Eucharistic Retreat honors the important work of parish catechists

Holy art of ‘The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist’ on display at Retreats

MADISON The two Eucharistic Retreats, which were held in English and Spanish on June 11 under the theme “I Am the Bread of Life,” displayed an image of holy art, “The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist,” by Daniel Bonnell.

Father Yojaneider Garcia, director of the diocesan Office of Catechesis, which co-sponsored the retreats in Madison and in Clifton, said this image “shows us what happens in the Holy Mass with the wine and the bread after the consecration.

“The wine and bread change (transubstantiation). The Holy Host is not a sign and is not empty. It is Jesus’ body and Jesus’ blood. Today, when many Catholics do not believe in the Holy presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it is very important for us to show them with images and art what happens, when we celebrate Holy Mass,” Father Garcia said. “I would like to encourage you to put the Holy Eucharist, as a fundamental part of your life. The New Directory for Catechesis says, the catechists must be ‘mystagogues.’ You are called to lead your students to the Holy Mystery of the Eucharist,” the priest said.

“The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist” contains the following images:

• The chalice, which is showing us what happens on Calvary, when Jesus died for us on the Holy Cross to redeem us, to save us. In each Mass, we commemorate again everything that happened to Jesus in the Golgotha.

• The Holy Host is like the sun. Jesus is the light of all nations. Jesus is the light for our life. The Eucharist gives us the light that the world needs today.

• The red background reminds us of all the love that God has for us. Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist is proof of God’s love for humanity. It symbolizes the blood of sacrifice. It represents the love that we are called to bring after our participation at Mass.

• The blue color symbolizes the truth of what happens at that moment. It symbolizes the holiness that God gives us when we receive the Body of his beloved son. We are receiving the bread of life to go out and share the presence of Jesus to each person whom we find in our daily life.
 

— MICHAEL WOJCIK

MADISON  Catechists in parishes around the Diocese were encouraged to continue imparting the faith to their young people “with joy and enthusiasm” during a Eucharistic Retreat given in English on June 11 in the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls here.

Held in this Year of the Eucharist in the Diocese, the retreat, guided by the theme “I Am the Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35), featured John Collins, national religion consultant for Sadlier publishing, who gave three presentations: “Eucharist: Mystery of Faith,” “Eucharist: Sacra­ment of Unity,” and “Eucharist: Food for the Journey.” Sadlier and the diocesan Office of Catechesis co-sponsored the retreat and another Eucharistic Retreat that day in Spanish in St. John Paul Evangeli­zation Center in Clifton. Held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in each location, the retreats drew a total of 380 local catechists.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney stopped in at both retreats to serve as the main celebrant of a Mass and to thank catechists around the Diocese for their crucial ministry to the Church. Participants also had an opportunity to pray during Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sac­rament. At the retreats, members of the Office of Catechesis and the diocesan Catechetical Leaders Asso­ciation presented awards to more than 100 select catechists in recognition of their significant milestones they reached in their ministries this year — from five to 60 years. [See below for a list of the names and parishes of recipients.]

In his homily at the Mass in English, Bishop Sweeney thanked the catechists for being “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” and for “giving witness”: “preaching the truth of the Gospel and the gift of the sacraments.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, catechists took on the tough task of teaching their students remotely and teaching their families at home, he said.

“So much of that happened because of you,” said Bishop Sweeney, who is bilingual and celebrated the Mass at each retreat in the language in which it was presented. The celebration Eucharist, the Bishop said, “unites us with the whole Church on earth and whole Church in heaven. In this Year of the Eucharist, we encourage people to be physically present to receive the Eucharist. When it’s taken away [as it was during livestream Mass in the lockdown], we come to appreciate the gift more,” the Bishop said.

Observances for the Year of the Eucharist will continue in parishes of the Diocese on the weekend of the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 18–19, with events, such as Eucharistic processions — devotions that will coincide with events in parishes across the United States in a time of Eucharistic renewal. From Sept. 23 to 25, the Diocese will hold a Eucharist Congress at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. There, Archbishop Rino Fisichella of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization in Rome will speak on the Eucharist and the New Evangelization.

On June 11, the Spanish-language retreat included three talks by Gerardo Salazar, assistant professor and director of the Center Semillero for Hispanic/Latino Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. In the cafeteria of St. John Paul Pastoral Center, he gave presentations on the Eucharist in Scripture, in the Church, and in the family. [See story in Spanish below about the Spanish-language retreat by Father Yojaneider Garcia, director of the diocesan Office of Catechesis.]

In his first talk at the English-language retreat in St. Paul’s auditorium, Collins spoke on “Eucharist: Mystery of Faith.” He reminded catechists that as Catholics, we need three things in our spiritual lives: knowledge: what we know about God; faith: what we accept and believe about what we know; and religion: how we live what we accept and believe.

“As catechists, it’s not what we say but how we say it to our children — with joy and enthusiasm. I tell the young children in a way that they can understand: that the Eucharist is Jesus in a special way,” said Collins, who quoted popes, saints, theologians, Scripture, and Church documents related to the Eucharist. He has been involved with religious education in various capacities since 1972, including being a long-time catechist and director of religious education, and has presented at many congresses and conferences in numerous dioceses.

In his first talk, Collins also cited a recent poll, which showed unsettling results: that only one-third of Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in Holy Communion. To support the Church’s teaching of Christ’s real presence, he quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1353, which states, that during Consecration, “The Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit.”

In his second talk, “Eucharist: Sacrament of Unity,” Collins reminded the catechists that the Eucharist invites us into a personal encounter with Jesus but it also commits us to the poor as members of the Body of Christ, the community of believers, through our baptism. In his final presentation, “Eucharist: Food for the Journey,” he said that in Holy Communion, Jesus “nourishes us for the journey now [on earth] and the journey into eternal life.”

At both retreats that day, Father Garcia led Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which included a Eucharistic procession. At the beginning of the English-language retreat, he said, “We are blessed with the presence of the Bishop and our catechists.

“We have a profound respect and admiration for all of you catechists. Everything that you are doing in catechesis is securing the present and the future of the Church. We know how your work sometimes is unnoticed and sometimes is not appreciated,” Father Garcia said. “Your work is fundamental to accomplish the mission of the Church. Today, we want to recognize your service, and tell you, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for everything that you are doing.’ You are front-line apostles. We are here to accompany you, to serve you and to walk with you in your ministry,” he said on behalf of the Office of Catechesis.

One of the participants of the retreat in English was Rosangela Monaco, who has taught first and third grades at St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph for four years.

“Being a catechist is not only about teaching the children [in class] but also about sharing the faith in my house with my family,” said Monaco, originally from Brazil, who is married with two daughters, 20 and 17. “We seek Jesus in the Eucharist. Sometimes we don’t pay attention [when we receive Holy Communion] but he is there for us. We should get out there and speak about the Eucharist from our hearts,” she said.

To register for the diocesan Eucharistic Congress, visit https://insidethewalls.org/congress