It’s been a busy year in the Diocese of Camden since the National Eucharistic Revival began in June.
Starting with the 1,200-strong Eucharistic procession on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and continuing throughout the year with Holy Hours, novenas and Eucharistic Revival presentations offered in three languages, there have been dozens of opportunities for South Jersey’s faithful to learn more about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
With such efforts continuing into 2023, faithful across the Diocese are being asked to prepare for the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress set for March 25 at the Freedom Mortgage Waterfront Pavilion in Camden. The event, which is free, will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and falls on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Bishop Dennis Sullivan will preside, and priests assigned by the National Office for the Eucharistic Revival who have been trained specifically to teach about the Eucharist will be noted guests.
“A Diocesan Eucharistic Congress is an opportunity for the Bishop to gather the people of his Diocese in one place for a celebration of our Catholic faith in the Eucharist,” said Father Robert Hughes, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Camden. “Through prayer, teaching, silence, Adoration and Mass, the faithful can recognize the importance of the Eucharist to our Catholic life.”
In fact, he added, with a location that can hold up to 7,000 people, the faithful will “manifest the presence of Christ, as the Body of Christ will assemble from across the Diocese.”
To prepare, individuals are being urged to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, study the Catechism, and read the Institution Narratives found in the Gospels and the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (11:23-27). Weekly participation in Mass is also preparation, Father Hughes said, as is parishes including a petition in the Universal Prayer of the Mass.
“It is important in this time when a growing number of Catholics state that they do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that we assemble a body of faithful Catholics willing to give witness to the true faith and to pray for a greater participation among Catholics in the life of the Church,” Father Hughes said.
The need for the National Eucharistic Revival, plans of which were approved by the U.S. bishops in November 2021, stems from the results of a 2019 Pew survey that showed only 30% of Catholics understand the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In the Pew survey, 69% of all self-identified Catholics said they believed the bread and wine used at Mass are not Jesus, but instead “symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”
With the theme “My flesh for the life of the world,” the National Eucharistic Revival will continue with local and diocesan events, and grow over the next two years to include regional gatherings and a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024.
For March 25, parishes in the Diocese of Camden have been asked to organize transportation, if possible, for their parishioners to attend the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress. Paid parking will also be available at the Waterfront Pavilion, and the PATCO Speedline also stops a few blocks away from the location. Attendees may bring a lunch, or utilize the numerous concession stands that will be available at the Waterfront Pavilion.
For more information on the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress – or upcoming revival lectures and Holy Hours – visit eucharisticrevivalsouthjersey.org or avivamientoeucaristicosj.org.
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