In the same way that a relationship with Christ is not about something but someone, the organizers of the National Eucharistic Revival will tell you that their movement is not just something faithful Catholics do, but something that they are — a grace from God, stirring up the hearts of his people.

The National Eucharistic Revival — a three-year initiative of the U.S. bishops aimed at reviving Catholic belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist — began in 2022. The revival ends June 22.

Its launch nurtured a spark of urgent motivation: In August 2019, the Pew Research Center reported “just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their Church” that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ. 

While a later study conducted by Vinea Research proposed the wording of Pew’s survey was problematic — its 2024 results indicated 69 percent of Catholics believe in the Real Presence — adherence is still not universal.

“I think that Pew study … was a catalyst that got our Church moving,” said Kris Frank, vice president of growth and marketing at the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., or NEC. “But whether it was a lack of belief or just indifference, I think what the revival did was bring the Eucharist front and center — and reminded us of what a gift we have in the person of Jesus Christ.”

That gift literally took a road trip, when — from May 17 to July 16, 2024, on routes north, south, east and west  — a total of 250,000 participants processed 6,500 miles in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage across America. The routes eventually converged on Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held from July 17 to 21, 2024, and attended by more than 60,000 participants.

But Jesus’ journey wasn’t done.

This year, in a second National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Christ has once again been on the move, traveling since May 18 from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. A June 22 Mass, Eucharistic procession and festival in Los Angeles will mark the feast of Corpus Christi and the end of the pilgrimage.

The 11th National Eucharistic Congress is expected to be held in 2029.

In mid-May, the NEC released its Eucharistic Missionary formation program, “which is a more intentional commitment to live out the spirit of the National Eucharistic Revival,” Joel Stepanek, NEC vice president of programming and administration, said. “And so that’s an invitation for people to undergo a few weeks of formation — and in those few weeks, take up some daily practices they’ll continue as they live out life as a Eucharistic Missionary.”

Those things include making a Holy Hour every week; attending a daily Mass, in addition to the Sunday obligation; joining a small group; finding ways to serve in family, neighborhoods and parishes; and offering daily prayers and fasting for both those they are accompanying and for ongoing Eucharistic revival in the United States.

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As the sun rose June 11, 2023, Catholics had the opportunity to celebrate not one, but two special occasions. Sharing the same day as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi was the inauguration of the Parish Revival Year.

The Parish Revival year is the second year of a three-year initiative by U.S. bishops designed to inspire, educate and unite Catholics in Jesus and the Eucharist. This three-year revival, known as the National Eucharistic Revival, started June 11, 2022. 

While many Catholics wait until Lent to focus on their relationship with Christ, parishes all across Arkansas have been hard at work to strengthen their parish’s community while deepening their understanding of Jesus and the Eucharist.

Raising awareness

For many parishes, the first step was raising awareness and educating parishioners about the importance of the Parish Revival Year and the Eucharistic Revival as a whole.

Christy Trantina, director of adult faith formation at St. Joseph Church in Conway, said she used multiple outlets for spreading the word.

“Our first goal was simply education and awareness of the Revival effort,” Trantina said. “In December, we began sharing information with our community through bulletins, social media and in-person. I presented to our adult weekly groups and school faculty to tell them about the three-year plan, the Congress, the pilgrimages and processions and to share parish activities offered in 2024.”

Elizabeth Ganey, marketing and events coordinator for St. Stephen Church in Bentonville, like Trantina, wanted parishioners to know the importance of the celebration before diving in.

“We kicked things off in June of 2023 with a Corpus Christi Festival and procession and also had the traveling display of Eucharistic Miracles here for a month,” Ganey said.  

In addition to a speaker series throughout the year on various parts of the Eucharist, St. Stephen Church has held retreats and reconciliation.

“In the fall of 2023 we also had a full-day Eucharistic Revival Retreat and have had several ‘Revival Nights’ which are evenings of holy hours and reconciliation,” Ganey said. “Our next Revival Night will be April 10.”

“For the Year of Eucharistic Revival, our planning committee worked through the Leader’s Playbook provided on the Revival website,” Trantina said. “We wanted to offer activities for our parish without trying to do too much. Our current weekly communications contain the Eucharistic Revival logo along with inspirational videos, graphics and resources to keep the Eucharist in the front of our minds. 

“Our pastors are referencing Eucharist Revival in their homilies. We have invited our parishioners to share testimony of what the Eucharist means to them, or any special Eucharistic experiences; these will be recorded in writing or on video and shared with our community.”

