June 18th

Dear Friends, 
First things first: Happy Fathers’ Day to all of our parish dads! 
 
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The long series of Sunday Solemnities is past, and we now shift into summer mode. Having celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ) last week, Catholics in our country now embark on a parish journey of participation in the National Eucharistic Revival (fyi, the website for this is www.eucharisticrevival.org). We will look at some of the resources provided and figure out ways to enhance our appreciation for and devotion to the gift of the Eucharist and fortify a living relationship with Jesus in Eucharist. 
 
Beauty in the liturgy elevates the minds and hearts of those who attend Mass, helping them to match their interior disposition with the externals of what’s being celebrated. We’ll seek to create more opportunities for people to personally encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, both within the Mass and through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We also need to engage in robust faith formation, since we have found that the majority of Mass-going Catholics in the U.S. either do not understand or do not accept the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. There will also be a missionary thrust to this Revival, as each parishioner will be invited to reach at least one person to invite them back.  
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Because many find a richer experience of communion when the Eucharist is offered under both species, we will re-introduce the chalice for the congregation in the Fall. I have heard that when it was available before COVID, only a few in our parish usually partook of that. This is always optional, but we’ll work on promoting it so that more might at least try the experience to see if it increases the sense of participation and communion. 
 
May your week reflect the encounter with Christ 
we experienced at Mass today!