/16/05)
Bishop Robert J. McManus (updated 2/16/2005)
Bishop James A. Murray
Bishop William F. Murphy
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Bishop George Niederauer
Bishop Armando X. Ochoa
Archbishop Sean O’Malley
Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla
Cardinal Justin Rigali(updated 3/28/2005)
Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli
Bishop J. Peter Sartain
Bishop Michael Sheridan
Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D
Bishop Allen Vigneron
Bishop Donald W. Wuerl
Bishop David Zubik
Allentown Diocese
The Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, D.D
Church and mission
10/7/2004 Bishop’s Column
…"In the coming year in all our parishes the Year of the Eucharist will be celebrated in a variety of ways.
Our participation in those celebrations is an opportunity not only to renew our appreciation of the Eucharist in our own lives, but is also a way for us to be reminded of and strengthened in our communion with the living mission of the Church, the mission to make Christ present in this world and to share in the gift of salvation that He has extended to us and that we are to extend to others.
For a deeper appreciation of this, I suggest that, in addition to sharing in the Eucharistic programs in your parishes, you might also read for yourselves the encyclical [Ecclesia de Eucharistia ]to which I have been referring.
You might even be able to form parish groups to study the encyclical and make it a practical reality in your own spiritual lives…."
Complete column can be found at http://www.allentowndiocese.org/bishop/en100704.html
Families Matter column, by Bill Urbine – "Eucharist and Family"
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Arlington Diocese
Bishop Paul S. Loverde
posted 3/1/2005
Link to the Year of the Eucharist section on the Arlington Diocese’s website:
http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/YOE/
posted 2/9/2005
Lecture: "St. Thomas Aquinas & the Liturgy of the Church" by Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP
Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 7:30 PM
St Catherine of Sienna Parish
1020 Springvale Rd
Great Falls, VA 22066
For more information contact Fr. McAfee at 703-759-4350
Focusing Our Hearts on Advent
By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 11/25/04)
…"Secondly, let us prepare our hearts for Advent by contemplating the Eucharist anew. We need to ask ourselves honestly at the outset of this Year of the Eucharist, "Am I bringing the Real Presence of Christ into my daily life?" We are "fed" and "enlightened" by our participation in the Eucharist, so is it leading us to a "love for our neighbor, to a love for every human being" (Dominicae Cenae 6)? Can others see the effect of the Eucharist in our love for them, our assistance to the poor, our concern for the most vulnerable in our midst, and the countless ways in which we interact with our neighbors each day?
I have encouraged those who lead our parishes and ministries to make Eucharistic Adoration and regular celebration of the Eucharist even more the very fabric of our lives, and it is happening all around us. To name but two examples, first, our Cathedral of St. Thomas More has begun a weekly Thursday evening holy hour and catechesis. Second, "Get Real – the Real Presence" is the central theme which our diocesan youth ministry office has asked our thousands of youth to consider throughout this coming year."….
Click Title for complete column
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Year of the Eucharist
By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 10/7/04)
…"At the 30th anniversary of the Diocese of Arlington this past August, I expressed my hope that in this coming year, we would become ever more a diocesan church whose heart is Eucharistic.
Now, at the formal outset of this year, I am encouraging all of our laity, consecrated men and women, deacons and priests to make the "Year of the Eucharist" the unifying blueprint for our many pastoral projects….
First, the ‘Year of the Eucharist’ will strengthen and deepen our prayer life if we take practical steps to make adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and regular celebration of the Eucharist even more the very fabric of our lives. How aware are we that Christ is truly, really and uniquely present in the Eucharist? Seek Him throughout this coming year, and you shall find Him afresh!
Secondly, the ‘Year of the Eucharist’ will heighten our ‘standard of Christian living’ in ways we cannot imagine. How is the Eucharist connected to our daily lives, to our answering of His call to holiness? By the Eucharist, we are ‘fed’ and ‘enlightened,’ transformed as individuals into a clearer image of Christ. In turn, the Eucharist ‘leads us to a love for our neighbor, to a love for every human being’ (Dominicae Cenae 6). Draw near to Him throughout this coming year, and you will find Him anew!