Taffy Council, a parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton, who has helped spearhead the parish revival year at her parish, said the resources provided for the National Eucharistic Revival are incredibly helpful. 

“It’s absolutely amazing. They have homilies (on the resource website) so your liturgical planning commissions can move forward, as well as the small group study and other suggestions,” Council said. “The wealth of resources is just amazing.”

Scripture studies

Several parishes are also having in depth talks and speaker series related to the Eucharist and the Bible. St. Joseph Church in Tontitown experienced a three-night talk series, led by Father John Marconi, on the Passover, the Last Supper and the Mass Feb. 7-9. 

Other parishes are also diving deep into Scripture while building their community bonds.

Peggy Siefert, a young catechist and Scripture study leader, said parishioners at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Bella Vista are engaged in Scripture studies and talks to grow in their faith.

“We have been focusing on the Eucharistic Revival in our parish by offering Scripture studies during the last two years on the Mass and the Eucharist through Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire Scripture Studies,” Siefert said. “We have also offered several adult education presentations on the Eucharist.”

Siefert, like Ganey, said that St. Bernard of Clairvaux is also taking advantage of retreat opportunities.

“We are having a one-day retreat in our parish Feb. 12, where Father Mike Sinkler will be presenting on 'what is really happening' during the Mass,” Siefert said. “We have also been praying aloud the special Eucharistic Revival prayer for parishes that was provided by the National Eucharistic Revival group after Communion at all of our weekend Masses.”

Adoration

Beth McClinton, a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville who has helped organize parish revival events, said monthly communal adoration, as well as praise and worship music, have created a unique opportunity in her community. 

“During (adoration), we kneel before the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worship music as a community. Participants can sing along or just sit quietly,” McClinton said. “Sometimes, we offer a brief directive on what we are praying about or contemplating. Sometimes we offer a short questionnaire with questions that lead us to our Lord or maybe even repentance. We often have confession available as well as a prayer team available to pray with anyone who needs prayer.

Our deacon faithfully comes at the end of our time and leads us with the procession of our Lord to return him to our chapel.”

McClinton said the event has been enjoyed by Anglo and Hispanic parishioners, bringing the community even further together.

“We have both English group and Spanish group doing similar holy hours at different times in the month. It has been such a beautiful time with our Lord as a community,” McClinton said. “Many have shared that they have experienced a deeper and more personal experience with the Blessed Sacrament.” 

Council has also planned several adorations called “Encounter Nights.”

“It’s an opportunity for the entire parish to come together to experience, in a very personal way, an encounter with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament,” Council said. “It’s framed within the context of Benediction, so you begin with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. In our parish, one of the goals is to allow people to have the sacrament of reconciliation during these Encounter Nights.” 

With each month, the number of attendees has grown. Council said these opportunities are provided in English and Spanish. 

Getting the youth involved

Adults aren’t the only ones getting a chance to grow in their faith. Kaitlyn Hartman, youth faith formation director at St. Joseph Church in Conway, said her parish is hosting a children’s Eucharistic Revival in March.

“Our hope is that our youngest parishioners walk away from Christ Alive Night with a deeper connection with Jesus,” Hartman said. 

Christ Alive Night is a children’s eucharistic revival for students in kindergarten to third grade. 

“Most of the students in attendance at this event have never received the Eucharist before, but that does not mean that the Eucharist cannot play an important role in the lives of young children,” Hartman said. “The Eucharist is for everyone. We hope that students walk away knowing that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, so they can experience Jesus’ love in a more tangible way during Mass. Students will participate in lots of crafts, games and activities and a few silly skits. We will end the night with praise and worship as well as a trip to our Eucharist adoration chapel, where the students will get to visit Jesus.”

Council has created a children’s adoration event with some of the resources provided by the National Eucharistic Revival office.

“It’s a little spark that has caught fire, and it’s absolutely beautiful,” Council said. 
 

Making a pilgrimage

Siefert said parishioners at St. Bernard Church are preparing to attend the National Eucharistic Congress.

“The most exciting event for a group of our parishioners is that we are planning a trip to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024,” Siefert said. “It is my understanding that we are currently the only parish in the Diocese of Little Rock who are organizing a trip to the Congress. We have been contacted by several pilgrims from parishes in northeast Arkansas, asking if they could join us. We would welcome any Arkansas Catholics who would be willing and able to travel to Bella Vista by Tuesday morning, July 16 to contact our parish and inquire about joining our trip. We have seats left on our bus, and hotel rooms are still available.”

