Daily trivia game designed to help Catholics discover the richness of the Eucharist, liturgy as they prepare for the Easter feast
DETROIT — Quick, what is it called when the bread and wine at Mass become the Body and Blood of Christ?
Need a hint? It starts with a “t,” and it’s a fairly long word.
Is that your final answer?
If you guessed “transubstantiation,” you might be pretty good at the newest trivia challenge from the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Starting Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Hallow app are inviting Catholics to take part in the I AM HERE Lent Challenge, a 40-day journey of learning, prayer and discovery surrounding the mystery of the Mass and the holy Eucharist.
The challenge is part of the I AM HERE campaign, the archdiocese's response to the U.S. bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival, which aims to reignite faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
By inviting Catholics to test their knowledge of the Mass through trivia, the campaign aims to spark an interest in the deeper realities of God's love taking place during the liturgy, said Emily Mentock, associate director of strategy in the archdiocese’s Department of Communications.
“Many of us who grew up Catholic or have been Catholic most of our lives understand that Mass is important. We go regularly, and there are parts we are familiar with, or certain lines the priest says. But what’s most important at Mass is what God is doing in the Eucharist," Mentock said. “We want to help people understand the meaning behind what’s happening at Mass, so they can have a better experience and be more ready to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist.”
Participants can sign up to receive text messages or emails with a daily trivia question, testing their own knowledge and exploring the richness of the Mass. Users can sign up at iamhere.org/lent or by texting “TRIVIA” to 84576.
There’s no prize — no earthly prize, at least — but participants will discover themselves learning more about their faith than they expected, Mentock predicted.
“Six weeks (of Lent) is quite a long time to stick with something every single day, so trivia felt like a way to make the challenge more engaging for people of all ages,” Mentock said. “Families can do this together and really grow and have a good experience throughout Lent.”
The archdiocese's partnership with the Hallow app means participants can make use of Hallow’s daily trivia platform, which allows users to see how their answers stack up against others who answered the same question. Use of the app isn't required, however.
In addition to the trivia challenge, participants will receive a daily video unpacking what the daily trivia question teaches about the Mass, hosted by Fr. Brian Meldrum, a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Launched in 2022, the I AM HERE campaign has been successful in bringing Catholics across the archdiocese and the United States to a deeper appreciation of the profound gift of the Eucharist. The campaign features hundreds of testimonials about the power of the Eucharist in people’s lives through written stories, photos, videos and podcasts, as well as guided reflections and meditations.
“I have been amazed at how generous people have been sharing their stories with us,” Mentock said. “I’m most amazed at the variety and depth of the stories, and we’re so grateful to everyone who has shared their experiences. We know from Unleash the Gospel that testimony and firsthand witness is such an important way to share our faith, and the people of southeast Michigan have definitely stepped up in response to that.”
The I AM HERE campaign has also partnered with parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit to increase access to Eucharistic adoration and host special holy hours.
“We’ve heard stories from parishes who have participated that more people are coming to adoration than before, and that’s just fantastic,” Mentock said. “It’s hard to measure belief in the Real Presence by counting people in the pews (during Mass), but I do think you can get a sense of it through adoration participation — I don’t think people would show up if they didn’t believe Jesus was really there.”
More than 50 parishes and schools have requested receive promotional materials for the Lent trivia campaign, Mentock said, and almost 5,000 people have already signed up for the daily challenge.
“When people sign up, there will be literally thousands of other people doing this with them,” Mentock said. “Hopefully, by Easter Sunday, the experience of Catholics in southeast Michigan at Mass will be really enriched, more faithful and more ready to receive Jesus there.”
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