Finally, the ‘Year of the Eucharist’ has the potential to transform us more fully into ‘missionaries of the Eucharist’ for the new evangelization. As Our Holy Father has said, ‘[A]nyone who encounters Christ in the Eucharist cannot fail to proclaim through his or her life the merciful love the Redeemer’ (World Mission Sunday 2). Seek Him in the coming year, and become the missionary of His Presence to a needy world."…
Click Title for complete column
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How to Live Life Daily
By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Arlington Catholic Herald — 10/28/2004
"The following story is true although it took place a long time ago in third-century Rome.
"A young man — Tarsicius by name — was hurrying down a road called the Appian Way when a mob tried to stop him. They wanted to see what he was carrying. He would not let them and tried to keep going. Why? Because Tarsicius was bringing Communion to some Christians in prison, and that meant that he was carrying the Blessed Sacrament — truly Jesus under what looked like bread. Well, the mob got angry and they forced him to stop. When, even then, he would not show them or give them the Blessed Sacrament, which he was carrying, they beat Tarsicius to death.
"Why would this young man, Tarsicius, be willing to die rather than give up the Blessed Sacrament? Because he believed what the Catholic faith proclaims: that Jesus Christ is truly and really present under what looks like bread and wine; he believed that God’s power changes bread and wine during the Mass, through the words of Consecration which the priest speaks, into the True and Real Presence of Christ! Listen to what you hear said in the Eucharistic Prayer at every Mass – in the words I shall quote or in similar words: "And so, Father, we bring you these gifts. We ask you to make them holy by the power of your Spirit, that they may become the body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate this Eucharist" (Third Eucharistic Prayer). If he didn’t believe that, why would he have been willing to give up his life to protect and defend the Blessed Sacrament?….
"Yes, because of what the Catholic faith proclaims about Jesus in the Eucharist, centuries ago in ancient Rome Tarsicius gave up his life. That belief is still the same. We may not be asked to die in defense of the True and Real Presence of Jesus, but we are asked to reverence His Presence, that is, to value His Presence deeply and to show our reverence and appreciation outwardly by the way we treat Jesus in Communion and by the way we act in church. I cannot think of a better way for us to keep on remembering this Youth Rally than for us to keep alive and to live our understanding, respect and love for Jesus really and truly present in the Holy Eucharist. In this way, what we celebrate here during Mass becomes how we live life daily out there in the real world.
Click on the title for the complete homily on the Arlington Catholic Herald‘s website
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Atlanta Archdiocese
Most Reverend John F. Donoghue
The 10th Annual Eucharistic Congress will be held Saturday, June 4, 2005. Details will be posted on the Atlanta Archdiocesan web site: http://www.archatl.com/
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Austin Diocese
Bishop Gregory Aymond
"Do This in Remembrance of Me"
Bishop Aymond will present an overview of the history and theology of the Eucharist, including its Jewish roots and historical development over our 2,000 year history. Focusing on Eucharist as the call to service, Bishop Aymond will invite us to consider how we take to heart our "full, conscious, active participation" in the Eucharist. All of the presentations will be from 7 to 9 p.m. and will include time for questions, prayer and benediction. Please contact the local parish to make reservations. Contact the diocesan Worship Office at (512) 873-7771 for simultaneous Spanish translation or assistance for the hearing impaired.
Feb.10, 2005, St. Thomas More Parish in Austin (512-258-1161)
March 1, 2005, St. Joseph’s Good Shepherd Chapel in Bryan (979-822-2721)
March 3, 2005, St. Mary Parish in Lampasas (512-556-5544)
March 9, 2005, St. Jerome Parish in Waco (254-666-7722)
March 11, 2005, St. Anthony Marie de Claret Parish in Kyle (512-268-5311)
March 22, 2005, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin (512-476-6182)
Source & other resources at: http://www.austindiocese.org/eucharist.htm
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Boston Archdiocese
Most Rev. Sean P. O’Malley, OFM Cap
A pastoral letter on the Year of the Eucharist
Eucharist: a sacrament of unity, sign of love, call to mission
October 8, 2004 Edition of The Pilot
"Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has given us a Eucharistic Year that begins on Oct. 10.