Deborah Vogel, a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village, has helped organize several events at her parish for the revival year. 

“In May our Ladies of the Sacred Heart are sponsoring a mission with Father John Marconi as the presenter,” Vogel said. “His presentation will focus on different aspects of the Eucharist. He has done this presentation at several other parishes. The core team will be promoting the National Pilgrimage and National Eucharist Congress more over the next several months.”

Jesus and the Eucharist

Many parishes are taking advantage of the online “Jesus and the Eucharist” video series, such as St. Michael Church in Van Buren, St. Joseph Church in Conway and St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas.

“We are currently offering the seven-week course Jesus and the Eucharist. We have about 100 participants, and those affected by the winter months are encouraged to watch the series on their own at home if needed,” Trantina said. “We are providing course links and resources in hopes of reaching as many people as possible.”

Parishes are scheduling the culmination of their events to fall just before Easter.

“Our series will end just before Easter … we have scheduled a Day of Recollection (mini-retreat) with Tom Elliott in April,” Trantina said. “We have also scheduled an Encounter Night Holy Hour, an evening of adoration and worship to facilitate an encounter with Jesus. Outside of these offerings we are providing prayer cards, books, study materials and resources all geared toward encountering the love of Jesus in the Eucharist.”

“We have about 80 folks signed up and expect more to come that have not formally signed up. I am really excited to see the movement of the Holy Spirit among all those involved,” Vogel said. 

Desire to lead others

Parishioners who are spearheading efforts in their parish said organizing these events mattered to them for several reasons. 

“Since retiring, I have had the blessing of having the opportunity to return to my grade-school-days experience of attending daily Mass several times a week,” Siefert said. “I have also had more time to attend Scripture study and to participate in groups following Father Mike Schmitz and his Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts.”

McClinton said opportunities like the ones provided by her parish can spark personal change.

“I believe it is important that the parish provide practical ways to experience the Holy Eucharist either for the first time or for the first time in a manner that leads them to a personal response to our Lord in the Sacrament,” McClinton said. “In these types of activities it becomes more than object the reality of Christ himself is made known. I think based on the growth in numbers each month in attendance and personal testimony that those who come are appreciative.” 

Vogel said it’s important for parishes to participate in the revival because some people are less connected now than they once were. 

“Coming together to share this time in prayer, sharing and socializing hopefully will form a closer parish ‘family.’ It gives us a chance to get to know each other on different level than just greeting each other at Mass,” Vogel said. “Those that are new to the parish will get to meet others and feel more welcome and connected. When Jesus chose his disciples, they formed a small community which grew as they gathered and shared with each other-their lives changed and their faith in Jesus grew. When one feels connected to others in Spirit, the love of Christ can more readily flow into action.”

“I think I am really like most Catholics, in that the more I have learned about Jesus in the Eucharist, the more I want to learn,” Siefert said. “The more we learn about Jesus in the Eucharist, the more we live the Eucharist. The more we live the Eucharist, the more we love the Eucharist. And when we love Jesus in the Eucharist, we will never leave him.”

Hartman said, “The Eucharist gives us life as Catholics. There are so many people within the Catholic Church, both young and old, who struggle to believe that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Jesus, because it is a mystery. When parishes provide opportunities for parishioners to encounter Christ in the Eucharist, be that through frequent opportunities for eucharistic adoration, more Mass opportunities, educational opportunities or events centered around the Eucharist, revival can and will happen within parishes. Our Church is alive because we have the opportunity to be fed by the ultimate source of life — Jesus.”

“We already have a very active parish at Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Spirit moving others to care for their brothers and sisters of humanity,” Vogel said. “The hope is that more Catholics will come to a deeper appreciation and love in and for the Eucharist and what a most precious gift that God has given us. Jesus's passion and death on the cross was a great sacrifice — a sacrifice of Love given at the Last Supper. What a great love story.

Almost two-thirds of Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but only 17 percent of adult Catholics physically attend Mass at least once per week, according to a newly published survey from Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. 

The survey also revealed a high correlation between belief in the Eucharist and weekly or even monthly Mass attendance.

The 2022 survey of self-identified Catholics published Sept. 26 and titled "Eucharist Beliefs: A National Survey of Adult Catholics" found 64 percent of respondents provided responses that indicate they believe in the Real Presence, that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist.

That conclusion was drawn from both open-ended and closed-ended questions respondents were asked about their understanding of Church teaching about the Eucharist and additional questions to clarify their beliefs.

