Source and Summit

June 1, 2022

The National Eucharistic Revival launches this month with support from the Knights of Columbus

By Columbia staff

June 1, 2022

Blessed Sacrament — Photo by Josh Applegate/Unsplash

The solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — Corpus Christi — is always an important day in the Church, but it has special significance this year. The feast, celebrated June 19 in the United States, marks the beginning of a multiyear initiative by the U.S. bishops to renew the Church by inviting the faithful into a living relationship with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

The National Eucharistic Revival, as the initiative is called, will include diocesan and parish-based formation and, following a National Eucharistic Congress to be held July 2024 in Indianapolis, will culminate in a “Year of Going Out on Mission.”

“Our hope for this Eucharistic Revival is to affect the Church at every level,” explained Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn. Bishop Cozzens is leading the effort as chairman of the bishops’ committee on evangelization and catechesis.

In his annual report at the 139th Supreme Convention in August 2021, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly announced that the Knights of Columbus would be a major sponsor of the revival. He also called on members of the Order to be ready to assist their bishops and pastors as true “Knights of the Eucharist”.

“The Church teaches us that the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life.’ It is just as much the source and summit in the life of a Knight,” the supreme knight said. “Working with our bishops and priests, we will strive to renew belief in the Eucharist and build up the Church. We are a force for unity, and we will prove it by pointing to the source of unity.”

Read on to learn more about the bishops’ plan for the revival, how the Order is helping, and what Knights are already doing to foster devotion to the holy Eucharist.

On Fire with Eucharistic Love

An interview with Bishop Andrew Cozzens about the National Eucharistic Revival

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., elevates the Eucharist during his installation Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston on Dec. 6, 2021. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., has been overseeing a plan to ignite and strengthen eucharistic faith across the United States since 2019, when he was elected to lead the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on evangelization and catechesis. His predecessor, Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles, first proposed a multiyear national eucharistic revival; in collaboration with many groups within the Church, including the Knights of Columbus, Bishop Cozzens has been working to make it a reality. A member of the Order since 1987, Bishop Cozzens spoke with Columbia about the revival, which launches June 19, the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

COLUMBIA: Please tell us a little about the National Eucharistic Revival and its purpose. Why this focus on the Eucharist now?

BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS: The Eucharistic Revival is a three-year program designed to help renew the Church in the United States by inviting Catholics into a living relationship with Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. We want to see a movement of Catholics across this country who are healed, converted, formed and set on fire to bring the eucharistic love of our Lord out to the world.

There are a lot of reasons why we’re doing it right now. The first reason, on the negative side, is the now-famous Pew Study that came out in September 2019 saying that as many as 70% of Catholics do not believe, or at least don’t understand, the Church’s teaching on Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. This was a disturbing fact that caused the bishops to think, “Wow, what are we doing to deal with this crisis?” Of course, we already knew the crisis was happening, because we had been watching for many years the struggle of disaffiliation. And then you add the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a certain percentage of people no longer going to Mass.

But there are also many positive reasons for this revival. The Church has always recognized that at different moments we need to remind ourselves what an incredible gift the Eucharist is. More than a century ago, the Church started having International Eucharistic Congresses — opportunities for Catholics to come together to reverence the Eucharist, to come to a deeper understanding, and to proclaim to the world our belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. So it’s also an opportunity for witness and to have a moment of unity. This is part of the mission that Jesus gave the Church when he prayed that we “may all be one” (Jn 17:21). And it’s the Eucharist that makes us one.

COLUMBIA: The revival has several phases: the launch, the Diocesan Year, the Parish Year, the National Eucharistic Congress, and the Year of Going Out on Mission. Could you walk us through these phases?

BISHOP COZZENS: Yes, the Diocesan Year begins June 19, on the feast of Corpus Christi, with eucharistic processions around the country. During this year, we will focus on diocesan leaders and people who already understand the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist. We want to turn them into eucharistic missionaries, inviting them to re-enliven their faith and come to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist through events and free online courses.

They will thus be equipped for the second year — the Parish Year. This is where we want to reach deepest into the Church, for our studies show that many sitting in the pews, even every Sunday, don’t fully understand the gift of the Eucharist. Our goal is to reach those people. And that’s what a revival is, right? It’s enlivening those who might be lukewarm, those who are not fully on fire yet with this love.

That year will culminate in the National Eucharistic Congress, July 17-21, 2024. We’re going to invite Catholics from all over the country to Indianapolis to come together around the Eucharist. We really hope this will be a moment that spiritually impacts the whole country, and that many people from different walks of life, families, certainly the Knights of Columbus, will come together for this large event.

And then that will begin what we hope is a real missionary conversion in the third year. Part of the goal of this National Eucharistic Revival is to help the Church make that conversion from maintenance to mission. That is, empowering people to reach out beyond the borders of the parish and to knock on doors or invite neighbors to come experience Jesus in the Eucharist and his love for them in the Mass.

“We want to see a movement of Catholics across this country who are healed, converted, formed and set on fire to bring the eucharistic love of our Lord out to the world.”

COLUMBIA: Last November, the U.S. bishops published a document titled “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.” Can you describe this document and what people can learn from it?

BISHOP COZZENS: The bishops designed this document to be a kind of launching pad for the National Eucharistic Revival. It attempts to paint a picture of the gift and mystery of the Eucharist, which is a complex gift, like a diamond. When you take that diamond and look at it from different sides, you can see different aspects of the beauty of this gift.