To further this goal of the Holy Father, I have formed a committee to prepare suggestions for the celebration of the Archdiocesan observance of the Eucharistic Year, which we see as part of our spiritual preparation for our 200th birthday as a community of faith, the bicentennial of the Archdiocese in 2008….."
Click title for the complete Pastoral Letter.
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Bridgeport Diocese
Bishop William Lori
Holy Hours for Vocations
"Starting on the First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2004,and running through October 2005, parishes are invited by Bishop William E. Lori to host Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, with a special intention for increased vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. This special observance corresponds with the ‘Year of the Eucharist.’"
Schedule of Vocations Holy Hours and Bishop Lori’s address "Mary and the Eucharist" can be found on the Bridgeport Diocese Website.
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Camden Diocese
Bishop Joseph A. Galante
St. Peter Roman Catholic Church
Merchantville, New Jersey
Parish Eucharistic Congress — May 6 – 7, 2005
"We will concentrate and pray during our Eucharistic Congress on the two themes our Most Reverend Bishop has proposed for our concentration: Vocations and Stability within Families. It will only be through the triumph of Christ Our King that we will have good and holy vocations and intact families. "
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Charleston Diocese
Most Rev. Robert J. Baker "May this year of the Eucharist help us discover Christ anew"- October 2004
The pope has said that there is a very close connection between the Eucharist and announcing Christ. The Eucharist, according to our Holy Father, has a transforming power that provides the courage to live the faith and to spread the Gospel.
There is a lot of ignorance about the church’s understanding of the holy Eucharist, and this year of the Eucharist will be a year of instruction and of deepening of our faith.
Following our Holy Father’s lead, we in the Diocese of Charleston hope to understand and appreciate how the Eucharist embodies fundamental truths of the church, including Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice and his continued presence in the world.
I invite all Catholics in South Carolina to make the holy Eucharist the center of all our evangelization efforts this year. May this year of the Eucharist help us discover Christ anew, adore him with greater devotion, and receive him more reverently in the greatest of gifts he has given us and the greatest of miracles he worked as he gave us his divine presence in the holy Eucharist.
Complete column can be found on the Diocese of Charleston web site: http://www.catholic-doc.org/
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Charlotte Diocese
Bishop Peter J. Jugis
Diocese of Charlotte’s First Eucharistic Congress
Friday, Sept. 23 — Saturday, Sept. 24
Charlotte Convention Center
For more information go to: http://www.charlottediocese.org/eucharisticcongress.html
Parishes offering Eucharistic Adoration are also listed on this site.
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Chicago Archdiocese
Cardinal Francis George
The Archdiocese of Chicago website is offering: "OPPORTUNITIES FOR OBSERVING THE YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST THROUGHOUT THE ARCHDIOCESE IN 2005 "
Click link for dates and times of events planned.
For Eucharistic Adoration Sites and Schedules in the Archdiocese of Chicago go to www.pjp2ea.
Cincinnati Archdiocese
Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk
Three Eucharistic Congresses, "Do This in Remembrance of Me", are planned for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
1) February 5, 2005 at the Kennedy Union, University of Dayton
2) February 26, 2005 at Good Shepherd Church, 8115 E. Kemper Road, Montgomery
3) April 16, 2005 at Holy Redeemer Church, New Bremen.
The time is 8:30 am – 3:30 pm. There is no charge but you need to pre-register. For more information go to: www.catholiccincinnati.org/eucharisticcongress.
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Cleveland Diocese
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla
Year of the Eucharist – Parish Bulletin Inserts on the Cleveland Diocese website.
Dates and times for Lenten Preaching on the Eucharist also listed on the website.
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Colorado Springs Diocese
Bishop Michael Sheridan
The Year of the Eucharist
November 3, 2004
"Throughout this Year of the Eucharist I plan to devote much of my writing to the mystery of the Holy Eucharist which, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, is called "the source and summit of the whole Christian life." This simple and often- repeated description of the Eucharist should cause each of us to pause and consider the pre-eminence and splendor of this sacrament. The council teaches, as the Church as taught from the beginning, that the Eucharist is the very center and foundation of our lives as Catholics. Everything we do leads us to the Eucharist, which sacrament then empowers all we do as we strive to live lives worthy of our calling.