According to the CARA study, 49 percent of respondents correctly identified that the Church teaches that "Jesus Christ is truly present under the appearance of bread and wine." The other 51 percent incorrectly identified the Church's teaching as "bread and wine are symbols of Jesus' actions at the Last Supper, meaning that Jesus is only symbolically present in the consecrated bread and wine."

"Results of this question indicate that there is substantial confusion about what the Church teaches about the Eucharist with slightly more adult Catholics not knowing this correctly than those correctly identifying the teachings," the report stated.

The survey report noted the data from the responses to the questions indicated "most who do not believe in the Real Presence are not rejecting the teaching, as they do not know this is what the Church teaches."

The survey aimed to test or clarify the findings of a 2019 Pew Research Center survey that found one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with the Church that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ. According to Pew's analysis published in August 2019, "nearly seven-in-10 Catholics (69 percent) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion 'are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.' Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31 percent) say they believe that 'during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.'"

The 2019 Pew survey was part of the impetus for the National Eucharistic Revival that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched last year, and which will include a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July. The initiative aims "to inspire a movement of Catholics across the United States who are healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist — and who are then sent out on mission 'for the life of the world,'" its website states.

In a review of previous surveys asking Catholics about their belief in the Real Presence beginning with a 2008 American National Election Study, CARA indicated that the Pew Research Center's phrasing for its question on the topic may have been confusing to respondents. CARA aimed to be as clear as possible with its survey's approach, which is why it opened with an "unaided and open-ended question": "In your own words, what do you believe happens to the gifts of bread and wine after consecration during Mass?"

The new CARA study, while showing more Catholics believe in the Real Presence than in the Pew study, still underscores the need for the Eucharistic Revival, said Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, which is supporting the revival.

"It's still not good news," Bishop Cozzens told OSV News. "What it reveals is that there's … people who say they believe in the Eucharist, but they don't go to Mass. In that sense, they obviously haven't had a real encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist."

The National Eucharistic Congress, in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Augustine Institute, has released a seven-part video series to help parishes nationwide launch small group communities to grow in faith and love for the holy Eucharist.

The guided series is hosted by Montse Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, and Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chair of the USCCB's Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. The initial small group series released Sept. 14 titled, "Jesus and the Eucharist," is the first of seven weekly sessions available on the revival's online "LEARN" platform.

Each session opens with an exhortation from a different bishop; includes teaching from prominent theologians and influential figures in the church today; and highlights personal testimonies from everyday Catholics who have experienced the transformative power of Eucharistic love in their own lives.

The four pillars that uphold the movement of the National Eucharistic Revival are reinvigorating worship, personal encounter, robust faith formation and missionary sending. The "Jesus and the Eucharist" series was created as a tangible underpinning to the third pillar of formation.

"Our hope is that the fire which burned in the hearts of the first Christians begins to burn in our hearts in a new and powerful way, so that we can't help but share with others what is burning within us," Bishop Cozzens said in introducing the series. "When that happens, when we become missionaries to the whole of the Good News of our salvation in Christ, then we fulfill in our time the Great Commission which Jesus has given to us: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.'"

Each of the lessons lasts about two hours, and the format consists of both a video and table discussion component with shared testimonials along the way and designated times for prayer.

"This study is a great 'out-of-the-box' solution for parishes," explained Joel Stepanek, chief operating officer for the National Eucharistic Congress. "Parishes simply need to train table facilitators and a core team to implement the study, set up a hall with tables that can seat roughly eight people, and press play."

• Session 1, called "Our Story," offers initial background with the story of God, creation and our place in it. 

• Sessions 2, 3, and 4 key in on the themes of Jesus, salvation and the Church and explore why God chose to establish the Christian Church. 

• Sessions 5 to 7 focus on the sacraments of the Church, specifically the transformative power of the Eucharist and its biblical roots.

"Jesus and the Eucharist '' was developed specifically for the revival's parish year by a team of Catholic experts working closely with the National Eucharistic Revival, and every parish in the country is encouraged to begin using the study. New lessons are now available for download every Thursday through Oct. 26 on the Eucharistic Revival website, eucharisticcongress.org.

Individuals also may access the free online series if unable to participate in a parish program.

Kris Frank, chief mission officer for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, "The hope is that the series will provide a renewed sense of formation around the Eucharist and also assist parishes in launching ongoing small group communities and initiatives. We want this to be more than just a series, but, as Bishop Cozzens says, this revival is all about a fire and not so much about a program."

