Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper

Editorial

United to Christ through his body and blood
current editorial

“The first and most important reality in Catholic life is the Eucharist. That should be reflected in every parish. We are a eucharistic church. What makes us different is our true belief in the Eucharist being the body and blood of the Lord.”

These words from Bishop David Zubik are from an interview published by the Pittsburgh Catholic in February. In the newspaper article he articulated his certainty that in order for Catholics to get excited about their faith, the Eucharist must play a central role.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is about to embark on a landmark journey of faith during a Year of Eucharistic Adoration in celebration of the worldwide Year of St. Paul. Every day during this year, from June 29, 2008, to June 29, 2009, designated parishes and religious communities will provide times for prayer and reflection before the holy Eucharist.

As a guidebook for diocesan pilgrims, inside this issue of the Pittsburgh Catholic readers will find a copy of a booklet listing the times and places for adoration during this special year. Made available with the assistance of the Catholic Cemeteries Association, this booklet is intended to be retained as a handy resource to know when and where we can join other Catholics in prayer before the Eucharist throughout the year.

All are invited to a Mass Sunday, June 29, at St. Paul Cathedral to kick off the extraordinary yearlong observance. The main celebrant will be Bishop Zubik.

He has asked that the main focus of the year be prayer for vocations — for the married, single, ordained and those in consecrated life — with major emphasis on marriage and the family (“the greatest vocation crisis”).

Just as, through the Eucharist, we are united with the sacrifice of Christ, all Catholics are united by love and devotion to the real presence of Christ in the eucharistic bread and wine. May this union of hearts, minds and prayers transform our parishes and homes, and create new excitement for the Catholic faith.

Please pray that this special observance helps renew the face of the earth.