Last June, the Diocese of St. Cloud kicked off the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the U.S. bishops, with a Corpus Christi event and procession at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud.

Since then, efforts to strengthen, educate and celebrate the ways in which Eucharist is understood and shared have blossomed into a multifaceted approach to get people involved at a grassroots level.

Locally, there are multiple teams working together to provide opportunities to learn and grow together:

• Core team: acts as a consultative team comprised of priests, deacons, religious, lay people, and educators who are diverse in age, vocation, culture and geographic locations.
• Education team: responsible for finding ways to teach about the Eucharist through various means.
• Events team: helps with creating, planning and orchestrating events at the diocesan level; acts as a support to parishes and Area Catholic Communities in planning their own Revival-related events.
• Prayer team: identifies and works with apostolates (Knights of Columbus, Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, etc.) to pray for and support Revival efforts; identifies and promotes current prayer and devotion opportunities.
• Outreach team: reaches out to those on the margins, those who have left the Church, those who are unchurched, those who haven’t attended in a while; considers ecumenical component; explores multicultural possibilities; connects with youth and young adults.
• Eucharistic congress team: plans and carries out the local Eucharistic Congress “Becoming Eucharist” Sept. 7-9, 2023.
• National procession (local): prepares for the national eucharistic procession that will come through the Diocese of St. Cloud in July 2024.
• National pilgrimage (local): organizes the diocesan delegation to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024.

Since the kickoff, the teams have offered a relic tour of eucharistic saints, a series of three Eucharistic-themed Regional Ministry Gatherings, a series of five BREAD talks, nine Cor Jesu events and two free downloadable prayer resources in Advent and Lent (stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival). The teams are also in discussions with the diocesan synod team to carry forward results from the local synod process into the Eucharistic Revival.

On the horizon is a multi-day diocesan Eucharistic Congress, “Becoming Eucharist,” slated for Sept. 7-9, 2023. Timothy O’Malley, director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, will be the keynote speaker each of the three days. Stay tuned to The Central Minnesota Catholic magazine and stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival for more details to come.

Cor Jesu events

As part of the local Revival efforts, the Revival events team for the Diocese of St. Cloud is offering a series of Cor Jesu events — nights of Mass, eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation — on First Fridays at multiple parishes across the diocese.

“When our team started talking about offering First Friday devotions in the new year, the room spontaneously erupted in ideas and excitement,” said Dino Kremer, a member of the events team and one of the key organizers of the Cor Jesu events. “It was a Holy Spirit moment. Cor Jesu was suggested, and it was immediately and unanimously decided that we have to do this.”

The team structured the Cor Jesu nights as a sort of novena, nine in all. However, participants do not need to attend all nine events.

Three events have been held to date in Eden Valley, Wadena and Holdingford. The next Cor Jesu event is planned for 6:30 p.m. May 5, at St. Catherine’s Oratory in Farming.

“The presence of the HolynSpirit is felt by many at St. Catherine’s,” said Barb Kohorst, one of the planners for the evening. “We have such a sacred, beautiful and historic place of worship and are excited to have the opportunity to share this feeling with those throughout our diocese.”

“Our greatest hope is that we are able provide a novena that inspires those who attend to become men and women who will look at life and make decisions in their lives through the Heart of Jesus,” added Barb Mergen, another event planner. “In doing so, we all have the opportunity to become people who act with greater integrity, affirming the truth of our faith and spreading beauty in the way they live. The novena fosters this way of life through the celebration of the Eucharist, adoration and penance.”

The organizers in Farming are especially excited to use the space at the oratory to engage in the Eucharistic Revival.

“It is a return to the traditions we hold dear as Catholics and a way to build a stronger connection to Jesus in the Eucharist,” said Karen Pundsack, a third organizer. “It is inspiring to see all of the different ways people can participate — Cor Jesu is just one example.”

The local Eucharistic Revival teams encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way they feel revives their own relationship with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

“My common experience at these events seems to be a sense of joy and hope even in the midst of all the worldly turmoil,” Kremer said. “It feels like entering a shielded room where those problems don’t exist.”

LEARN MORE

For more information on the Cor Jesu events and all things Revival-related, visit stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival.

Kristi Anderson is chair of the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival Team.

The post What’s happening locally with the Eucharistic Revival? appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

There was no shortage of emotions pulsing through the crowd of 150-plus Jan. 5 at The Main Gate in Little Falls for the first of a series of five BREAD Talks, designed by the local Eucharistic Revival team.

“I can feel a revival happening,” said Kelli Kleinschnitz, director of faith formation at Holy Saints Area Catholic Community. “I see so many examples of the Holy Spirit inspiring the faithful. That’s why when I saw this clever spinoff of a TED Talk for the Eucharist, I couldn’t help but get excited about it.”

Kleinschnitz, who also co-leads a Catholic moms Facebook group, put out a call on the webpage to garner interest for the event and offer to carpool.

“I knew one of the main reasons people don’t attend events is because they are afraid they won’t know anyone,” she said. “It compelled me to put out a ride share invite on my personal timeline and on the Central MN Catholic Moms Facebook group and pack my big white van.
I was overjoyed when 10 came along.”

Hosted by the Diocese of St. Cloud’s Eucharistic Revival teams, the event featured two witness speakers who shared their personal testimonies about their love story with the Eucharist.

