Dear Friends,
During my elementary school days, I attended a parish school staffed by a community of Sisters under the patronage of Saint Joseph, and who possessed a passionate Irish heritage. March was a special month for us students since both the feast of St. Patrick and the solemnity of Saint Joseph were school holidays. In the context of the Eucharistic Revival, these two saints are much more important than simply opportunities for school holidays. Saint Patrick is revered as the Apostle to Ireland, a missionary to the Emerald Isle. Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, was a role model for the Son of God. It has been said that Mary’s journey to Elizabeth following the Annunciation was the first Eucharistic Procession. In that case, the 30 years that Joseph mentored Jesus in Nazareth were a time of Eucharistic Adoration.
Saint Joseph models for us the kind of conversation we can now have with Jesus, hidden in the Tabernacle. While Jesus and Joseph no doubt discussed Hebrew Scriptures and spent time together in prayer, they likely also spoke of everyday happenings in the town, orders for tables and chairs, and whatever other items the carpentry shop could provide. Jesus revels in our daily experiences, that is, simple, ordinary human events. We do not have to engage in lofty theological discussion. He wants us to keep it real and personal. That is the goal of the Eucharistic Revival: developing and deepening a personal relationship with Jesus. In Adoration, we bring Him our needs and the needs of others.
We are a few short months away from this summer’s Eucharistic pilgrimage. The pilgrimage will begin over Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, where the first Mass in the United States was celebrated at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission de Nombres. The route will continue through most of the 13 original colonies. Stops include the Archdiocese of Baltimore, our country’s very first Catholic diocese, and the Archdiocese of Boston. The pilgrimage will conclude over the 4th of July weekend in Philadelphia. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The full itinerary for the pilgrimage can be found at https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/. This year’s pilgrimage route is dedicated to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonized.
A small group of young people, referred to as perpetual pilgrims, will make the full journey with the Blessed Sacrament from St. Augustine to Philadelphia. You can meet them virtually at https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/pilgrims or in person at one of the many stops along the pilgrimage route. The pilgrims also invite you to submit your prayer intentions, which they will carry with them on the pilgrimage.
Just a reminder that the Eucharistic Congress/Eucharistic Revival committee has developed an 8-part video series, The Heart of Prayer, hosted by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, to guide us on our Lenten journey. The goal of this series, produced by the Augustine Institute, is to help participants develop a deep interior life of prayer so they can better hear God’s voice. This video series and other Lenten resources can be found on the Manna website https://manna.eucharisticcongress.org/
Blessings as we continue our Lenten journey!
Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz CSFN
