Washington, D.C, June 6, 2023—As the Church looks ahead to the Feast of Corpus Christi this weekend, the National Eucharistic Revival prepares to enter the Year of Parish Revival. This will be the pivotal second phase of the strategic three-year movement to renew the Catholic Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and parishes across the country are invited to contribute to this national Revival. Building upon the Year of Diocesan Revival, the launch of the Year of Parish Revival on June 11 will be commemorated with a multitude of organic movements of the Holy Spirit with the overarching goal of fostering Eucharistic devotion at the parish level and strengthening the liturgical life of the faithful through intentional celebration of the Mass, Eucharistic Processions and Adoration, missions, resources, and preaching.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Chair of the National Eucharistic Revival, who helped to author the Leader’s Playbook for the Year of Parish Revival which was released in May, notes, “I think we will really begin to see the Revival catch fire this year as parishes begin to carry the flame in their own unique ways. Every day we are learning about different local communities rediscovering the sacrifice of the Mass as the source and summit of our faith, and then taking Our Lord to the streets in organized Eucharistic processions and in the witness of Eucharistic lives at the service of those in need. Many are praying the Corpus Christi Novena (available through the Revival website in English and Spanish) which began on the Friday before the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, and all are invited to pray the prayer for the National Eucharistic Revival.”
To further facilitate an awakening to the Revival, parishes are invited to identify point persons who will help their pastors implement the Leader’s Playbook. One of the major initiatives of the Parish Year will be a small group study entitled “Jesus and the Eucharist,” which parish point persons will help to make possible through the recruitment of parishioners to serve as a core team and table facilitators.
In addition, parishes are invited to get into the spirit of the Year of Parish Revival by accessing promotional materials that can be displayed around the church to help spark grassroots Revival response in their community. With the new online Revival Store, free digital art files can be downloaded and printed locally for parishes to create their own banners, signage, and customized materials, or parishes can order ready-made physical materials that will ship direct. Purchases at the Revival Store are not part of a revenue strategy nor do they act as donations to the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. The purpose of the Revival Store is to make Revival materials and Eucharistic-inspired merchandise, much of which is offered at no cost, as accessible as possible to Catholics across America in an effort to fan the flames of this exciting movement.
“The four pillars that uphold the movement of the Revival are Reinvigorating Devotion, Personal Encounter, Robust Faith Formation, and Missionary Sending,” says Tim Glemkowski, Executive Director of the National Eucharistic Congress. “It’s been so exciting to already see the movement of creativity springing forth as parishes begin to live out the Year of Parish Revival.”
Individuals, groups, and families are also encouraged to begin making plans to register for the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21, 2024 in Indianapolis, IN as momentum toward the Year of the National Eucharistic Congress and Missionary Sending continues.
For more information and a complete press kit, visit https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/year-of-parish-revival-press-kit.