That’s what the document does: It talks about the different aspects of the gift, such as the sacrificial nature of the Mass, what it means to live a eucharistic life, and the demands that receiving Communion makes upon me as a Christian. It also talks about how the Eucharist teaches you to make your life a gift of service, and how your life is meant be a life of praise. This is what we mean when we say the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324).

The document puts all of this beautifully and in a quite readable way. It’s very accessible, so anyone can and should read it. We’re also building courses and videos and talks off it to help people understand these different aspects of the Eucharist.

COLUMBIA: Is there a link between loving God in the Eucharist, which is a devotional act, and the Church’s acts of mercy for those in need?

BISHOP COZZENS: Absolutely — this is so important. Mother Teresa of Calcutta made this truth most poignant with her whole life. She said, “If you don’t love Jesus in the Eucharist, you won’t love him in the poor. And if you don’t love him in the poor, you won’t love him in the Eucharist.”

For her, it was all connected with what Jesus said in Matthew 25: “Whatever you do to the least, you do to me.” It’s just a natural thing that as we come to love Jesus in the Eucharist, we then want to love him in those who most need him. Whether that’s the woman in a crisis pregnancy or the homeless person on the street, we want to meet Jesus there.

This is one of the reasons I’ve always loved the Knights of Columbus, because they really do understand that our faith has to be put into action in service of those in need.

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, leads a Holy Hour at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Jan. 29. All parishes in Oregon were encouraged to hold a Holy Hour on or near that day, and K of C councils throughout the state assisted with the initiative. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

COLUMBIA: How did you come to join the Order? What effect has it had on you personally and on your ministry as a priest and bishop?

BISHOP COZZENS: I joined the Knights of Columbus during my freshman year in college. We had a very active council at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. I found it was a place for me to actually live my faith. These were some of the best guys on campus and we had wonderful projects, some of them very involved with the pro-life movement.

In my experience as a parish priest, the Knights were always the heart and soul of the parish; they were such a great help to make the life of the parish happen. I could always count on them. And besides that, they were a lot of fun. We did great things together, everything from eucharistic processions to service projects to pancake breakfasts. All of that, for me, was a great experience of what the Church is supposed to be.

COLUMBIA: Eucharistic processions are going to be a major part of the revival, and they’re something the Knights is going to be strongly supporting. Why are eucharistic processions central to this effort?

BISHOP COZZENS: I’m so grateful that the Knights have gotten behind this whole movement of eucharistic processions. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32). The Church says that it is fitting on the solemnity of Corpus Christi that we lift up Jesus in the Eucharist and process him around. It’s a way of showing the world what we believe about Jesus in the Eucharist.

I think this is a profound way to affect culture. When it happens, people think, “Wait a minute, what are those Catholics doing over there? They’re singing hymns of praise to God in the presence of what looks like a piece of bread?” It might seem crazy, but because we know Jesus’ word — “This is my body” — we know it’s true. And so we’re proclaiming the truth in a beautiful and joyful way.

We would host processions of the Blessed Sacrament every year when I was at seminary, and of course, the Fourth Degree Knights would always show up in full force. We would go across campus, and the college students would be astounded. They didn’t know what to make of it. That intrigue itself was so powerful. And the city police loved stopping traffic for us in our procession. They would talk about how it was their favorite event to work.

COLUMBIA: Would you like to share any final words with your brother Knights and their families?

BISHOP COZZENS: I would just repeat the words of Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, who said we’re called to be Knights of the Eucharist, which is the greatest gift that God has given to his Church. As Knights, we’re called to treasure that gift, to protect that gift, to reverence it and share it.

I do believe that this is a moment where the Holy Spirit is really working in the Church. And I’ve been so grateful because since we began, the Knights of Columbus has been such a Renewalkey partner for us. If the Knights get behind something, it happens, that’s my experience.

I’ve said from the very beginning that we’re not starting a program, but a fire. And we want to engage people’s creativity at every level of the Church. And so we’re looking for people, including Knights of Columbus, to creatively think about how they might be involved. And I hope that each of you will consider becoming a eucharistic missionary, to help many people come to understand the gift that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist and strengthen our Church for the future.

Priest breaking holy communion — CNS photo/Bob Roller

Resources for Renewal

TO VIEW VARIOUS resources produced by the Knights of Columbus to help councils, families and others deepen their love and understanding of the Blessed Sacrament, visit kofc.org/eucharist.

• The Eucharist: Source of Our Healing and Hope (available in English and Spanish) — This inspirational and catechetical video about the gift of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist features interviews with Catholic speakers and profiles of Catholics with a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

• Eucharistic Procession Training Video and Guide (available in English and Spanish) — With explanations of liturgical items and best practices, these resources will help your parish organize a eucharistic procession. Handouts and promotional posters are also available through the Faith in Action Holy Hour Program resources.

• The Mass Explained — A collection of short videos explains the significance of the different parts of the Mass and the sacred objects and vestments used during its celebration.

• Catholic Information Service booklets — Learn more about what the Church teaches about the Eucharist and its centrality in the Christian life.

Students and staff members of Holy Innocents School stand before custom-printed fencing screens donated by Msgr. John Cawley
Council 3629 in Lakewood, Calif., in 2022. The screens provide much-needed privacy to the playground of the school, which is
located in a busy urban neighborhood in Long Beach.

Source and Summit

On Fire with Eucharistic Love

An interview with Bishop Andrew Cozzens about the National Eucharistic Revival

Resources for Renewal

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