Year of the Eucharist

Year of the Eucharist

The Year of the Eucharist is the name of the liturgical year from October 2004 to October 2005, as celebrated by Catholics worldwide. On June 10, 2004, Pope John Paul II announced the dedication of an entire year to the Blessed Sacrament and invited the entire Church to reflect upon the Eucharist.

Opening the Year

Pope John Paul II stated that the idea came from scheduled events to take place in the following liturgical year. The International Eucharistic Congress was scheduled for October 10, 2004 to October 17, 2004, and would mark the opening of "Year of the Eucharist". The year would close with the "Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops", held from October 2, 2005 to October 29, 2005.

He stated that the World Youth Day 2005 was another consideration in his decision of the dedication. He said, "I would like the young people to gather around the Eucharist as the vital source which nourishes their faith and enthusiasm."

Specifically how the year was to be celebrated was left to the particular Churches. However, Pope John Paul II offered some basic guidelines. Suggestions were also presented by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In the United States, many dioceses encouraged local parishes to conduct celebrations, to examine the place of the Eucharist in parish life, to encourage Eucharistic adoration separate from the Mass, and to evaluate how Eucharistic adoration is conducted locally. Many Bishops took the time to encourage their local parishes to institute 40-hour devotions.

Goals of the Year of the Eucharist

Pope John Paul II made several suggestions to the Church in order to help the faithful benefit from the "Year of the Eucharist". He called on Catholics to understand the Eucharist as "an urgent summons to testimony and evangelization," providing the necessary strength to carry out the "charge" given at the end of each Mass to spread the Gospel. John Paul II also asked for a commitment to a "culture of the Eucharist," i.e. a commitment to providing witness to God's "real" presence in the world.

Another reflection offered by Pope John Paul II is that of the meaning of the word "Eucharist": Thanksgiving. John Paul II said, "In Jesus, in his sacrifice, in his unconditional 'yes' to the will of the Father, is contained the 'yes', the 'thank you' and the 'amen' of all humanity." He asked for a commitment to giving thanks to God, which he called a "'Eucharistic' attitude."

Notable events

Among the many reflections published in honor of the year, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes' of the Archdiocese of New Orleans wrote, "On this side of heaven, one cannot experience a more substantial or intense communion with Christ's presence than in the Eucharist." [http://www.archdiocese-no.org/eucharist/letter/index.html]

This year also saw the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005 (the one who established the year itself), and the subsequent election of Pope Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005.

There was an Eucharistic Congress in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on September 25 2004, the homily was given by Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship [http://www.adoremus.org/Arinze-EuchUnites.html] . The closing Mass was attended by 3,000 Catholics.

External links

* [http://www.yearoftheeucharist.com/ USCCB Year of the Eucharist webpage]
* [http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20041014_anno-eucaristia_en.html Year of the Eucharist Vatican Website]
* [http://www.adoremus.org/JPIICatechesisEucharist.html Catechesis of His Holiness John Paul II on the Eucharist] presented by Adoremus

References

*cite web|title=Apostolic Letter Mane nobisum Domine|work=Apostolic Letter, MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE, of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful for the Year of the Eucharist|url=http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20041008_mane-nobiscum-domine_en.html|accessdate=December 13|accessyear=2005
*cite web|title=Solemnity of Corpus Christi - Homily of John Paul II|work=Mass and Eucharistic Procession for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Homily of John Paul II, Basilica of St John Lateran, Thursday, 10 June 2004|url=http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20040610_corpus-domini_en.html|accessdate=December 13|accessyear=2005


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist —     The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist     In this article we shall consider:     ♦ the fact of the Real Presence, which is, indeed, the central dogma;     ♦ the …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Origin of the Eucharist — Main article: Eucharist Christians find the origin of the Eucharist in the Last Supper, at which Jesus established a New Covenant in his body and blood, fulfilling the Mosaic covenant. In this ancient rite or sacrament Christians eat bread and… …   Wikipedia

  • Eucharist in the Catholic Church — The institution of the Eucharist has been a key theme in the depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art, as in this 16th century Juan de Juanes painting. At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic… …   Wikipedia

  • Eucharist — For Eucharistic liturgies, see Christian liturgy. Most Precious Blood redirects here. For other uses, see Most Precious Blood (disambiguation). For other uses, see Eucharist (disambiguation). The institution of the Eucharist has been a key theme… …   Wikipedia

  • The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament —     The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament     Since Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine in a sacramental way, the Blessed Eucharist is unquestionably a… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Sacrament of Penance —     The Sacrament of Penance     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Sacrament of Penance     Penance is a sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest s absolution to… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Oxford Movement (1833-1845) —     The Oxford Movement (1833 1845)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Oxford Movement (1833 1845)     The Oxford Movement may be looked upon in two distinct lights. The conception which lay at its base, according to the Royal Commission on… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church — (LEPC) is a mainline Protestant denomination under the General Conference of Evangelical Protestant Churches (GCEPC). The earliest Lutherans in America came from Dutch, Swedish and German stock.The LEPC is successor to the Evangelical Protestant… …   Wikipedia

  • The Reformation —     The Reformation     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Reformation     The usual term for the religious movement which made its appearance in Western Europe in the sixteenth century, and which, while ostensibly aiming at an internal renewal of the …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Seal of Confession —     The Law of the Seal of Confession     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Law of the Seal of Confession     In the Decretum of the Gratian who compiled the edicts of previous councils and the principles of Church law which he published about 1151,… …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”