The National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the USCCB kicked off June 19, 2022, the feast of Corpus Christi. It is a movement in the United States to restore understanding and devotion to the holy Eucharist. The revival includes a cross-country pilgrimage starting in May 2024 and culminates with the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years, to be held July 17-21, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

VATICAN CITY — Catholics need to recover a sense of awe and adoration before the Eucharist, knowing that it is "the real and loving presence of the Lord," Pope Francis told members of the committees organizing the National Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States.

Jesus spoke of himself as "the living bread which came down from heaven, the true bread that gives life to the world," the pope told the group June 19, just three days after leaving the hospital following abdominal surgery.

"This morning, while I was celebrating the Eucharist, I thought about this a lot because it is what gives us life," the pope said. "Indeed, the Eucharist is God's response to the deepest hunger of the human heart, the hunger for authentic life because in the Eucharist Christ himself is truly in our midst to nourish, console and sustain us on our journey."

Pope Francis walked into the library using his cane instead of a wheelchair. And although he sat when he read his prepared text — and added spontaneous comments — he stood to bless the four-foot-tall monstrance, paten and chalice that will be used during the eucharistic congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024.

The group was led by Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chair of the U.S. bishops' advisory group for the National Eucharistic Revival, a multi-year process aimed at renewing and strengthening faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and chair of the board of directors planning the eucharistic congress.

Bishop Cozzens told Catholic News Service it was "an incredible privilege" to meet the pope and experience "his love, his passion for the Eucharist and for the work that we're about."

Pope Francis told the group that, unfortunately, today many Catholics "believe that the Eucharist is more a symbol than the reality of the Lord's presence and love."

But, he said, "it is more than a symbol; it is the real and loving presence of the Lord."

"It is my hope, then, that the eucharistic congress will inspire Catholics throughout the country to discover anew the sense of wonder and awe at the Lord's great gift of himself," he said, "and to spend time with him in the celebration of the holy Mass and in personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament."

Pope Francis lamented that many people "have lost the sense of adoration. We need to regain the sense of adoring in silence, adoration. It is a prayer we have lost; few people know what this is, and you bishops need to catechize the faithful on the prayer of adoration," he said, looking at Bishop Cozzens and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, who also accompanied the group.

The pope insisted on the link between celebrating Mass, eucharistic adoration and sharing the Gospel with others.

"In the Eucharist, we encounter the one who gave everything for us, who sacrificed himself in order to give us life, who loved us to the end," he said. "We become credible witnesses to the joy and transforming beautify of the Gospel only when we recognize that the love we celebrate in this sacrament cannot be kept to ourselves but demands to be shared with all."

"This is the sense of mission: You go, you celebrate Mass, you take Communion, you go to adoration — and afterward?" he asked. "Afterward you go out, you go out and evangelize; Jesus makes us this way."

"The Eucharist impels us to a strong and committed love of neighbor," he insisted. "For we cannot truly understand or live the meaning of the Eucharist if our hearts are closed to our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, suffering, weary or may have gone astray in life."

Speaking off the cuff, the pope said those who believe in the Eucharist must reach out to and visit "the elderly, who are the wisdom of a people, and the sick, who take the form of the suffering Jesus."

Pope Francis prayed that the National Eucharistic Congress would "bear fruit in guiding men and women throughout your nation to the Lord who, by his presence among us, rekindles hope and renews life."

In an interview with CNS following the papal audience, Bishop Cozzens said the ongoing process of the Synod of Bishops on synodality and the eucharistic revival are related since, in the listening sessions for the synod, many Catholics expressed concern about a lack of belief in the real presence and about declining Mass attendance.

"We're probably at an all-time low in the United States in terms of the percentage of Catholics who are actually going to Mass every Sunday," he said, which is "a huge concern that came forward in the synod process."

The listening sessions also pleaded with the bishops to work for the unity of the church in the country and draw everyone together around the sacrament of unity, and communion is the best way to do that, he said. "So, I would argue that the synodal process helped us build the whole thing."

"The Eucharist is the source of our life in the Church," the bishop said. "It's the beating heart of the Church where we receive the life of Christ as the body of Christ."

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The first year of the National Eucharistic Revival closed in the Diocese of Little Rock with two Eucharistic Revival Days.

On June 3, national speaker Tim Francis spoke to more than 450 people at St. Raphael Church in Springdale about eucharistic miracles and their meaning. On June 10, Cathedral of St. Andrew rector Father Joseph de Orbegozo addressed about 425 people at Christ the King Church in Little Rock.