Why is the Eucharist so important? Why does the Church consider this sacrament, and so the Mass, to be the most important thing that we do as Catholics? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting the instruction Eucharisticum mysterium, provides a beautiful and succinct answer: "The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit" (#1325). Each of these sentences is worth our further attention. "
The complete article and other articles focused on the Year of the Eucharist by Bishop Sheridan can be found at http://www.diocs.org/CPC/Corner/newspaper.cfm
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Corpus Christi Diocese
Eucharistic Congress May 26th – May 29, 2005
Dallas Diocese
Bishop Charles V. Grahmann
"For Unity and Peace within Our Families, Our Community, Our World"
An Evening of Eucharistic Adoration and Global Living Rosary, Friday, May 13, 2005 in the Cotton Bowl.
Resources for the Observance of the Year of the Eucharist for the Dallas Diocese can be found at:http://www.cathdal.org/yearoftheeucharist.htm
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Davenport Diocese
Bishop William Franklin
The diocese of Davenport, Iowa, will host an Eucharistic Congress on June 26, 2005 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., at LeClaire Park in Davenport, Iowa.
Contact Rev. Robert Gruss at 563-324-1912 or [email protected] .
The Eucharistic Congress is still in the planning stages, updates will be posted
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Detroit Archdiocese
Cardinal Adam Maida
The Year of the Eucharist — Article by Cardinal Maida
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Dodge City Diocese
Year of the Eucharist
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Dubuque Diocese
Year of the Eucharist Link
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Duluth Diocese
Year of the Eucharist Link
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Bishop Armando X. Ochoa
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Eucharistic Congress
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, 2005.
El Paso convention center.
$15 a person. Register at the door.
Information: 872-8400.
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Fort Wayne-South Bend
Most Reverend John M. D’Arcy
See Organization Page for a Summer Course offered at the University of Notre Dame
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The Year of The Eucharist
By Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza- October 8, 2004
…."Devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament has a long and fruitful tradition in the Church. On many occasions I have urged that each parish have at least a weekly time set aside particularly for Eucharistic adoration. I repeat this urging with the request that time be made for adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist every day. Over twenty parishes have perpetual adoration and I hope many more will begin this beautiful devotion. If for good reason this cannot be achieved, I hope every parish will provide daily opportunities for parishioners, "to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament." (n. 25)….
During the Year of the Eucharist I will ask our priests and deacons to speak often on the Eucharist. Scripture classes and other study groups are encouraged to study the Pope’s encyclical on the Eucharist. Plans are being discussed to have a Diocesan Eucharist Congress in 2005. "O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine."
Complete column can be found at
http://www.diocese-gal-hou.org/BishopPastorals/bishops_fiorenza_recent.asp
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Green Bay Diocese
Bishop David Zubik
"02/09/05 Bishop Zubik goes to the airwaves to talk about Eucharist and connection to Lent
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay will host a six-part radio series titled ‘The Eucharist: Sacrament and Celebration’ on the Relevant Radio network.
‘It’s the hallmark of our Lenten programming,’ says Sherry Brownrigg, chief programming officer at Relevant Radio.
The series, which is designed to walk listeners through the Year of the Eucharist, will air from 9 to 10 a.m. on Fridays beginning Feb. 11 and will repeat at noon on Saturdays on the Relevant Radio network and its local affiliate WJOK, 1050 AM. A half-hour segment from the program will be broadcast nationally by Relevant Radio at 1 p.m. on Thursdays during Lent. Local listeners may hear the national broadcast online.
Topics presented by Bishop Zubik are:
Feb. 11 What is a Sacrament?
Feb. 18 What is the Liturgy?
