The Year of the Eucharist 2021-2022
“Here on earth it’s impossible to perform a more meritorious act than visiting Jesus often in the Eucharist. If you took all of the good works done by all of the humans who have ever lived in all of history and stacked them all up and multiplied them by a million, they wouldn’t equal the merit, the virtue and the worth of one Mass. The Eucharistic sacrifice is Christ’s infinite merit, infinite value.”
St Teresa of Avila
In these years 2020 to 2022, I am inviting everyone in the Diocese of Portsmouth to undertake, by God’s grace, a period of intense, spiritual renewal. The overall purpose of our Diocese is Bringing People Closer to Jesus Christ through His Church. The purpose of these special years is to grow in faith so that we might be better equipped for mission and service.
In 2020, we joined the other Dioceses of England and Wales in keeping a ‘Year of God’s Word’ which was officially extended into 2021. Now in 2021-2022, in our Diocese of Portsmouth, as we complete our Year of the Word, we keep also a Year of the Eucharist.
This Year is a unique opportunity for the Diocese as a whole, for our parishes and schools, for clergy and faithful, for families and individuals, to rekindle our love for Jesus Christ really and truly present and active in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament we adore outside of Mass: It is the Lord! (John 21: 7).
The COVID lockdown gives us an opportunity to step back from the busyness of life. It gives us a chance to pray more to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In the months ahead, let’s continue to find time and space for the Lord.
I hope you will treasure this leaflet which is full of ideas and suggestions as to how we might keep special this Year of the Eucharist. Remember the promise of Jesus: “As I who am sent by the living Father myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. Anyone who eats this Bread will live for ever (John 6: 57-58). May this holy Year truly bring you the Bread of Life.
What is it about?
5 Hopes for the Year
1
Let us grow so much in our faith that we always acknowledge Jesus Christ to be really and truly present and active in the Holy Eucharist
2
Let us see the Mass as the source of our life’s activity
3
Let us practice regularly spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration
4
Let us beg the Eucharistic Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit, sending us out to transform the world in loving mission and service
5
Let us reach out in welcome to others, those outside the Church, the non-practicing and the needy, in order to draw them to Jesus in the Eucharist
Some ideas and Suggestions
to keep special this
year of the eucharist
Diocese
Bishop writes Pastoral Letter to initiate and explain the Year
and its purpose.
Study of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (E-news items, mini-series of YouTube videos on Eucharistic Prayer by liturgical experts).
Offer formation of EMHCs with practicum and a diocesan recognitio.
Provide a Prayer before Mass to be said across the Diocese to aid preparation.
Establish three Eucharistic shrine churches in the Diocese to invite pilgrims.
Send out on tour an historic monstrance or chalice/paten.
Bishop offers series of talks by Zoom, with discussion groups.
Parish
Catechesis on the Eucharist, with personal testimonies from clergy and faithful.
Keep church open for daily visits and Eucharistic Adoration
Help EMHCs grow in faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Renewal of altar servers.
Quarant’ore or special Eucharistic events.
Use Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs when liturgically appropriate.
Review and renew the sacramental programmes for First Holy Communion.
Undertake Holy Half Hours with lectio divina.
Formation for teachers on the Eucharist.
Encourage priests to visit schools to talk about the Eucharist and encourage schools to pay visits to pray in church.
Ensure children understand and know the Tantum ergo, its history and meaning.
Schools
Family and Home
Encourage a family member to return to Mass and invite a neighbour to Mass.
Visit the Blessed Sacrament as a family, to make a Holy Hour.
Celebrate a house-Mass or host an hour of Eucharistic Adoration in the home.
Watch together as a family an online Eucharistic resource and discuss it.
Individuals
Daily to say the Morning Offering in union with the Sacrifice of the Mass.
To spend an hour with the Lord in the Holy Eucharist once per week.
Always to genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament when entering church and to make the Sign of the Cross when passing by church.
Online
Diocese, schools, parishes develop online resources (NB material for families) .
Series of Zoom talks on Eucharistic saints by passionate witnesses (FFM).
Diocesan website: series of catecheses.
A treasury of testimonies from priests, seminarians and passionate witnesses.
In the public domain
Run a Nightfever event.
Corpus Christi Procession,
stational altars and Benediction of neighbourhood.
Prayer for the renewal of the diocese
Lord Jesus Christ,
fill us with the fire of divine charity,
and through the intercession of Mary Immaculate,
St. Edmund of Abingdon
and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati,
renew our Diocese, its clergy, religious and faithful.
Give us all a deeper love for your Word
and for the Holy Eucharist
and make us totally dependent on your Holy Spirit.
Fill us with the desire to go out on mission
to everyone as servants of all.
Restore the lapsed; bless our youth
and help us to put our time, talent and treasure
at your service.
Above all, make us holy
that we may bring many more souls closer to You
through your Church.
Bless us all, dear Lord,
and bring us one day to heaven,
where you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.