The days also included breakout sessions, adoration, Mass with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, blessing of catechists and commissioning extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.

One would guess that most saints would have a devotion to the Eucharist, but here are 10 saints to learn more about and ask to intercede for us during the National Eucharistic Revival.

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Born in 1991, Blessed Carlo Acutis was a young Italian boy who had a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist. This millennial is most known for his devotion to the Eucharist, for he documented all known Eucharistic miracles and even created a website containing information on each miracle. Though he died when he was 15, his devotion to the Eucharist inspired all those around him and enabled him to leave behind a beautiful testimony of his love for the Eucharist: his Eucharistic miracle website. Today all people throughout the world have access to his website to deepen their knowledge and love for the Blessed Sacrament. 
Feast day: Oct. 12

Blessed Juliana of Mount Cornillon

After her parents died, Juliana was brought up in an Augustinian monastery at Mount Cornillon, Belgium. She joined the community, which ran a hospital for leprosy patients. Elected prioress about 1225, she made known earlier visions in which Jesus told her he desired a special feast for the Blessed Sacrament. This became her mission, despite opposition; even some of her nuns doubted her and accused her of misusing funds. She was forced to leave her monastery in 1246 and died a hermit. Her work led to the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. 
Feast day: April 5

St. Hesychius of Jerusalem

St. Hesychius was a priest who wrote about the Bible in the liturgy. He viewed Scripture as “perfect wisdom, the point of departure and the point of arrival to which the whole of our existence should be conformed.” Hesychius preached on Easter at the place of the crucifixion, exalting the cross and Christ’s victory. Like St. Cyril of Jerusalem, he taught a realistic doctrine of the Eucharist, which he regarded as a sacrifice identical with that of the cross. Hesychius taught that Christ was present to transform us through our inner absorption of his whole being. “Keep yourselves free from sin so that every day you may share in the mystic meal; by doing so our bodies become the body of Christ.” 
Feast day: March 28

St. Ignatius of Antioch

This Syrian-born martyr, who gave himself the nickname “God-bearer” because of his certainty of God’s presence within him and who may have been a disciple of St. John the Evangelist, became bishop of Antioch about 69. Eventually he was arrested and sent to Rome, where his strong desire for martyrdom was fulfilled when he was thrown to the lions in the Colosseum. In seven letters written to Christians in Asia Minor and Rome, he stressed the need to heal Church conflicts, the authority of local bishops and the Eucharist as a source of unity. 
Feast day: Oct. 17

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

This French saint, who increased devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, spent her life in Burgundy. A pious child, Margaret was bedridden from ages 9 to 15 with a rheumatic illness. She gradually understood a call to religious life, and already had a mature prayer life when she entered a Visitation convent near Lyon in 1671. Between 1673 and 1675, she received four visions of Christ’s heart in flames, burning with love for humanity, with instructions to promote a special feast and First Friday devotions. Margaret, aided by a Jesuit priest, overcame disbelief and jealousy within her own convent and saw the feast celebrated there and in other French Visitation convents in her lifetime. She was canonized in 1920. 
Feast day: Oct. 16

St. Paschal Baylon

Born to a Spanish shepherd family, Paschal was said to have taught himself to read while tending sheep. At age 21 he joined an austere group of Franciscans, devoting himself to prayer and charity. He was sent on a dangerous mission to French Franciscans, and a shoulder wound he received caused him pain for the rest of his life. Long hours of prayer on his knees before the Eucharist earned this lay brother the honor of being patron of Catholic eucharistic congresses. His emblem in art is a monstrance. 
Feast day: May 17

St. Peter Julian Eymard

The patron saint of eucharistic devotion, Peter Julian began adult life, like his father, as a cutler. But he became a priest of the French Alpine Diocese of Grenoble in 1834. In 1839, he left diocesan service to become a Marist priest and eventually became provincial of his congregation at Lyon. But, after making a pilgrimage in 1851, he understood that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to whom he was utterly devoted, had no specific religious institute. Subsequently, he founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, an order of sisters, both devoted to perpetual adoration. He was canonized in 1962. 
Feast day: Aug. 2

St. Pius X

Known as the "pope of the Eucharist," Pius X was born Joseph Melchior Sarto in northern Italy. After being ordained for the Treviso Diocese in 1858, he served in small parishes before being named diocesan chancellor and spiritual director of the seminary. Pope Leo XIII named him bishop of Mantua in 1884 and a cardinal and patriarch of Venice in 1893. He was elected pope in 1903. During his pontificate, he lowered the age for receiving first Communion, encouraged daily Communion and daily Bible reading and promoted biblical study. 
Feast day: Aug. 21