Feb. 25 Eucharist as a Sacrament
March 4 Eucharist as a Celebration
March 11 Eucharist as Sacrifice and the Holy Meal
March 18 Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ and the Eucharist as Transformation of its Recipients"
Source:http://www.gbdioc.org/pg/article.tpl?asku=110814474455464
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Greenburg Diocese
Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt
Vocations monstrance to arrive in diocese Sept. 28
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Hartford Archdiocese
Archbishop Henry J. Mansell – The Year of the Eucharist
The Catholic Transcript – September 2004
…"It is with exceptional joy, then, that we have welcomed Pope John Paul II’s proclamation of a Year of the Holy Eucharist…. It is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our appreciation for the Eucharist, to strengthen our convictions of being Catholic, and to nourish in God’s grace our spiritual lives.
I will be working with the Presbyteral Council and other groups to develop celebrations and other events for the Year of the Holy Eucharist. At this time I request that all the parishes, institutions, and agencies in the Archdiocese make specific plans to observe this unique Year.
Parishes might schedule special celebrations of the Eucharist, Holy Hours before the Blessed Sacrament, extended periods of Adoration, Forty Hours Devotion, Eucharistic Processions, Benediction, etc. Experience shows that Eucharistic devotions make a profound difference in the tone of a parish, notably increasing participation in the Mass and in various parish service activities….
We will be promoting these efforts and activities from the Archdiocesan level as the Year proceeds. St. Joseph’s Cathedral will be active in this regard. Everyone has his or her own parish, but the Cathedral belongs to everyone. The Archdiocesan website will be adding a special section for information on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a helpful review on the Eucharist for all…."
Complete column can be found at
http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/writings2/archbmansell_column_04-09-01.htm
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Without the Eucharist, there would be no Church
Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B. – October 8, 2004
…"Pope John Paul II has declared a ‘Year of the Eucharist,’ beginning this October-with the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico-through next October 2005. I hope you welcome the Holy Father’s Year of the Eucharist as I do. Not long ago, he wrote an encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Church of the Eucharist), in which he emphasized the point that without the Eucharist there would be no Church. Of course, the further implication is that without the ministerial priesthood, there would be no Eucharist and there would be no Church."…
[more in next week’s column]
Complete column can be found at – http://www.archindy.org/SEEKING.HTM
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Kalamazoo Diocese
Bishop James A. Murray
Eucharistic Year Reading and Discussion Group Event
Time: Monday, March 21, 2005 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: St. Monica Community Building
Facilitated by:
Fr. Larry Farrell, Pastor of St. Monica Parish, &
Kurt Lucas, Associate Director, Office of Evangelization, Catechesis, and Initiation
Participants are encouraged to acquire and read the documents prior to the evenings on which they will be discussed.
No registration required, ALL are invited!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, Contact:
Kurt Lucas, Associate Director
Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Initiation
215 North Westnedge Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007-3760
Phone: 269/349-8714 ext 234
Fax: 269/349-6440
Email: [email protected]
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Kansas City in Kansas Archdiocese
Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Year of the Eucharist
Test of faith: What does the Eucharist mean to you?
…"Pope John Paul II has designated the period from October 2004 to October 2005 the Year of the Eucharist. The universal church opened the year with an International Eucharistic Congress at Guadalajara, Mexico, on Oct. 7, and will conclude it with a special Mass to be celebrated Oct. 29, 2005, during the Synod of Bishops in Rome.
In a Nov. 4 letter sent to pastors and others in the archdiocese, Archbishop James P. Keleher and Coadjutor Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann called this time of special observance a "challenge to examine our own participation in the Eucharist."
The local observance of the Year of the Eucharist here in the archdiocese will begin with a special Mass at 11 a.m. on Nov. 28, the First Sunday of Advent, at St. Peter Cathedral in Kansas City, Kan. Archbishop Keleher will be the main celebrant and homilist."…
excerpt from The Leaven, the Official Newspaper of the Kansas, November 19, 2004.
Click title for complete article.
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Kansas City – St. Joseph Diocese
Bishop Robert Finn, Co-Adjutor Bishop
The Catholic Key – October 14, 2004
The Year of the Eucharist
The Year of the Eucharist could change our lives.
