U.S. bishops’ ‘Walk With One’ initiative invites faithful to intercede for, accompany one person away from the Church
FARMINGTON HILLS — It's been almost four months since the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis sparked a revival of faith in the hearts of Catholics throughout the United States.
The glow still hasn't worn off.
More than 100 people gathered Nov. 12 at St. Fabian Parish in Farmington Hills to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and discern the treasures He’s bestowed upon the Church in the months since.
Detroit-area pilgrims who attended the congress were invited to gather at St. Fabian — which regularly hosts Eucharistic adoration on Tuesday nights — to reflect upon the once-in-a-lifetime experience and ensure the graces continue to reverberate in the months and years to come.
“Tonight is an opportunity for us to come together, to give God praise and thanks for those blessed days, to continue to stir up in our hearts all those graces that we received,” said Fr. Mario Amore, director of the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, which hosted the event. “During our time of adoration, you will hear again some of the words that were spoken to us here in the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.”
Kathy Fech, sacred worship coordinator for the archdiocese, said it's important that those who experienced the congress — either in Indianapolis or at home — take time to pray, discern and listen to where the Holy Spirit might be leading the Church next.
The night’s program was an invitation for people who attended the Indianapolis congress in July, as well as those who participated in Eucharistic adoration, pilgrimages and events locally, to rekindle that Eucharistic fervor, Fr. Amore said.
Fr. Amore led the congregation in meditation on the Eucharist, invoking some of the messages the tens of thousands of pilgrims heard at Lucas Oil Stadium during the National Eucharistic Congress.
As musicians played meditative music in the church, Fr. Amore quoted some of the speakers at the National Eucharistic Congress, setting the mood for guests to remember what it felt like to be surrounded by scores of faithful, all giving witness to the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
“At the opening night of the National Eucharistic Congress, Bishop (Andrew) Cozzens said, ‘Lord, we have come here because we want a revival, a Eucharistic revival, and we want every Catholic to realize that you are alive in the Eucharist, and to encounter your love. And Lord, we know that this revival, it has to begin with us,’" Fr. Amore said.
“So tonight, we ask you Lord, ‘How is this Eucharistic revival to begin with me?” Fr. Amore added.
While the congress was a climactic moment for the U.S. bishops' three-year National Eucharistic Revival, it is not the conclusion, Fech said. Since the congress took place, the Church is now in its missionary phase, the Year of Mission.
“I know there have already been some parishes who have said, 'We need to bring back a holy hour,' or start one at their parish because of what they experienced at the congress,” Fech said. “A lot of individual and small groups are being called to action because they realize they are so close to the Eucharist, but other people in the community aren’t. So they are asking, ‘How can I help others engage?’”
Attendees at St. Fabian also had a chance to venerate the relics of a true champion of the Eucharist: Blessed Carlo Acutis, whose first-class relic (a few strands of his hair) was present Tuesday night.
“The relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis are a blessed reminder to take home his call to the mission of bringing people to the Eucharist,” Fech said. “He did it with the 15 years of his life, and so can we.”
Attendees then gathered in St. Fabian’s social hall to discuss their experiences and to touch medals to the first-class relics of Blessed Carlo, which in turn made them third-class relics.
Fech also introduced the U.S. bishops' "Walk With One" initiative, which is connected to the Year of Mission and challenges Catholic to invite one person in their life back to the Church.
“The idea is to intentionally pray before the Blessed Sacrament and discern, 'Who is that one person in your life that you are called to bring to the Lord for the first time?,'” Fech said. “Who is that one person you are called to pray for this year?”
The next step is intercessory prayer, praying before the Blessed Sacrament specifically for that person, before finally inviting the person to some action related to the faith, whether it be Mass, praise and worship, or some form of Catholic fellowship, Fech said.
It’s a continuation of the departing message from the National Eucharistic Congress, as well as the final commission the faithful hear at the end of Mass: to go out and make disciples of the Lord, Fr. Amore said.
“Gloria Purvis (a speaker at the congress) shared with us: ‘We can do this. We’re going to mend the bonds of the human family,'” Fr. Amore said. “Let us go out and be more joyful in our evangelization. Let us be more open in our evangelization. Let us not be afraid, and let our witness to who we say we love penetrate all that we do and say and all that we are willing to undertake for the glorification of the Lord and the growth of His Church.”
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