St. Tarsicius

Tarsicius was likely an acolyte, a deacon or even a layman in Rome during the time of Emperor Valerian’s persecution. He was martyred while taking the Eucharist to Christian prisoners, beaten to death with sticks and stones by a mob of pagans on the Appian Way when he would not surrender the Communion he was carrying. One tradition claims he was buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus. Pope St. Damasus I suggested an early cult by describing his martyrdom in a fourth-century poem. His legend was further embellished in the 19th-century novel “Fabiola.” Tarsicius is the patron saint of first communicants, altar servers and the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. 
Feast day: Aug. 26

St. Thomas Aquinas

Thomas so shocked his noble Italian family when he entered the Dominicans about 1244 that his brothers imprisoned him for a year. But he would not yield and studied under St. Albert the Great, becoming a master of theology in 1256. For the rest of his brief life, the "dumb ox," as he was dubbed, taught, preached and wrote, producing the monumental "Summa Theologica," highlighting the theology of the Eucharist. His thinking became enormously influential in later centuries, and he was named a Doctor of the Church in 1567. 
Feast day: Jan. 28

Compiled by Arkansas Catholic staff

Adorers in Arkansas say eucharistic adoration is a good practice for spiritual growth during the National Eucharistic Revival.

St. John Paul II called for revitalizing eucharistic adoration in all Catholic churches in his 2003 encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia.

“That’s when I became really involved,” said Jenny Gates, an adorer for the past 19 years at Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock.

Many adorers like Gates have kept their weekly adoration commitment for more than a decade.

Greg Blacklaw from Our Lady of Fatima in Benton said, “My first impression was, ‘Hey, this would be a great way to go through Lent.’ And then I realized what perpetual eucharistic adoration meant; it didn’t stop after that.” He has been an adorer since 2000.

While eucharistic adoration is available in most churches across the diocese during specific times throughout the week, perpetual adoration requires an adorer to be present in the chapel 24 hours a day. Parishioners may sign up for a weekly hour whenever works best for them, or for a time that is most needed.

Estefanía Ramirez, a high school student in Benton, has a late-night adoration hour.

“It’s my reset button for the week. I need that one hour of silence, and it is in the middle of the night. But once you’re here, you never regret it,” she said.

June concludes the first year of the National Eucharistic Revival, the year of diocesan revival and begins the year of parish revival. According to the USCCB, eucharistic adoration is a central focus of this second year.

“My mom always says this, that if people truly believed that God is right there, they would be here all day,” Ramirez said.

Gates, who previously served as parish adoration coordinator, recalled people asking her what to do with their time in the chapel.

“They don’t know why they want to adore, but they want to be part of it,” she said.

“Adoration is (where) you do your own thing. There are different forms of prayer,” Ramirez said.

Some parishes adopt a shared-hour system, where two adorers can alternate who will be present each week, such as at Immaculate Conception in North Little Rock. Others, like St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs, have implemented two-hour time slots instead of the traditional one-hour commitment. Many churches like St. Joseph in Conway still use the standard, one-hour weekly adoration schedule.

To view perpetual and daily Eucharistic adoration locations across the state, visit dolr.org/adoration.

“When you think, there’s 168 hours in a week. No phone, no one else, but you and him,” Blacklaw said.

The parish year of the Eucharistic Revival begins on the feast of Corpus Christi, Sunday, June 11.

During the parish year, every Catholic in Arkansas will be invited to participate in local activities focused on bringing each person into a deeper encounter with Christ in the Eucharist that transforms life.

The parish year consists of four areas, called pillars, in which every Catholic is invited to gain a deeper relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. The four pillars are:

• Reinvigorate worship
• Personal encounter
• Robust faith formation
•Missionary sending

Reinvigorate worship

Parish priests will lead the Eucharistic Revival by taking the first step, to renew their faithfulness to the ars celebrandi (the art of celebrating). Through their leadership, we all participate in the celebration of the sacred liturgy through which Christ is made present to us.

Personal encounter

All parishes are invited to host “Encounters” that help parishioners encounter Jesus in the Eucharist personally. For example, parishes may host Encounter Nights or holy hours monthly, during which every parishioner will have the opportunity to meet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Robust faith formation

The National Eucharistic Revival committee announced a new seven-session video series for group study, titled, “Jesus and the Eucharist.” All parishioners can attend the study at their parish. The study will be organized locally by pastors and parish leaders, using training and materials provided by the national committee. Dates and times will be announced locally at each parish.