The Year of the Eucharist proclaimed by Pope John Paul II begins this weekend, on October 10, with the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. The conclusion of the yearlong observance will coincide with the Worldwide Synod of Bishops in Rome next Fall, also devoted to the topic of the Holy Eucharist. What happens between these two events depends, to some degree, on us. We know that the Holy Spirit is always ready to change human hearts, and there is no better stage for Him to dramatically accomplish this work than Holy Mass.
Just how important is the Eucharist? The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a collection of many profound teachings for our meditation: The Eucharist is the "source and summit" of the whole Christian life. In the Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass makes present the one sacrifice of Christ, and includes the Church’s offering. In Holy Communion we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in His true Body and Blood. The Eucharist is the one perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father. It is the foretaste of eternal life. It is the most sublime object of our adoration. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322ff.)
The Pope has been preparing us for this Year of the Eucharist. In 1998 he wrote Dies Domini, on the meaning and importance of Sunday Mass. As the year 2000 approached, he expressed his hope that the Great Jubilee Year would be "intensely Eucharistic." There were Eucharistic celebrations and Congresses in many dioceses throughout the world, and a renewed emphasis on Eucharistic adoration.
On Holy Thursday of 2003, the Pope published his encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, and explained how "The Church Draws Her Life from the Eucharist." In the course of that reflection, he promised to provide some follow up documents that would help the Church celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in its integrity and purity. The issuance of the Revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal and more recently the Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum, have given us the practical guidelines we need to assure the authentic and reverent celebration of Holy Mass in continuity with the dignity and profound meaning our Lord and Savior gave it.
An initial part of our observance of this Year of the Eucharist, would obviously include the full implementation of these directives in all parishes and every other place where Holy Mass is celebrated in the diocese.
But this year can be even more for us. When a loved one is celebrating an important milestone, we take the occasion to express a deep closeness, appreciation, and affection for them. I hope that we will use this Year of the Eucharist to do something truly great individually and as a diocese for our Eucharistic Lord.
By this holy and living sacrament Jesus Christ has chosen to give Himself to us intimately and completely. He strengthens us as he sends us out at the end of each Mass to transform the world in Him. He remains forever close to us in the tabernacle. He does all this because He has loved us completely to the very end!
Let us begin our observance of this "Year" with a deep and soul-searching examination, thinking about whether we have given ourselves fully to Him who poured out His life for us on the altar of the Cross.
Dear friends, I hope to use this occasional column to talk to you about many things in our diocese and to reflect with you about our life in Christ. In the next months I will devote some space to reflections and suggestions for keeping this Year of the Eucharist.
Printed with permission of Bishop Robert Finn
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Lafayette in Indiana Diocese
Bishop William L. Higi – September 5, 2004
A year for focus on the Eucharist – PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST! (Now and Forever)
…"The motivation for emphasis on the Eucharist is rooted in the reality that the Eucharist is the source and summit of who and what we are as Catholics. Since the Last Supper, the Church has believed in the Real Presence of Christ under the appearance of bread and wine: body, blood, soul and divinity, as the theologians say. The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs (1333) that during Mass, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, bread and wine cease in substance to be bread and wine and become Christ. The Catechism acknowledges that Christ makes himself present in many ways, but his presence in the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the other sacraments….
In discussing the Year of the Eucharist with the priest members of the Presbyteral Council, I was assured some parishes have already decided how they intend to observe this special event. Consensus was that each parish should develop its own response to the Holy Father’s call….
Many of the young, too, have no experiential knowledge of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Currently, perpetual adoration is available at four different sites in our Local Church: St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Lafayette; St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Fishers; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Carmel; and St. Patrick Parish, Kokomo. Regular periods of adoration are common throughout our Local Church. Those that do not currently have time for adoration can utilize the Year of the Eucharist to introduce the young to adoration even as they satisfy the thirst of older Catholics who were raised in a tradition of adoration.
