“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.’” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324
The 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. The U.S Bishops 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 will culminate in the first National Eucharistic Congress in the United States in almost 50 years. More than 100,000 Catholics are expected to join together in Indianapolis for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage toward the “source and summit” of our Catholic Faith.
This three-year plan to revive the place of the Eucharist in the minds, hearts and lives of Catholics in the United States has its official start with the 2022 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on June 19. Parishes across the Diocese of Venice are planning Corpus Christi processions for June 19, in conjunction with similar celebrations around the country.
The Diocesan Year of the National Eucharistic Revival is from June 19, 2022, to June 11, 2023. During the Diocesan Year there will be a series of events and retreats that encourage the renewal of the Church “by rekindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” During the Diocesan Year, Eucharistic Missionaries will be trained. These Missionaries are Catholics who through a deep encounter and experience with the Blessed Sacrament, become equipped to share the love and the truth of the Real Presence – Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The Diocesan Year will culminate with a Eucharistic Congress held in the Spring of 2023.
The Parish Year will be from June 11, 2023, to July 17, 2024. During the Parish Year, Eucharistic Missionaries will encourage increased Eucharistic Adoration in their Parishes, family prayer, and small group prayer. Free resources will be made available to facilitate and encourage an increased devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in families and Parishes.
The U.S. Catholic Church’s three-year eucharistic revival “is not a program but a movement” that is an invitation to the faithful from God to go on mission and be compelling witnesses of our faith, said Carrie Harkey, Director of the Diocesan Family Life Office and Interim Director of Evangelization.
“The National Eucharistic Revival is part of an exciting journey as the Eucharist stands at the center of our Faith,” Harkey said. “The timing of this is crucial in reminding the faithful about what the Second Vatican Council taught, that the Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life’ and is an opportunity to have an intimate encounter with Christ.”
Taking its title from the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel, “My flesh for the life of the world/Mi carne para la vida del mundo,” the Eucharistic Revival is not a step-by-step plan or a series of meetings; it is a grassroots call and a challenge for every Catholic across the United States to rekindle the fire of love and devotion for the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. Over three years, every Catholic Diocese, Parish, school, apostolate, and family is invited to be a part of renewing the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The U.S. Bishops approved plans for the Revival and the Congress in November 2021 during their fall general assembly in Baltimore.
Stay tuned for more information about what is planned on the Diocesan level at www.dioceseofvenice.org. To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, please visit https://eucharisticrevival.org. There you will find a free online course from Bishop Andrew Cozzens, of the Diocese of Crookston and head of the Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis at the USCCB, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” which can be utilized in parishes, small groups, or for individual study.
Prayer for the Revival
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You!
I beg pardon for those who do not believe, nor
adore, nor hope, nor love You. (Three times)
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I
adore You profoundly. I offer You the most
precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus
Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world
in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and
indifference by which He is offended. And,
through the infinite merits of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg of You the conversion of sinners.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
Oración para el avivamiento
¡Dios mío, yo creo, adoro, espero y te amo!
¡Te pido perdón por los que no creen, no
adoran, no esperan, no te aman! (Tres veces)
Santísima Trinidad, Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo, yo
te adoro profundamente y te ofrezco el
Preciosísimo Cuerpo, Sangre, Alma y Divinidad de
nuestro Señor Jesucristo, presente en todos los
Sagrarios del mundo, en reparación de los ultrajes
con los que Él es ofendido. Por los méritos infinitos
del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y del Inmaculado
Corazón de María, te pido la conversión de los
pecadores.
Nuestra Señora de Fátima,
ruega por nosotros.
It is appropriate that the week begins on such a day, as Ss. Thomas More and John Fisher are remembered for being martyred in 1535 for standing up for the Sanctity of Marriage and the Freedom of the Church in opposition to England’s King Henry VIII.
Father Jiobani Batista was thrilled with the turn out for the retreat, which was held at the LaBelle Civic Center over the course of three days, with an evening session on May 27, 2022, and full day sessions on May 28 and May 29. Wilson Tamayo led the retreat, which included prayer, music, inspirational talks, presentations, and Eucharistic Adoration. Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation were also offered. The purpose was to help families grow closer to Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A powerful component of the retreat was the different testimonials from families who shared how they overcame various obstacles and challenges as a family and in their faith. Each said that the help and guidance of other family members and friends, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, led them back to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
You can sign up now for the last in-person Diocesan Listening Session from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2022, at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, 355 S. Bridge St., LaBelle (English and Spanish); or for the Virtual Listening Session via Microsoft TEAMS from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, May 25. To register for either or both, please visit 
This celebration comes after the holiest of weeks which began with the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and included the institution of the Eucharist (Communion) during the Last Supper, Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders as well as the betrayal by Judas on Holy Thursday and the suffering and death of Our Lord on Good Friday. The Resurrection on Easter completes the journey for Jesus but it is just the beginning of a new journey of belief and hope for the Faithful, Bishop Frank J. Dewane explained during the Easter Vigil Mass on April 16, 2022, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice.
