“My flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

In April, I received a call from Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop Cozzens is also the chairman of the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. The purpose of the call was a request for you: all Legatus members, as leaders in your communities, over the next three years. Bishop Cozzens is seeking your collaboration to “renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist”.

The USCCB pointed to two reasons for this needed effort on behalf of the lay and religious:

1. In a Pew Research study in 2019, it revealed that “less than one third of self-identified Catholics expressed a belief in the Real Presence.”

2. “Less than a year later, the COVID-19 crisis forced the Church in the US to suspend public liturgies. During this crisis, many of the faithful expressed a renewed desire for the Eucharist, but there is also a concern that some may have lost the sense of the need for the Eucharist and not come back to regular Mass attendance.”

The fruits of this endeavor are multifold and pressing. The Bishop’s aim in his call to bring attention back to the True Presence would result in a greater understanding and love of Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist; experience of the centrality of the Eucharist as the source and summit of our life; greater unity in the Church in the United States; and an evangelistic fervor flowing from the encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. Pending final approval by the full body of US bishops, the culmination of this effort will be an event that looks like a World Youth Day event, with 100k+ in attendance. The national event would close with a sending of these Eucharistic missionaries back to their dioceses, parishes, and neighborhoods/workplaces.”

As an organization, we do not take on special projects or causes. However, as expressed by our founder Tom Monaghan at the 2020 January Summit, Legatus members are all called to be activists in our own communities, as individuals. Therefore, when our board met in April of this year to discuss this among other items, the board fully embraced the encouragement of our chapters to embrace this challenge as well as activating our members to help in their own communities in impactful ways.

As you are planning your 2022 programs, I encourage chapters to prayerfully consider this request by the USCCB on how we can commit our programs to reinforcing the true Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Perhaps this can be achieved through a year-long theme, or each month individually, through the speakers, or by offering adoration of the Eucharist during the recitation of the rosary. On the national level, we will be working this theme into our summits, conferences, enclaves, and pilgrimages.

Our Lord in the Eucharist desires to have a real relationship with each one of us, if only we will answer His call.

STEPHEN M. HENLEY is Legatus’ executive director.