‘If you are hungry, thanks be to God that you hunger for the Lord,’ Bishop Cepeda tells 850 at Central Region event June 1
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DETROIT — Christ’s ever-loving presence in the Eucharist is an invitation to be consumed by God’s love and empowered for the mission to proclaim the Gospel.
That invitation was received by more than 850 people who attended the Archdiocese of Detroit’s fourth and final Regional Eucharistic Congress on June 1 at St. Scholastica Parish in northwest Detroit.
The Central Region's congress, held the day before the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, closed out the diocesan phase of the National Eucharistic Revival, which now turns its attention to the National Eucharistic Congress, set to take place in Indianapolis from July 17-21.
The event at St. Scholastica was the fourth regional congress in the Archdiocese of Detroit, which featured speakers giving testimonies about the power of the Eucharistic, time for adoration and inviting Catholics to experience a deeper appreciation of God’s gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and his presence.
Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, a nationally known author and speaker, gave the morning keynote at St. Scholastica, asking Catholics to completely surrender to the outpouring of God’s love.
“I want you to be willing today to allow yourself to pour your whole heart in front of you and just have Jesus receive it,” Sr. Heidland said. “Just allow yourself to surrender to Jesus, and Jesus’ desire to keep you close. Because he wants to be with you, all of you. Don’t allow yourself to hide from him. Just allow yourself to be with him, to be in his gentle hands.”
Sr. Heidland spoke about the eternal love present in the Eucharist, a love that sometimes the faithful have a hard time grasping, or worse, feel they are unworthy to receive.
“It’s OK to allow him to place his hands on your heart. It’s OK to offer all the pain, shame, vulnerability and give it to him and say, ‘This is all I have,’ because that is all he wants,” Sr. Heidland said.
The congress also featured keynotes in Spanish and American Sign Language, along with praise and worship music at the direction of Detroit musician Keir Ward, and opportunities for confession and intercessory prayer.
The day began with a service drive in the St. Scholastica Parish center, where parishes across the Central Region collected donations for local pregnancy resource centers and wrote cards and letters in support of mothers in need and their families.
Tara Stenger, associate director of engagement for the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, told Detroit Catholic the purpose of the four regional congresses was to enkindle a new love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the archdiocese.
“Our goal for the day is for each person here to have an encounter with the Lord, whether that is enriching the friendship they already have or meeting Him for the first time,” Stenger said.
The hope is that people have an encounter with the Eucharist, and then will seek further communion in the Church that Jesus founded, Stenger said.
“We are offering these opportunities for grace to understand God’s love and mercy,” Stenger said. “We want them to have ways to connect and go deeper."
Monica Vitale attended the congress after being inspired by the National Eucharistic Revival, particularly the nationwide pilgrimages taking place across the United States in the buildup to the Indianapolis congress next month.
Vitale was especially drawn to Sr. Heidland’s emphasis on vulnerability before the Eucharist and what it means to pour out one’s heart before the Lord’s presence.
“She mentioned vulnerability, and I think a lot of us, as she said, harden our hearts and toughen up so we don’t feel the pain of others not accepting us,” Vitale told Detroit Catholic. “So I meditated a lot on vulnerability and what that looks like. I think a lot of us try to make it seem like we have it all together, and really we don’t; we need God.”
After the congress at St. Scholastica, participants joined a Eucharistic procession from St. Scholastica to nearby Corpus Christi Parish in Detroit the next day, an opportunity to reflect on the power of God’s presence in the Eucharist, particularly the grace that comes from receiving the Lord.
“I think I need to continually seek God for grace,” Vitale said. “I keep trying to rely on myself to just be this way, just do this, open your arms, and get it done. I need to rely on God’s grace; to run to Him more and make Him my first option instead of others. I need to fill myself with a love for Him, dependence on Him.”
For Natosha Tolbert, a parishioner of St. Charles Lwanga in Detroit, the day was both an opportunity for her daughter to go to confession before she is confirmed and for her to learn more about the Eucharist and the strength it provides her faith.
“For me, the body of Christ is how I continue my spiritual journey. It helps me stay faithful to the Catholic faith,” Tolbert said. “When I receive Holy Communion, when I’m at Mass, that is how I stay closer to God. That is how I provide an example for my daughter as she progresses through her spiritual journey.”
Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda, the episcopal moderator for the archdiocese's Central Region, delivered the Spanish keynote and celebrated Mass with Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron.
In his homily, Bishop Cepeda reflected on the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, the famous "Bread of Life" discourse. The scene comes after Christ fed 5,000 people, Bishop Cepeda said, but the people following Jesus were still hungry for more.
“Just imagine, all those people who followed Jesus across Galilee, witnessing the miracles and the healing, they followed him and now are hungry,” Bishop Cepeda said. “Jesus is very practical in our own lives, saying, ‘We need to feed them.’ He goes out to the disciples and asks what they have."
In the Gospel, a young boy provides five loaves of bread and two fish, but that's enough for Jesus to work miracles, Bishop Cepeda added.
“This what gives us the meaning of the Eucharist, the presence of the Lord,” Bishop Cepeda said. “When we celebrate Mass, we say, ‘This is all we have,’ and we offer it up to the Lord. But (normal food) wasn’t enough ... later in the Gospel, he tells the disciples, ‘I AM the bread of life. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life.'”
It is through the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, that the faithful are able to satisfy their hunger for the Lord and are empowered to do the work of preaching the Gospel, Bishop Cepeda added.
“We are fed by our Lord so that we may have the joy to proclaim His Gospel,” Bishop Cepeda said. “We are fed by our Lord so we can have the strength we need to bring about the Gospel of Life, to bring about the kingdom of God, to bring about the good news that is so much needed in our world today.”
Following the congress, St. Scholastica hosted Eucharistic adoration until the following morning, when, after Mass, the parish processed with the Eucharist with a five-foot-tall monstrance lent to the parish by Fr. Kishore Kottana of the Diocese of Toledo.
The procession was an invitation for the faithful to proclaim God’s presence in the streets of Detroit, gathering people from all corners of the region and beyond to show they are united in Christ, Archbishop Vigneron said during Saturday's Mass.
“Heading into the church and looking out at all of you, I’m reminded of the vision of St. John, who saw thousands of many identities from every tribe and nation, brought together in Christ to give glory to the Father,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “That is the mission of the Church: to bring glory to the Father in Christ Jesus. We do this especially as we are united with Christ in this Paschal mystery, through the appearance of bread and wine. This is our great work today, for which we need the strength of the Holy Spirit.”
Stenger said the day was filled with grace, not only for the attendees, but the volunteers, including herself, who had time to reflect on what the Eucharist means in their own lives and to invite others into the Lord’s presence.
“God’s humbleness and His desire for us, it overwhelms me every time,” Stenger said. “It’s such a great gift that He just longs for us and allows us to connect with Him. Being reminded of that over and over has been so amazing and memorizing.”
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