FALL RIVER — Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will launch the nationwide Eucharistic Revival in the Diocese of Fall River with a special Mass and procession on Saturday, June 18, at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.
At 4 p.m. that afternoon, the bishop will celebrate Mass for the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ in the school’s auditorium and an outdoor Eucharistic Procession will follow on the school grounds.
Bishop da Cunha has extended an invitation to all members of the Diocese of Fall River to attend. Bishop Connolly High School is located at 373 Elsbree Street in Fall River.
Similar events will take place in dioceses across the country on that June 18-19th weekend as the National Eucharistic Revival officially begins. The Revival is a three-year initiative sponsored by the Bishops of the United States intended to inspire and to revive devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and then to encourage a sharing of that gift with others. The milestone event of the Revival will be a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Ind., in July 2024.
Bishop da Cunha said that he is looking forward to gathering with Catholics from across the diocese to begin the Eucharistic Revival.
“It’s an important opportunity for us to re-kindle our love for the Eucharist, to recognize the presence of Jesus in the gift of the Eucharist, and to re-connect with Him, with the Church, and with our faith,” the bishop said.
Diocesan Secretary for the New Evangelization David Carvalho is leading a committee of clergy and lay members in planning Eucharistic Revival events in the Diocese of Fall River. Carvalho said that, as a sign of the unity of the diocese, parishes have been encouraged to send a delegation to the June 18th inaugural Mass and Procession and that several spiritual groups in the diocese will also have representatives participating.
The National Eucharistic Revival and National Eucharistic Congress are a direct response to Pope Francis’ call for a “pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are” so that the Church in the United States might be “permanently in a state of mission.” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 25)
This Eucharistic movement seeks to bring together clergy, religious, laity, apostolates, movements, and parish and diocesan leaders to spur momentum, collaboration, and lasting impact for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the U.S. over the next three years. Each year will have a different strategic focus.
