(Baltimore, MD) – The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Year of the Eucharist, a call from Archbishop of Baltimore William E. Lori to local Catholic parishioners to renew their encounters with Christ in the Mass, will come to a close on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 19, with a Mass and a Eucharistic Procession at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. The celebration will begin at 11 a.m.
“It should be a great day of celebration for our local Church in Baltimore,” said Archbishop Lori. “To be sure, it is only in the Eucharistic Lord that all divisions can be healed, bringing about authentic unity and true peace.”
As the Year of the Eucharist concludes for Baltimore’s Catholic community, the Eucharistic Revival Project, a national, multi-year initiative driven by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will commence in every diocese in the country.
Archbishop Lori described the national revival initiative as an effort “inspired by the Holy Spirit, in which Catholics all around the United States, in every diocese and parish, will bear witness to the truth, beauty and goodness of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. In the joy of the New Evangelization, our fellow Catholics — lay faithful, religious and clergy — will renew the faith of church-going Catholics to revive the Eucharistic faith of those who have disaffiliated.”
The Eucharistic Revival Project will culminate in a National Eucharistic Congress in 2024.
“Whatever divisions exist among the bishops, all of us agree on the need for a comprehensive effort to revivify faith in the Eucharist in every diocese of our country,” Archbishop Lori said.
Mass attendance had been declining notably, well before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns necessitated live-streamed Catholic services.
As lockdown restrictions were relaxed during 2021, the Archdiocese of Baltimore stepped up to offer Catholic worshippers a chance to return to local churches and observe in person the Year
of the Eucharist, which began formally with the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 6, 2021.
“As we emerge from this global pandemic, it is imperative that we renew our perspective on how the Mass and the Eucharist are foundational to our faith. Unity is above all a gift, a grace to be requested through prayer. It is my sincere hope and fervent prayer that in celebrating the gift of Our Lord in the Eucharist at our Cathedral and in parishes across the Archdiocese together we will be able to renew our Church.”
Kona Ice and other fun activities will be set up for after Mass fellowship.
For more information, please visit www.archbalt.org.
###
Media Contact
Christian Kendzierski
ck@archbalt.org
410-547-5378 (office)
917-882-1358 (cell)