The Year of the Eucharist can also be a time to review liturgical directives. The fidelity of the vast majority of parishes to the Communion Rite directives has been impressive. However, some parishes have only implemented select portions of those directives. There are also isolated incidents of insistence of personal piety. The Year of the Eucharist provides time to revisit the communitarian nature of the Eucharist, why we are called to common posture, and the ways in which people who participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can be moved from private prayer (my liturgy) to liturgical prayer (the liturgy of the Church) as directed by the General Instruction for the Roman Missal.
In the meantime, plans will proceed for the diocesan observance of the Eucharistic Year. This column will be utilized to explore various points of Church teaching on the Eucharist. Parents, even as they refresh their own understanding, may find those columns helpful in catechizing their children. "Home schooling" is a term we hear with some frequency these days. Perhaps the Year of the Eucharist can be utilized for home schooling in prayer, the importance of fidelity to Mass and the value of spending time in adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Diocesan Liturgical Commission will be asked to organize a Eucharistic event to be held on Corpus Christi, May 29, 2005, perhaps in one of the larger churches in Hamilton County.
The Year of the Eucharist will be brought to a close with Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception on Oct. 23, 2005…."
Complete column can be found at
http://www.dioceseoflafayette.org/ Archives of: A Word from Bishop Higi
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Little Rock Diocese
Bishop J. Peter Sartain
The Western Deanery of the Diocese of Little Rock is preparing a month long celebration from March 15-April 15 for the year of the Eucharist. Our theme is Have you misses my presence? COME HOME! There will be community ads, billboards, radio and TV spots. Our web site is www.john6-56.org.
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Lincoln Diocese
Day of Recollection & Holy Mass on December 31st.
Sponsored by the Ecclesial Carmelite Movement
Details on: Organizations Page.
Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz – October 2004
Excerpts from: Southern Nebraska Register, "Parishes in Southern Nebraska Celebrating Year of the Eucharist" by Katie Eder, October 8, 2004
"….The Year of the Eucharist will be marked by events in all the Deaneries of the Diocese of Lincoln….
Bishop Bruskewitz believes this Eucharistic Year should be the focus of study, prayer and celebration among Catholics.
‘After extensive consultation with my Presbyteral council. I agreed with the suggestion, first of all, that we should definitely celebrate the year of the Eucharist in a special way for many reasons, not the least, because of the wonderful devotion to the Blessed Sacrament throughout our diocese,’ Bishop Bruskewitz said.
He said that it was thought more appropriate and more suitable for the people to have the celebration done on the deanery level throughout the year. The parishes of each deanery will take turns each month developing local celebrations involving the Eucharist…..
As deaneries develop local celebrations, details will be published in the Register."
Diocese of Lincoln web site: http://www.dioceseoflincoln.org/
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Excerpt from the Tidings – Friday, November 26, 2004
Mission Rooted in Eucharist
By Cardinal Roger Mahony
"Each season of the liturgical year — Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time — can be marked by a special opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration. The seasons of Advent and Lent are particularly appropriate times to bring the hopes and longings of the whole world and our own hearts before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
—At the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will take place every Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. — as well as on feast days such as the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ — throughout the Year of the Eucharist.
—Parishes throughout the Archdiocese would do well to make opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration available to parishioners on a regular basis.
In addition, parish communities might take a closer look at the place where the Eucharist is reserved. Is the tabernacle a worthy vessel for the Most Blessed Sacrament? Is the Sacrament kept in an inviting place of beauty that is conducive to quiet prayer?
Finally, in an effort to help all in our Archdiocese make the most of the Year of the Eucharist, a series of bulletin inserts on the Eucharist will be available in December through the Archdiocesan Office for Worship. These bulletin inserts will address different dimensions of the Eucharist. Further, an evaluation form for use by parish liturgy committees will be published in early 2005 in an effort to assure that the Liturgy is celebrated in such a way that it truly is the source and summit of our Catholic faith and practice. "
Click title for the complete article.
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Memphis Diocese
Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D
Year of the Eucharist
A series of articles on the Liturgy during the Year of the Eucharist.
click title to go to Diocese Website.
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Milwaukee Archdiocese
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will mark the beginning of a Eucharistic Year with a Mass on Sunday, October 10. Milwauk
