Diocese will launch Year of the Eucharist in 2022 starting Jan. 9

BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI

YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST  Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Dec. 8 proclaimed 2022 the Year of the Eucharist in the Paterson Diocese. It will be a yearlong celebration to invite all Catholics to cultivate a greater love and appreciation of the Eucharist. The Bishop is shown during the Consecration at Mass Oct. 10 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, celebrating the feast of Senor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) with the Peruvian community from across the Diocese.

CLIFTON  Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney has announced that the Diocese of Paterson will be launching a yearlong celebration of the Year of the Eucharist in 2022 to encourage the faithful to develop a greater love and appreciation of the Eucharist, “The source and summit of our faith.” It will begin on Sunday, Jan. 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

During the year, Catholics will explore the Eucharist from liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral perspectives to deepen their understanding and devotion to the Eucharist, strengthen their relationship with Jesus, and be inspired to evangelize through practices on diocesan and parish levels, such as Adora­tion of the Blessed Sacrament and Bene­diction, Eucharistic processions, and faith formation.

On Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Concep­tion, the Diocese posted a video of Bishop Sweeney announcing the Year of the Eucharist, on a page dedicated to the yearlong celebration on its website at rcdop.org/year-of-the-eucharist. The Bishop also wrote his column in this edition of The Beacon that commemorates the end of the universal Church’s and Diocese’s observance of the Year of St. Joseph and outlines the rationale for the Diocese instituting the Year of the Eucharist for 2022 [see page 3].

“Hopefully the Year of the Eucharist will focus our attention on what it means to live the Mass and also what it means to be with Jesus in his presence in the Blessed Sacrament, adoring him and allowing him to draw us closer to one another and to give us the gift of his healing, give us the gift of his peace,” Bishop Sweeney says in the short announcement video in English, which was recorded in the monastery of the cloistered Discalced Carmelite Sisters here. He also taped an announcement video in Spanish. In them, he also encourages Catholics, no matter what level they are in their faith journey, to make time for Jesus in prayer and in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. “The closer we are to him and his Real Presence, the more we can receive those gifts that he wants to give us and that will change our hearts and our lives and will fully allow us to be an instrument of that peace and healing and love for others and invite them to appreciate his presence in the Eucharist as well,” the Bishop says.

A committee has been developing plans for the Year of the Eucharist and has shared them with the diocesan Presbyteral Council, the deans of the deaneries of the Diocese, and the Bishop. Leading the effort are Father Paul Manning, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison and diocesan vicar for evangelization, and Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship. The schedule of events so far is as follows:

• Sunday, Jan. 9, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: official kick-off of the Year of the Eucharist. Clergy in the parishes are encouraged to deliver a homily at Masses that introduces the year, letting parishioners know why it is happening and what it will focus on.

• Saturday, June 18, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: parishes will hold holy hours and/or Eucharistic processions simultaneously at 8 p.m. Bishop Sweeney will preside at one of the parishes. The diocesan web page for the Year of the Eucharist will post video reflections in English and in Spanish about the Eucharist by members of the diocesan faith community for nine days leading up to the June 18 observations.

• Saturday, Sept. 17: a Day for Altar Servers at St. Paul’s — an event to get the young people involved through prayer, formation, and games.

• Friday–Sunday, Sept. 23–25: Eucharistic Congress with Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in Rome, which will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The event will include: a holy hour with a talk for priests and religious on Friday evening; a talk in English for catechists, Catholic school teachers, and parish ministers on Saturday morning; bi-lingual mid-day prayer at noon on Saturday, followed by lunch; a talk in Spanish for catechists, Catholic school teachers, and parish ministers on Saturday afternoon; and a bilingual Mass on Sunday at 3 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 20, Solemnity of Christ the King: the end of the Year of Eucharist will be observed on the parish level. Bishop Sweeney will celebrate Mass at one of the parishes.

“The Eucharist is at the very heart of who we are as Catholics. It is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. The Church is the Body of Christ. We are called to be Eucharistic people; we are called to be the body of Christ in the world,” Father Brogan said. “In the Year of the Eucharist, we are being invited to reflect upon our understanding of the Eucharist and explore the Eucharist liturgically, catechetically, and pastorally. The Eucharist as gift can sometimes be taken for granted or not fully appreciated. This year will give us the opportunity to increase our understanding and our devotion of the Eucharist,” he said.

Parishes will give the faithful opportunities for this growth with practices, such as Adoration, processions, and faith formation. The diocesan web page for the Year of the Eucharist will provide ideas and resources for such practices, Father Brogan said.

“It should not simply be about these practices, but how do these practices allow me to have a more intimate encounter with Jesus Christ? Once I have that encounter with the Eucharistic presence, how do I become eucharistic for others?” Father Brogan said. “At the heart of Eucharist is sacrifice. How am I sacrificial? The Eucharist is all about sacrifice and relationship,” he said.

Bishop Sweeney recorded the Year of the Eucharist videos at the monastery of the cloistered Discalced Carmelite Sisters, whom he called faithful examples of the “vocation of the contemplative life — a life of prayer in union with Jesus and his Body, the Church; celebrating the Mass; and spending time with him in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.”

[ Information: rcdop.org/year-of-the-eucharist ]