Eucharistic Revival at St Francis

many simply see it as a fellowship meal, a mere symbol, or a nice way to complete a time of worship and prayer. This loss of faith has certainly been heightened by scandal, division, disease, and doubt. But this is not new to the Catholic community- the Church throughout the centuries has withstood similar challenges and yet stood firm in the belief that the Eucharist truly is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ- not a mere symbol, not something that relies on us but the REAL PRESENCE of Christ who left us this great gift as a means of salvation and a participation in his life, death, and resurrection.

During this revival, we here at St. Francis will take up the challenge and, through prayer, study and activity, will work together on fostering a greater devotion to and understanding of the Eucharist. Of course, we are building on an existing foundation- we already have daily 9:15am Mass and every Thursday, we have all day Eucharistic Adoration following our morning Mass/Holy Hour (9:15am- 6:30pm) – a time for quiet prayer and reflection open to all!

Our focus will be two-fold. First, to remind us that in the Eucharist Christ is truly present and wants to heal, renew, and unify the Church and the world and, secondly, he wants to invite us to encounter and enkindle our living relationship with him so that we, in turn, can share our faith and hope with others.

We will do this by taking appropriate opportunities to preach on the Eucharist and to lead times of prayer and study. We will also invite people to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation- the most appropriate way to prepare for Holy Communion. In addition to our weekly Confessions (Saturdays 3:30pm to 4:45pm) and our other seasonal penance services, it is our hope that during this time of revival we can again host an all-day Reconciliation/Coffee and Chat with a Priest- an opportunity for Confession or to begin the journey of re-connection with our family of faith by chatting over issues of faith and struggles in life. We will also explore and empower grassroots creativity by partnering with neighboring parishes, our own various ministries, and others to foster greater devotion and by learning from the many cultures and traditions that make up our community of faith.

Yours in Christ, Fr. James, pastor