Site helps faithful learn more about Year of the Eucharist

A Year of the Eucharist page has been added to the diocesan website, CatholicDioceseOfWichita.org.

Bishop Carl A. Kemme’s declaration about the year and his first Year of the Eucharist Pastoral Letter are available at the site.

“During this Year of the Eucharist and beyond, my hope is to bring about in our diocesan life a greater dynamism to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the Christian life,” the bishop states in his declaration.

Included on the Year of the Eucharist page are four windows related to the year titled Believe, Adore, Celebrate, and Live as is a link to the 2022 Midwest Catholic Conference & Eucharistic Congress scheduled for Aug. 5-7. The page also includes information about 40 Hours Devotion and a Corpus Christi Procession planned for June 19.

Fr. Gabriel Greer, director of the Office of Worship, said although we are only two months into the Year of the Eucharist, it has been filled with many graces and blessings. “Several parishes are taking the initiative to do events such as 40 Hours and Pastoral Letter study groups. I am hopeful that the Year of the Eucharist site will continue to be a resource as we continue our mission to promote the belief, adoration, celebration, and living of the Eucharistic Mystery.”

Parish reps meet in Wichita, Parsons

Wichita area parish representatives gathered Thursday evening, Feb. 24, at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Wichita to learn about the indulgence granted by the Vatican for those visiting the church during the Year of the Eucharist.

A similar meeting was held on March 1 for Southeast Kansas parish representatives at St. Patrick Parish in Parsons.

Audrey Ronnfeldt, the coordinator of the Stewardship Office, said Fr. Greer went into detail about how to obtain the indulgence at the two gatherings. That was followed by a meeting of the parish representatives to share ideas and talk about how they might be able to support each other in the activities surrounding the special year.

“It’s not just a declaration of the year of the Eucharist,” Ronnfeldt said, “it really should transform us.”

She said Bishop Carl A. Kemme’s hopes for the Year of the Eucharist are to help the faithful understand that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and that a faithful reception will transform their lives.

In his first reflection on the year, Bishop Kemme said the mystery of the Eucharist is one of unfathomable and interminable beauty. “What we believe about the Eucharist is profound and life-changing. Through the offering of the sacrifice of Christ’s Body and Blood, the mystery of redemption is made present in our lives and offers us the opportunity to become FULLY ALIVE, and to fulfill our deepest, most authentic desires.”

Ronnfeldt said another goal for the year is an increase in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

“That’s our vision. How do we use this as a tool for evangelization – whether they’re in our pews are outside of our pews, and how do we tell everyone who this Jesus is throughout this year of the Eucharist?”