Encountering Christ in the Eucharist

A message from Fr. John and Fr. Dan:

“The Lord accompanies us in many ways, but none as profound as when we encounter him in the Eucharist.” – Quote from U.S. Bishops’ 2021 document, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.”

Beginning on Holy Thursday, here at Saint Patrick Parish we began reading the following statement prior to the reception of Holy Communion.

At this time, we are ready to receive the gift of Holy Communion - the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. For those receiving, I invite you to come forward in the usual way.

This statement comes to us from our Diocesan Bishop, James Powers. The statement was given to the priests of our Diocese as we were gathered for our annual priest assembly on March 24^th. The statement continues a conversation that our Bishop has had with our presbyteral council (group of priests that advises the Bishop on pastoral matters) and with the Diocesan pastoral council (group of laity that advises the Bishop on pastoral matters) over the course of the last year. For Catholics that receive communion, this statement is not requiring any changes to the external gestures and postures that are used when communion is received. The reception of communion in the hand, on the tongue, while standing or kneeling are all accepted under the guidelines of our Diocese.

This conversation about the reception of Holy Communion is ultimately a fruit of the period of Eucharistic Revival that has taken place in the Catholic Church in the U.S. from 2022 to 2025. In that time, here at Saint Patrick Parish we have spoken extensively about the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist in homilies, small groups, and through other mediums. That important work will continue as we allow Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist to transform and inspire us to live lives of communion in the Church. 

The statement that will continue to be read at Mass for the foreseeable future will be supplemented by some catechetical resources that we will be creating and sharing in the months ahead. We are planning to record a short video resource that utilizes content from the 2021 document from the U.S. Catholic Bishops titled, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.” We hope that these brief videos will be a resource that individuals and families can use to better understand our visible and invisible participation in the life of Christ through Holy Communion.

We are also discussing how we can make available more resources on the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist so that more members of our parish and visitors can foster the Catholic habits that can lead to greater fruitfulness in the sacramental life.

If you have questions about the statement or our ongoing work of sharing the Church’s teachings and practices regarding the Eucharist, please send an e-mail to either one of us at frjohn@stpatrickofhudson.org or frdantracy@stpatrickofhudson.org and we would be glad to discuss this with you.

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