By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
In observance of the National Eucharistic Revival, Bishop Edward J. Burns invites the faithful in the Diocese of Dallas to encounter the reality of Christ truly present in the Eucharist during the celebration of a Mass on Pentecost Sunday. Bishop Burns will celebrate the Eucharist at the special Mass on May 28 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established the National Eucharistic Revival in response to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center that reported that only a third of Catholics believe the Eucharist is really the Body and Blood of Christ. The revival began June 19, 2022, on the feast of Corpus Christi, and culminates with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024.
“Recent statistics show a lack of understanding and appreciation by Catholics of the Sacrament of the Eucharist,” said Juan Carlos Moreno, diocesan director of the Office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life. “The revival is a movement to help restore understanding and devotion of the mystery of the Eucharist.”
“There is an intrinsic dynamism in this merciful Eucharistic act that empowers the believer to witness (and be) the Christ who has come to our encounter,” added Peter J. Ductrám, senior director of ministries for the Diocese of Dallas. “It is in the Eucharist that we are healed, nourished and sent forth. As Eucharistic People, moved by the Holy Spirit, we are called to transform the world. This urgency is at the heart of the movement.”
At the April 15 Diocese of Dallas Synod Listening Session in Irving, Bishop Edward J. Burns told attendees he is greatly concerned that there are “a high percentage of people who do not understand the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” in the Eucharist.
“We must convey to them the fulness of John’s gospel, Chapter 6, ‘unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you… For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink,” Bishop Burns explained. “It is important for us to instill that into the faithful, and it is why we celebrate the Eucharist.”
Moreno said the diocesan Mass on Pentecost Sunday, which will be followed by a reception in the Grand Salon of the cathedral, is intended to kick off a grassroots initiative in the diocese.
Bishop Burns is encouraging parishes to engage parishioners with community-specific activities and events to better understand and enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery through the celebration of the Mass, and extended opportunities for Adoration and Reconciliation.
“The very essence of eucharistic adoration in our parishes is paramount,” Bishop Burns said.
According to the national event’s website, www.eucharisticcongress.org, the bishops hope the congress will draw American Catholics “into a deeper intimacy with our eucharistic Lord, allowing our eyes to be opened and our hearts to be set on fire with his love.”
To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, visit www.cathdal.org/real-presence.
