Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament

“Day and night without ceasing they sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” (Rev 4:8)

The Eucharistic Revival has begun!

On June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a Eucharistic Revival nationwide. In an interview, one of the National Preachers of the Eucharistic Revival, Fr. Jonathan Meyer, Pastor of All Saints Parish in Dearborn County, Indiana shared:

“From Perpetual Adoration, you clearly see an increase in people coming to daily Mass, you see people come to Confession, you see people begin to read the lives of the saints, because while there at Adoration after praying the Rosary or reading the Scripture they then begin to read the lives of the experts of the spiritual life, so you see a great deepening. But then you also see great community. Most people don’t associate it with Perpetual Adoration, however it’s very true. People who have Perpetual Adoration will have small intimate conversations before and after each hour with the person who is replacing them. And sometimes the deepest prayer intentions are shared. And I am very convinced that it really does build great community. I believe that vocations are fostered. At our parish particularly, without my asking it, a direct fruit of Perpetual Adoration has been a group of people at my parish on Saturday morning that meet together and now are doing door to door evangelization. They knock on doors and they will all attest to the fact that they were led to do door to door evangelization because of Perpetual Adoration. Their time with Jesus eventually led them to ask the question “How do we share Jesus with others?” (catholicexchange.com)

Four Steps for Eucharistic Revival in the Church”

In his article, Fr. Edward Looney explains a step-by-step plan to renew devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Following are a few excerpts. The whole article and links to resources may be viewed at catholic-link.org. 

1) Reflect on your own First Holy Communion. “How do we prepare for our reception of weekly (or even daily) Communion? After we receive Holy Communion, how do we pray? Do we give thanks to God? Allow this time of year to serve as a moment of renewal regarding your Eucharistic belief and reception.”

2) Pray a Holy Hour. “A holy hour is a place where we can turn over to the Lord all our stress, discomforts, and worries, in the hope that He will take them away.”

3) Discover the Miracles of the Holy Eucharist. “We are not alone when we don’t fully understand this mystery or when we begin to doubt the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. ‘I believe, help my unbelief’ is one prayer that will help you through this. For centuries, people have been working to prove or disprove the presence of Christ in the Sacred Host. Though rare, there are recorded miracles of the Eucharist.”

4) Make a commitment to learn about the Eucharist. “We can all continue to learn more about the Eucharist and grow in our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in order to bring about a Eucharistic Revival within our Church.”  

July is the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus. Jesus told St. Faustina:  “My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners…[I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy.” (Diary, 367)

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Italy (1890-1902)—Feast, July 6:

The highlight of St. Maria’s life was her First Holy Communion which she longed for and received with great devotion on the Feast of Corpus Christ. Although she received Holy Communion only four other times before her death, it was the Holy Eucharist that nourished St. Maria for her daily sufferings and heroic martyrdom. A Modesty Pledge from the “Friends of St. Maria Goretti” speaks of our call to be “committed by action and example, to prayer, chastity, forgiveness and love of God in the Eucharist, like St. Maria Goretti, model for today's youth.” Many miracles are obtained through St. Maria’s intercession. St. Maria, martyr of purity, pray for us to be great lovers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

St. Benedict, Priest, Benedictine founder, Ptn. of Europe & kidney disease, Italy (c.480-547)—Feast, July 11: 
The lives of St. Benedict and his monks were dedicated to praying the Liturgy of the Hours, an extension of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which fostered in their hearts a greater love of the Holy Eucharist and works of charity.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, North America (1656-1680)—Feast, July 14: 

“[St.] Kateri Tekakwitha was devoted to the Eucharist and to Jesus Crucified. At 4 am she could be seen kneeling outside the chapel in the snow waiting for it to open. She attended three Masses daily and always managed two hours in preparation for Holy Communion and two hours in thanksgiving; and she made frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Her motto: ‘Who can teach me what is most agreeable to God so that I may do it?’” (From the book Hidden Treasure, The Riches of the Eucharist, by Louis Kaczmarek available through us)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Be enrolled in the Scapular!—Feast, July 16: 

“Contemplating Mary,we will understand better the transforming force that the Eucharist possesses. Listening to her,we will find in the Eucharistic mystery the courage and strength to follow Christ the Good Shepherd and to serve Him in our brothers.” (Pope St. John Paul II, June 10, 2004) “The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, and who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 205).

