Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today’s feast marks the beginning of the parish phase and second year of the National Eucharistic Revival. At the same time, we near the end of the first year of Beacons of Light, our archdiocesan planning process. These two initiatives are bound together: our pastoral planning efforts are directed toward building vibrant Eucharistic communities in which we recall all that Christ has done for us and respond as He commands – to eat and drink of His Body and Blood and thus have eternal life.
Eucharist is the first principle of Beacons of Light: “The Mass is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. Accordingly, the Eucharist is the essential moment for building up and strengthening the parish community, along with the sacraments and other celebrations of the paschal mystery – the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Beacons of Light is a process of pastoral planning to best arrange our many resources – human, financial, physical – to pursue the God-given mission of sharing the Gospel throughout our archdiocese. I am grateful to everyone who has come together as a Family of Parishes and begun to discern how the Spirit of God is working among us. Beacons of Light will only be successful under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and only if our parishes are communities of faith truly centered on our Eucharistic Lord.
In this phase of the Eucharistic Revival, my brother bishops and I are encouraging the Church in the United States to greater Eucharistic devotion, especially through more life-giving, beautiful, and transformative celebrations of the Eucharist every Sunday. All those who lead the Church at prayer – priests, deacons, and lay liturgical ministers – are called to prepare for and celebrate the liturgy with fidelity to the text and rubrics given by the Church. Our liturgical leaders must also create measures of true hospitality, and ensure excellent preaching and sacred music, so that all may more fully encounter Jesus’ true and abiding presence each time we come to Mass.
On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we invoke, “Grant your Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose signs are to be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present.” We ask our Lord in a special way that our celebrations of the Eucharist truly foster unity, not only in our Families of Parishes, but across our entire archdiocese. This unity – not uniformity – is a cornerstone to building up the Catholic Church in these nineteen counties of western and southwestern Ohio.
As we move into the summer months, I invite you and your family to join me in praying for the success of both Beacons of Light and the National Eucharistic Revival. Thank you for your prayerful support of your pastor and parish leaders. May the Spirit of God continue to lead us to deeper participation in the Eucharist and to bear the fruits of that mystery to a world desperately in need of God’s love.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr
Archbishop of Cincinnati
