National Eucharistic Revival offers small-group downloadable study ‘Jesus and the Eucharist’

Criterion staff report

As the Year of Parish Revival—the second year of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival—continues, a new small-group study called “Jesus and the Eucharist” was released on Sept. 14. New lessons will be available for download every Thursday through Oct. 26.

Created by the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) team in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Augustine Institute, the seven-part study aims to support parishes in their efforts to provide eucharistic-based faith formation in structured, small-group settings. The guided series, which includes videos, is hosted by Montse Alvarado, chief operating officer (COO) and president of Eternal Word Television Network News.

The four pillars that uphold the movement of the National Eucharistic Revival are reinvigorating worship, personal encounter, robust faith formation and missionary sending. The series was created as a tangible underpinning to the third pillar of formation.

Each of the lessons lasts about two hours, and the format consists of a video and a table discussion component with shared testimonials along the way and designated times for prayer.

Session one, called “Our Story,” offers initial background on the story of God, creation and our place in it.

Sessions two through four focus on the themes of Jesus, salvation and the Church, and exploring why God chose to establish the Church.

Sessions five through seven explore the sacraments, specifically the transformative power of the Eucharist and its biblical roots.

“This study is a great ‘out-of-the-box’ solution for parishes,” affirms Joel Stepanek, NEC COO. “Parishes simply need to train table facilitators and a core team to implement the study, set up a hall with tables that can seat roughly eight people, and press play.”

National Eucharistic Revival chair Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens introduced the study.

“The story of salvation, the establishment of the Church and the institution of the sacraments [are] not new, but rather an opportunity for all of us to embrace them in a new, deeper and more transformative way,” he said.

“Our hope is that the fire which burned in the hearts of the first Christians begins to burn in our hearts in a new and powerful way, so that we can’t help but share with others what is burning within us.”

The National Eucharistic Revival is a movement in the United States to restore understanding and devotion to the holy Eucharist. The revival includes four cross-country pilgrimages starting in May 2024 prior to the National Eucharistic Congress to be held onJuly 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis.

To download the series, go to eucharisticrevival.org/learn-resources. †