Year of Eucharist and St. Joseph to open Jan. 9-10

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

On Jan. 9-10 – the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Archbishop Gregory Aymond will launch the “Year of the Eucharist and St. Joseph” as a focused effort to encourage Catholics in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to grow in their understanding of the Mass, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and their obligation to participate in Sunday Mass.

The yearlong celebration, which includes invoking the intercession of St. Joseph to bring Catholics closer to Jesus in the Eucharist, will be promoted in all 119 parishes and missions of the archdiocese. The campaign will include monthly, in-depth explanations of various elements of the Mass and instruction into the theology that underpins the liturgy. 

Through a partnership with a Catholic evangelization group called The Vigil Project, the archdiocese also hopes to reach young Catholics, and the celebration will include a eucharistic art contest targeting adults and youth. 

Two archdiocesan-wide nights of exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, along with confession, will be offered March 24 and Sept. 15, and speakers explaining the power of the Eucharist will make presentations to parishes and schools. Notre Dame Seminary also plans to host monthly talks as part of a Eucharistic Lecture Series.

Learn more about the Mass

“I would hope that through these 12 months, the Mass – meaning the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist – would have a deeper meaning for us as Catholics and that it would allow us to embrace a more profound experience of Christ,” Archbishop Aymond said. 

“I love St. Augustine’s words when he says, ‘We must become what we receive.’ And he means the Eucharist, but he also means the Word. As we receive the Word, we become the Word. When we receive the Eucharist, we become Christ. We don’t just depart at the end of Mass. We are sent to serve others.”

Instruction on the Mass

Deacon Michael Whitehouse, deputy superintendent of faith formation for the archdiocese, spearheads the committee that has planned activities for the Year of the Eucharist and St. Joseph. The year originally was scheduled to focus exclusively on the Eucharist, but its scope was expanded when Pope Francis announced in December his plans to honor St. Joseph in 2021.

“Through the various things we have planned throughout the year, we’re going to reach more deeply into explaining the Mass,” Deacon Whitehouse said. “That’s not just going to be 12 times during the year during the homily – when the priest or deacon will seek to draw people more deeply into the eucharistic celebration by helping them understand those various parts.”

On those 12 Sundays where the homily will be used to explain some aspect of the Mass, the archdiocese will distribute a bulletin insert and also provide background notes to priests and deacons in preparing for their “teaching” homily.

Outside of those 12 Sundays, the archdiocese will use social media to distribute a series of brief, catechetical videos. The archbishop will be featured in five or six.

Resource-filled website

The archdiocesan website has been enhanced to include a special page for Catholics to learn more about the Year of the Eucharist and St. Joseph: https://nolacatholic.org/eucharist. There will also be a resource page for parish and school leaders with ideas that can be adapted to their circumstance on how to reach out to youth, families and adults.

Deacon Whitehouse said a list of speakers on the topic of the Eucharist – called “Archdiocesan Faith Speakers” – will be made available so that schools and parishes can schedule individual presentations.

The year will feature an art contest – “The Power of the Eucharist” – which will include participation from students and adults. Submissions will be due with winners announced around the time of the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 6.

“It’s going to be good competition, and we’re trying to create it in such a way that people enter into it prayerfully,” Deacon Whitehouse said.

Many events planned

Other major components of the yearlong celebration include:

• Notre Dame Seminary Speaker Series (nds.edu/ELS).

• Archdiocesan Nights of Exposition, Adoration and Reconciliation (March 24 and September 15).

• Feast of Corpus Christi (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ): Parish eucharistic processions.

• Archdiocesan partnership with The Vigil Project, offering opportunities for parish evangelization and events as well as planning for a large youth gathering in the late fall of 2021. More information is available at www.thevigilproject.com.

Archbishop Aymond has referred to the Eucharist as being the heart of our church. Pope John Paul II began his encyclical, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” by saying: “The Church draws her very life from the Eucharist.” 

Importance of the Mass

Deacon Whitehouse said a Vatican II document on the Mass – “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” – makes clear the critical importance of understanding the various parts of the Mass so that the lay faithful may participate more fully in the eucharistic liturgy and encounter the risen Jesus.

“In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else,” the document reads.

“If it says that, it must be important,” Deacon Whitehouse said, smiling.

Archbishop Aymond also emphasized the importance of the faithful understanding the great significance of the Liturgy of the Word. 

St. Jerome, a doctor of the church (A.D 347-420), wrote that “Christ’s body and blood are really the word of Scripture. When we approach the (eucharistic) mystery, if a crumb falls to the ground we are troubled. Yet, when we are listening to the word of God, and God’s Word and Christ’s flesh and blood are being poured into our ears yet we pay no heed, what great peril should we not feel?”

The Liturgy of Word is vital

Deacon Whitehouse said the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy also emphasizes the importance of the Liturgy of the Word: “The celebration of Mass in which the word is heard and the Eucharist is offered and received forms but one single act of divine worship.”

As for the Eucharist itself, Archbishop Aymond said he has always held dear a statement by St. Augustine.

“He says we must become what we receive,” Archbishop Aymond said. “He means the Eucharist, yes, but we also receive the Word. We become the Word. We receive the Eucharist. We become Christ.” 

In his apostolic letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis cited the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the Universal Church and declared a “Year of St. Joseph” from Dec. 8, 2020 through Dec. 8, 2021.

The pope lauded St. Joseph as a father who was beloved, tender, loving, obedient, accepting and creatively courageous while living quietly in the background. Pope Francis has granted a plenary indulgence for the year of St. Joseph. Details on the Year of St. Joseph are available at bit.ly/3pbwhE8.

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