Dear Parishioners,

Last month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced a three year period of Eucharistic Revival. The Eucharistic Revival mission is “To renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” The Revival is about deepening our relationship with the Lord.

We need this Revival because so many people who call themselves Catholic are losing faith that the Eucharist really is the body, bloody, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. The 2019 Pew Study said that only 69 percent of Catholics believe in the real presence. For Catholics under of the age of 40, only 26 percent of them believe in the real presence. In the face of all of this, we cannot just continue like business as usual, but must really examine how we treat the Blessed Sacrament and how we pass on the faith to future generations.

I think at the heart of this problem is a lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and I will continue to make the Mass as prayerful and holy an experience as I can. However, here are some ways you can get involved:

• Pray to God that people’s hearts may be set on fire for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. • Come to Eucharistic Adoration. We have it every Thursday from 9:30 am to 9 pm, with Benediction. Also, we always need more adorers to cover the various hours. Feel free to contact the parish office to sign up.

• Practice Reverence, and do it purposefully. I have written about this before. But in short, here are some holy habits you can have for Mass: coming to Mass early, praying a thanksgiving after Mass, do not leave Mass early, educate yourself about your faith and mindfully (with attention) pray every day even if you are not going to Mass. As I said before, if we want to have a Church in the future we have to restore a sense of the sacred now.

• Go to our Diocesan Website for updates on Events:

https://dioceseoftrenton.org/eucharisticrevival

• Check out the USCCB website for how to become a prayer partner and share your experience: https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/get-involved Belief in the Blessed Sacrament is what primarily led me to become Catholic. It is why I firmly believe that it is the linchpin belief for everything else we believe. I hope you can all renew your belief in the Blessed Sacrament by always putting into practice what you know you ought to do, and above all pray.

God bless!

Fr. Carter

P.S. Today is also World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. So, please reach out to some of the older people in your life. I’m sure they’ll enjoy a phone call, a visit or something else to let them know you care.