Next week, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we will join with all parishes throughout our country in the introduction of the parish phase of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has initiated to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

In preparation for this National Eucharistic Revival, the USCCB published “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” a compelling document to introduce this Revival.  I strongly encourage you to read and reflect on it as we begin the second year of this important event in the Church throughout our nation.  To entice you to read it, allow me to provide you with some particularly poignant citations.  It begins with these three powerful illustrations from Pope Francis, Pope Saint John Paul II and Dorothy Day:

On March 27, 2020, at an early point in the global pandemic, Pope Francis walked alone in the rain across an empty St. Peter’s Square to offer prayer for the world in a time of crisis.  “Faith,” he said, “begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars.”  Recalling when Jesus was asleep in the boat as a tempest was raging (Mk 4:35-41), the Holy Father said, “The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith.”  On that day, Pope Francis presided over the rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction in order to focus our attention on the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Pope was reminding us that even in a time of turbulence and crisis, Jesus is present among us, as present as he was long ago in the boat on the Sea of Galilee.

In similar fashion, Pope Saint John Paul II reminded us of this ongoing presence when he repeated to us the words of Christ: I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt 28:20).  He proclaimed: “This promise of Christ never ceases to resound in the Church as the fertile secret of her life and the wellspring of her hope. As the day of Resurrection, Sunday is not only the remembrance of a past event: it is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his own people.”

As Christians we know that we need Christ to be present in our lives.  He is our very sustenance as he reminded us: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you (Jn 6:53).  The Lord accompanies us in many ways, but none as profound as when we encounter him in the Eucharist. On our journey toward eternal life, Christ nourishes us with his very self.  Once, when told by someone that she no longer saw the point of going to daily Mass, the Servant of God Dorothy Day reflected: “We go eat of this fruit of the tree of life because Jesus told us to. . . . He took upon himself our humanity that we might share in his divinity.  We are nourished by his flesh that we may grow to be other Christs.  I believe this literally, just as I believe the child is nourished by the milk from his mother’s breast.”

We are so blessed to have our Lord present among us through the Sacrament of the Eucharist and we do well to reflect on this great gift.  Erin Reusche, one of our parishioners, has very generously provided us with copies of The Bishop of the Abandoned Tabernacle by St. Manuel González García for our edification and inspiration.  You will find them at the church entrances and I encourage you to take one home for your summer reading.  I also invite you to mark 30 September on your calendar and plan to attend the archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown; more on that as the date approaches!

 

FAREWELL TO REVEREND MONSIGNOR FRANCIS W. BEACH

 As he announced at all of the Sunday Masses two weeks ago, we are sad to announce that Rev. Msgr. Francis W. Beach, who was assigned to us just last June, has been reassigned as the parochial administrator of St. Matthias Parish, Bala Cynwyd, as well as Consultant for the Comprehensive Campaign for St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, effective on 19 June.  In his short time with us, Msgr. Beach has already endeared himself to us and especially our PREP and Knights of Columbus.  We are sorry to see him leave and we assure him of our prayers as he begins his new assignment.  We will host a parish coffee in his honor after the 9:30am Mass on Sunday, 18 June.  God bless you, Msgr. Beach, as you begin another assignment to serve God’s people!

 

WELCOME SEMINARIAN BERNIE FAIA

 As we say farewell to Msgr. Beach, we are very happy to welcome Bernie Faia, a seminarian from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary who will move into our rectory on 5 June and stay with us until 7 August.  He will also come to our parish for his Thursday Apostolate assignment throughout the upcoming fall, winter and spring.  This will give him an opportunity to learn about parish life as he prepares to become a priest for our archdiocese.  He is originally from St. Donato’s parish in Philadelphia, the youngest of 12 children.  He attended West Catholic High School, graduated from La Salle University in 1992 and had been a CPA for about 30 years before entering the seminary two years ago.  He is beginning his second pre-Theology year there in September.  I’m sure you will all join in welcoming Bernie as he experiences our wonderful, active parish life!

 

WELCOME TO NEW PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL MEMBERS

 On Monday, 22 May, Donna Blumeris, Charles Cognata, Tina Grandizio, Kevin Haynes, Bill Lehner and Mary Packer, who were elected or appointed last month, were invited to meet for the first time with the current members of the Parish Pastoral Council (Sarah Bradley, Adria Crowley, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Karalis, Ed Kubala, Kim O’Neill, Jeff Walkenhorst and me); it was a delight to welcome them!  It has been a real pleasure working with JoAnne Alexander, Dan Hayes, and Jessica Waltman, who recently retired from the Council and I thank them again for their service to the parish.  These dedicated parishioners were Pastoral Council members for an unusually long time – seven years – due to the pandemic.  Bob McAlaine, who had been an appointed member, just completed 10 years on the Pastoral Council.  This was providential, however, since they (along with Laura Kerr and Stephanie Twohig) were the outstanding group that developed our Next Generation Parish Pastoral Plan.  We’re all grateful to them and we will benefit from their hard work in masterminding this Pastoral Plan for several years to come!