The Worcester Diocese will mark the start of the National Eucharistic Revival by ordaining priests, Bishop McManus told groups that promote vocations.
He was speaking to 41 members of Serra Club of Northern Worcester County and Serra Club of Southern Worcester County on June 9 after celebrating Mass for them at St. Paul Cathedral.
“Serrans are Catholic lay men and women who vigorously respond to the call to promote and support vocations to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life in the Catholic Church,” explains the website serrainternational.org. Their patron is Franciscan Father Junipero Serra, who founded California missions in the 18th century and was canonized in 2015.
Bishop McManus thanked the Worcester Diocese’s Serrans for their faith, and said their prayers are being answered. He recently ordained two men to the transitional diaconate, in preparation for priesthood, and tomorrow he is to ordain seven men to the priesthood. He asked the Serrans to pray for the men, several of whom attended the June 9 Mass and the dinner afterwards in the cathedral cenacle.
The Bishop also asked the Serrans to come to the ordination at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the cathedral, and alluded to the excitement life-long Catholics have expressed to him when attending an ordination for the first time.
Father Donato Infante III, director of the diocesan Office for Vocations, told the Serrans he is grateful for all they do, spoke of prayers for seminarians to persevere in their vocation and echoed the bishop’s invitation to attend the ordination, for which no tickets are needed this year.
With the ordination, the Worcester Diocese will mark, on the diocesan level, the kickoff of the National Eucharistic Revival, Bishop McManus said.
The U.S. bishops’ three-year eucharistic revival begins Sunday on the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (also called Corpus Christi Sunday).
The revival’s mission is “to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist,” says the bishops’ website usccb.org.
The website says the vision is to have “a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist – and sent out in mission ‘for the life of the world.’”
At the Serrans’ Mass Msgr. John E. Doran, Serra North chaplain, preached about the day’s Scripture readings – Elijah looking for an end to the drought (I Kgs 18:41-46), and Jesus calling for reconciliation with, not anger at, one’s brother (Mt 5:20-26).
“Look for God’s presence,” Msgr. Doran said; Christ might be in those we have judged, hurt or set aside. “Look again, seek reconciliation. … Let the God of our fathers change our hearts.” He said the Lord is ever ready to offer second chances.
At the meal Serra Club presidents – John Shannon of Serra North and Roland Malboeuf of Serra South – gave Bishop McManus money their members raised for vocations ministry.