Friars are ‘Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement’ at Clifton parish retreat

CLIFTON  As a child, Franciscan Brother Joachim Joseph attended Catholic school in his native Massachusetts but was kicked out for “causing trouble.” Later, he moved to Florida, where he quit high school as a sophomore and joined a road crew. In his “off time,” he enjoyed a life of partying: indulging in drinking and drugs.

One day, a car hit Brother Joachim. It knocked him 45 feet into the air. A side mirror sliced into his arm down to the bone. Later, he found out that the accident destroyed the cartilage in both of his knees. Yet, miraculously, the young man suffered no broken bones and, more importantly, survived a mishap that could have killed him or left him crippled or brain damaged.

“It’s what I needed. My mother said that my guardian angel protecting me. I can’t explain it any other way,” said Brother Joachim, today a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in St. Michael Friary in Paterson. He delivered a powerful conversion talk, during “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement,” a three-night Advent parish mission that the Franciscans led in St. Clare Church here, from Dec. 13 to 15. Brother Joachim’s miraculous survival sparked a long and circuitous faith journey. God, he said, eventually called him away from his partying ways; brought him back to the Church and the Sacraments; and steered him toward a religious vocation. “I began living a sacramental life. We can allow the Lord to renew our lives through his grace in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist,” Brother Joachim said.

The Friars, who also included Father Herald Brock, who ministers as an itinerant preacher, helped the churchgoers at St. Clare’s get inspired by the Eucharist by showing that can do more than nourish our souls for the spiritual journey ahead. More importantly, the Body and Blood of Christ has the ultimate power, through God’s grace, to transform our lives, giving us a “different way of looking at the world that draws out of us a different way of living and thinking,” Father Herald said. The three nights of the mission offered the faithful a mix of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, confession, Brother Joachim’s powerful conversion story, and a closing Mass. It was the first mission at St. Clare’s in 20 years.

The “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” took place after Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney’s announcement that he had declared The Year of the Eucharist in the Diocese for 2022, beginning on Sunday, Jan. 9, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The special events throughout the special year will encourage the faithful to develop a greater love and appreciation of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. For more information about the Year of the Eucharist, visit rcdop.org/year-of-the-eucharist.

“Because of COVID-19 and the stress and anxiety of our times, people have lost their energy to do outside activities, including going to Mass,” said Father Herald, who noted that the phrase “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” originates from St. Pope John Paul II. “We need to re-engage people. This mission was an opportunity to motivate them. Cardinal Henry Newman said that the Eucharist is real and here but it’s reality as the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus, is hidden — not in plain sight. We need the eyes of faith to see it. We wanted to encourage the faithful, who attended mission, to appreciate that reality,” the priest said.

On the second night about “Eucharistic Conversion,” Brother Joachim talked about how, after miraculously escaping death and serious injury in the road accident, he returned to church but then lapsed back into his partying habits. Later, he was inspired by a brother, who took stock of his life and returned to God, while he battled AIDS. Then, Brother Joachim asked God for a sign to “let me know that you exist.” He started coming back to Mass, got involved in his parish, and returned to confession. One of God’s signs came when, in confession, an image of the Divine Mercy became superimposed on the face of the administering priest, even though he had no previous devotion to the Divine Mercy, Brother Joachim said.

“God was saying, ‘I exist in my mercy and I am waiting for you,’ ” said Brother Joachim, who noted that his faith journey toward a religious vocation kicked into higher gear, when he dated a former Franciscan sister, who would talk fondly about Franciscan Friars she knew.

On the first night of the mission, the Friars spoke about “St. Francis of Assisi and the Eucharist,” who was close to St. Clare, the parish’s patron. St. Francis’ words inspired St. Clare to join him, which led her establishing her own religious order. Father Herald said that St. Francis called the Eucharist the “body and blood of the Lord” to emphasize that we can “see it, hold it, and taste it.” In the Eucharist, we have “direct contact with God’s love.” We should make the Eucharist the center of our lives, the priest said.

The Friars focused on “Mary and the Eucharist” on the final night of the mission. Because Jesus was conceived in and born of Mary, Christ “is part of the human race and is our blood relative.” The Blessed Mother’s womb became the “living temple of the Arc of the New Covenant that gave new life to God’s people.” In this way, she became is partner in the work of salvation, Father Herald said.

“The Eucharist is an extension of the Incarnation. Jesus is made accessible in the Eucharist. We receive shock waves of his love, grace, and mercy. Mary and Jesus are inseparable, so somehow, Mary is present too in the Eucharist. Jesus is our food, compassion, and way on the journey,” Father Herald said.

Concelebrating the closing Mass on the final night of the mission were Father Peter Glabik, St. Clare’s pastor, and Father Thomas Fitzgerald, parochial vicar.

“I thank the Friars for their words of wisdom and their enthusiasm. If we converted someone, we did our jobs,” said Father Glabik, who noted that the “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” marked the first retreat at St. Clare’s in 20 years. Later, he told The Beacon that Bishop Sweeney’s upcoming Year of the Eucharist is “an opportunity to bring people back to the faith through the Eucharist and Adoration.”

One of the mission attendees, Nancy Felipe of St. Clare’s, said the event “increased my devotion to the Eucharist. Coming to something like this could lead to a Eucharistic conversation that could change people’s lives.”