“My flesh for the life of the world.”

Our bishops of the United States are calling for a three-year grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They believe that God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.”

The National Eucharistic Revival started in 2022 and will be continuing over these next few years, in hopes of restoring and strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ and the Eucharist. Together, we are reflecting on the Blessed Sacrament and the importance it holds in our Catholic faith as the precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us as a gift of love and nourishment. Through the Eucharist, we are united with Christ and with one another as members of His mystical body, the Church.

This year, Corpus Christi (the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) took place on Sunday, June 11, which was observed with processions and celebration in many parts of the Diocese of Owensboro. This was the beginning of the “Year of Parish Revival,” strengthening our liturgical life through faithful celebrations of Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. With a focus on deep reflections through scripture reading, prayer, (both in parish workgroups and as individuals), as well as missions, preaching and organic movements built through the Holy Spirit, this second phase will foster Eucharistic devotion at the parish level.

This will all lead up to the first National Eucharistic Congress in the United States in almost fifty years, where an estimation of 80,000 Catholics will gather in Indianapolis for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage toward the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith July 17-21, 2024. From this journey we will follow with a year of going out on mission “for the life of the world.”

We are asking you to be a part of this historic event. Participate within your parish, deepen your hearts in prayer through Adoration, find spiritual growth in your community. Invite your friends and neighbors. This revival is meant to foster a spirit of unity, love, and compassion extending out past our parishes and families and into our daily lives. In rejoicing in the gift of the Eucharist and celebrating our Catholic heritage, may it strengthen you as you live out your faith in this world.