First up was Tiffany Threlkeld, a wife and mother of eight from Little Falls who joined the Catholic faith after searching for something she felt was missing in her life. She expressed her struggles with finding the Lord and then her deep desire to know and love him more, and how she grew to long for the Eucharist, especially evident during the height of the COVID pandemic when she wasn’t able to receive it.

Katie Jensen, from St. Mary Parish in Upsala and a student at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, followed Tiffany with her heartfelt story of love, loss and ultimate sacrifice. Using moments from her own life and quotes from Pope Benedict XVI, Jensen shared how God used and continues to use suffering to help her grow in her faith and be a witness to others, a sacrifice she draws most near to in the celebration of the Eucharist.

“The personal testimonies and Eucharistic love stories of Katie and Tiffany moved me to tears. Our God is so personal and so available,” Kleinschnitz shared. “I hope the BREAD Talk inspires everyone in attendance to share their own stories.”

Father Scott Pogatchnik, rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral and pastor of St. John Cantius and St. Augustine in St. Cloud, followed the women’s testimonies with a dive into how all are called to be part of the Eucharistic Revival through living out faith in daily life, relationships and interactions, prayer, education and celebrating the sacraments.

“There is something about coming before the Lord in the Eucharist,” Father Pogatchnik said. “He is the author of our lives, the author of the entire world. He knows precisely every cell of our bodies, every thought of our minds, every moment of our past and even knows our future.

“It is Jesus himself that desires to draw near to us. … There are times I am afraid, times I don’t trust you, there are times I experience pain but help me to know you more and more and help me to give you permission to open the hood of my heart and allow you to come in to fix what needs to be fixed.”

Using “snapshots” of living examples of people who, through their ordinary lives, did extraordinary things, he explored the virtues of saints and their love stories with the Eucharist, specifically illuminating the lives of St. Clare, Mother Teresa, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Vianney and the two patron saints of the Eucharistic Revival: Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia.

“I urge you, I beg you, I hope that you avail yourselves to the graces of this beautiful time of the Eucharistic Revival and that you become missionaries yourself. I hope that you strive to become the saints God is calling you to become. I hope that you pick up the virtues of these saints and find a way to embed them in your life.

“The Lord made us for this age,” he concluded. “As much as we can curse it, as much as we can find all kinds of flaws in this age, we are the ones who are meant to sanctify this time.”

There are four more BREAD Talks scheduled between February and June. For dates, times and locations, visit www.stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival.

Kristi Anderson is chair of the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival Team.

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Beginning in January, the diocese’s Eucharistic Revival initiative is hosting “BREAD Talks” in each of the diocese’s five area deaneries, each at a different brewery.

“These talks are kind of a Catholic spinoff of the popular TED Talks, which are designed to be short, powerful talks from passionate speakers on various subjects,” explained Hannah Molitor, chair of the Revival’s events team. “BREAD Talks will, of course, focus on aspects of the Eucharist.”

At each of the five events, at least two local speakers will stand up and give their brief testimonies, or “Eucharistic love stories.” Following their sharing, a main speaker will give a longer talk, about 20-30 minutes, on a Eucharistic theme.

“We have selected people from all over the diocese to give witness to their faith, and we are very excited to have a number of familiar faces as well as some new voices come out and share,” Molitor said.

The events are free and seating is first come, first served. No registration is required.

The diocesan Revival team has partnered with many people to make these talks possible, including Jason Prigge, director of youth and young adult ministry at Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids, and Philip Shefveland, director of campus ministry at Christ Church Newman Center in St. Cloud. Both Prigge and Shefveland serve on the outreach team for the Eucharistic Revival.

“We have already been super successful in hosting a Theology on Draft event around the St. Cloud area, which reaches young adults ages 18-39, so when the opportunity arose, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to expand our outreach to young adults across the diocese,” Prigge said.

After the speakers finish their talks, guests are invited to participate in informal dialogue with one another as they feel comfortable.

“We are hopeful that hosting these events at local businesses will also be used as an evangelization tool, to be present and seen in our communities,” Molitor said. “We know that there are people out there who have questions and are curious about the Church, and we want to make sure that there is a forum for people to come out, learn about the Eucharist and be able to talk about those big questions.

“Our mission with the Revival is two-fold: to strengthen and inspire the faithful to go out and preach the Gospel and to welcome people back to the Church who have been away or who have never attended. We think this is a great opportunity for inspiration, education and evangelization,” Molitor added.

The team hopes these talks will leave everyone with something more to think about when it comes to their own encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist.

It’s a big Church,” Prigge said. “My hope is that the BREAD Talks series offers a diverse range of theology surrounding the Eucharist to help young adults have a better understanding, appreciation and deep love of the Eucharist through stories, reflections and discussions.”

For more information about the local efforts of the Eucharistic Revival, visit stcdio.org/eucharistic-revival.

BREAD TALKS SCHEDULE

The Main Gate, Little Falls
Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6:30 p.m., with Father Scott Pogatchnik and special guests

Sunken Ship Brewing, Princeton
Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m., with Matt Kehrer and special guests Joe Molitor and Leah Weinhold

Back Shed Brewing, Waite Park
Thursday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m., with Laura Kelly Fanucci and special guests Philip Shefveland and Jason Prigge

Thousand Lakes Brewery, Parkers Prairie
Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m., with George Jay and special guests (to be announced)

Bad Habit Brewing Company, St. Joseph
Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m.,with Melaine Myklebust and special guests Danny Kremers and Deacon Dan Dullinger

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