The Bishop noted the Gospel reading from the Vigil provides guidance to carry the message of Easter forward. The Gospel of Luke (24:1-12) tells the story of the women who were going to care for the body of Jesus, thought to be deceased, in the Jewish custom and found the stone rolled away from the tomb. The Gospel then reads: “but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.’ And they remembered his words.'”
Bishop Dewane said we all need to look back to Scripture and recall those words, at that moment. “All of us need to ponder the power of the Resurrection in our life. We need to have hope. Yes, we can be afraid at times, but we cannot be deterred. The women who came to the tomb of Jesus were afraid, but they had hope. We must allow the same to happen to us, as with shouts of joy, proclaim the Risen Lord, whose power can roll back the stones – those obstacles to living out a true life of faith in Jesus Christ. This Risen Lord gives us the grace we need to go forward to be the messengers of Christ’s Word – the messenger of the Resurrection of the Lord – Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”
During this Vigil Mass, the faithful hear the story of Salvation proclaimed in numerous Scripture readings first from the Old Testament (Genesis and Exodus) and then from the New Testament. It is also at this time at the Vigil Mass that the Bishop and priests baptize and confirm Catechumens and Candidates. There were 397 women and men who entered fully into the Catholic Church at Parishes throughout the Diocese.
One of these candidates was Samantha Valerie Caballero who received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion from Bishop Dewane at Epiphany Cathedral. Caballero was emotional after becoming fully Catholic. “I feel blessed to have grown close to the Lord, Jesus Christ in my life,” she said afterwards.
The celebration of Easter is not confined to a single day; in fact, throughout the next 50 days the Easter Season is celebrated “in joyful exultation as one Feast Day, or better as one ‘great Sunday.’”
The Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday), has its center in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Sunday of the Resurrection (Easter).
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Catherine Parish in Sebring included the commemoration when Jesus Christ established the Sacrament of Holy Communion prior to His arrest and crucifixion. It also observes His institution of the priesthood. This Liturgy included the presentation of the oils blessed and consecrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane during the April 12 Chrism Mass, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, which will be used for the Sacraments in the Parish throughout the year. Later was the traditional washing of the feet, reenacting Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples. Following the Prayer after Communion, the Mass concluded with a procession to transfer the Holy Eucharist to the place of repose in the Parish Hall. This procession led out the main doors of the church and to the hall. This action left the tabernacle vacant until the Easter Vigil.
On Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, the faithful at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples participated in the Liturgy which included the reading of the Passion from the Gospel of John. Next was the presentation of the cross, brought forth by the priest and unveiled as the priest sang: “This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world,” and the congregation responded: “Come let us adore.” The faithful were then encouraged to come forward to venerate the cross. This was done by either touching, bowing, or genuflecting.
On Holy Saturday, the only Mass of the day is the Easter Vigil, which begins in darkness. However, several Parishes did host a blessing of the Easter Baskets/food. This custom traditionally blesses food to be consumed at the first meal of Easter.
Many Parishes also hosted fun for children which often included Easter Egg hunts.
Participants come to the Diocesan Listening Sessions focused and ready to share where they believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church today. The latest Listening Sessions took place in Naples on March 24, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish and March 28 at St. John the Evangelist Parish. Discussions were both positive and passionate.
Bishop Dewane has stressed during each Session how important it is to respond to the Synod, and the questions posed, in the context of what the Holy Spirit is asking of us, and can only be accomplished with an open heart, mind and soul. Bishop Dewane encouraged the faithful in attendance to share their dreams for the Church, and when the floor was open for a free discussion, many shared their hopes and dreams for the Universal Church.
“It has been a year since the Diocese of Venice celebrated its first annual Safe Haven Sunday, but this was just the beginning of the pursuit to directly address the harmfulness of pornography to marriages, families, the culture and particularly to our youth and young adults,” said Bishop Frank J. Dewane. “Therefore, on Sunday, March 27, 2022, the Diocese will continue efforts by celebrating the second annual Safe Haven Sunday.”