Missionary sending

The natural response to encountering Christ in the Eucharist is to share him with others. During the parish year, all Catholics will have opportunities to invite others to know Christ for the first time or return to following him.

A Playbook for the Parish Year

The National Eucharistic Revival committee has published a “playbook” to guide parishes through the year. The playbook was published and distributed online to pastors and parish leaders in May. It is available in English and Spanish on the diocesan website at dolr.org/parish-revival.

The need for a Eucharistic Revival in the United States arose in response to the 2021 bishop’s document, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.” In this document, the bishops said the way to begin to address the urgent needs of our Church is for all Catholics to come to a deeper understanding of Christ’s gift to us in the Eucharist and our response to it.

The first year of the Eucharistic Revival was the diocesan year, June 2022-June 2023. Every Catholic diocese in the U.S. took the opportunity to encounter Christ in the Eucharist through focused opportunities for study, sharing, and liturgy. In the Diocese of Little Rock, more than 500 catechists and parish leaders attended Formation Days to study Scripture and the catechism regarding the Eucharist. The priests’ continuing education was led by Father Leo Patalinghug on eucharistic adoration and the intimacy of Christ’s self-giving as a meal.

The second year of the Eucharistic Revival is the parish year. The third year will be the National Year of Eucharistic Revival, highlighted by local mission-oriented responses to bring people closer to the Eucharist in our communities, local and national Eucharistic processions, and a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024.

You may be familiar with something called the “Five Love Languages.” If you aren’t, they are:

• Words of affirmation
• Acts of service
• Gifts
• Physical touch
• Quality time

Based on a book by Gary Chapman, these “love languages” are perhaps most commonly applied to romantic relationships. But they can really extend to all relationships: siblings, parents, children, friends, coworkers, etc.

The basic gist is that each of us tends to gravitate toward one of these “languages” as the primary means of how we tend to express our love and also how we tend to receive love from others.

Jesus Christ was perfect, so we could also say he’s the perfect example and embodiment of all five love languages. He spoke words of affirmation to the suffering. He made acts of service to the poor and the needy. He gifted wine at Cana, and his very self on the cross. He touched the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, the lips of the mute. And he spent incalculable quality time in prayer with his Heavenly Father.

Scripture tells us Jesus routinely went off alone or into the wilderness to pray. His quality time with the Father was often tied to a specific purpose. But “purposeful prayer” doesn’t necessarily equate to “productive prayer.”

In our American culture, we focus so much on utility and productivity — which can be great for the economy and our physical livelihood — but not so much for our spiritual lives. At its core, prayer really is just “wasting time with God.” Our prayer time might have a specific purpose. But we should never obsess over whether it was particularly “productive.”

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is the perfect medicine to our unhealthy attachment to productivity. Adoration of our Lord in the Eucharist doesn’t have some predesigned goal or agenda. The sole agenda is adoration for adoration’s sake. Adoring the Lord for the sake of adoring the Lord, and seeking nothing in return.

We each have our own preferred ways of showing love to Christ. It could be acts of service to others, words of affirmation through worship music, giving gifts to beautify the church or healing through physical touch.

But how often do we opt for the fifth love language: quality time? How often do we choose to just spend some quality time with Christ? To love him just by being near him?

We’ve all heard of tithing. And most of us understandably equate that with our money. But the most precious resource that any of us have really is our time. We can all work harder to earn more money. But none of us ultimately can do anything to buy more time. Our time is the one thing that’s truly priceless. How we spend our time says a lot about our priorities.

Tithing our time to God may be even more important than tithing our money. Because we’re giving our time back over to him who gave us that time in the first place. We’re saying, “Lord, I know my time on earth here is limited, and I could be doing a lot of other things right now, but for this one hour (or 30 minutes or 10 minutes, or whatever) I’m giving it over to you.”

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a chance to place our own offerings on the altar next to our eucharistic Lord. I might place on that altar my desolations (maybe a family dispute, or mourning a loved one, or difficulties with coworkers). Or I might place there certain consolations (rejoicing in new life, renewal of great friendships, or healing from some pain or injury).

Whatever it may be, adoration is a time to place our very lives on the altar next to the Lord. To let him sit with us, and us with him. To show the Lord how much he is loved, just by spending some quality time with him — and for no other reason than that. 

Deacon Matt Glover, JCL, is the diocese’s chancellor for canonical affairs and serves at Christ the King Church in Little Rock.