St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church, Italy (1559-1619)—Feast, July 21: 

“The privilege of receiving the Holy Eucharistfrom the Hands of Jesus Himself was experienced by a number of saints, including St Laurence of Brindisi, a Capuchian, whose unusual talents and rare virtue were called upon by Pope Clement VIII for several unusual missions. One of these was his chaplaincy to the Imperial army of Prague. ... With the Turks still menacing nearby Christian countries, the Imperial army of 18,000 men assembled to do battle with the Turks, who numbered 80,000. Vastly outnumbered, the Christians appealed to St Laurence for advice and encouragement. After delivering a rousing discourse, the saint, despite his mature years, mounted a horse and with the cross held high in his hands led the troops against the infidels. The crushing defeat of the Turks was attributed by all to the prayers and inspiration of the saint. It is told that on his return from the campaign he joined his brethren at Gorizia, where Our Lord appeared to them and gave them all Holy Communion with His own Hand.” (Eucharistic Miracles, by Joan Carroll Cruz)

St. Mary Magdalene, Repentant Sinner and Disciple of Jesus—Feast, July 22:

“Yes, I am happy, perfectly happy; and do you wish to know where I find true happiness? At the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. … I would strongly urge that, even as the Magdalene anointed the Lord’s feet with tears and perfumed oil, you too would pour out the perfume of constant prayer and contemplation at the foot of the tabernacle. I should like the Eucharist to become a burning flame for your soul, so that, immersed in that flame, it might emerge burning with love and great-heartedness. I should like to see this Eucharistic altar, on which Jesus is sacrificed, accept your offering too, so that you may become a victim of love, whose perfume rises to the throne of the Eternal God!”

- Fr Augustine Mary of the Most Blessed Sacrament Carmelite priest (1821-1871)

St. Bridget of Sweden, Wife, Mother and Religious (1303 -1373)—Feast, July 23: 

“Blessed may you be, my Lord Jesus Christ. For our salvation you allowed your side and heart to be pierced with a lance and from that side water and your precious blood flowed out abundantly for our redemption.” “Oh Jesus! Sweetness of hearts, delight of the spirit, by the bitterness of the vinegar and gall which Thou didst taste on the Cross of Love for us, grant us the grace to receive worthily Thy Precious Body and Blood during our life and at the hour of our death, that they may serve as a remedy and consolation for our souls. Amen.” (St. Bridget of Sweden)

Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Bl. Virgin Mary, Patrons of parents & grandparents—Feast, July 26:

O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should be born from among humanity so that by a wonderful mystery humanity might be born again from you, we pray that, in your kindness, you may sanctify by the spirit of adoption those you have fed with the Bread you give your children. Through Christ our Lord. (Prayer after Communion for today’s feast) Sts. Anne & Joachim, pray for us, to love Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!

August is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop, Dr., Ptn. of Confessors, Theologians, Arthritis, Italy (1696-1787)—Feast, Aug. 1 “To cast fire upon the earth - that is my mission! how I wish it were already blazing fiercely! Nothing in the world can set hearts ablaze with love for God like the Blessed Sacrament. That is why this Divine Bread has been pictured as a furnace of love.” (St. Alphonsus Liguori)

St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest, Apostle of the Eucharist, France (1811-1868)—Feast, Aug. 2

“Society will again someday become Christian won to Jesus Christ by the apostolate of Eucharistic Prayer.” (St. Peter Julian Eymard)

St. John Vianney, Cure of Ars, Patron of Priests, France (1786-1859)—Feast, Aug. 4: 

“All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man.” “A mortal man, a creature feeds himself, satiates himself, with his God, taking him for his daily bread, his drink ... O miracle of miracles! ... O love of loves! ... O joy of joys!” (St John Vianney)

Prayer for Priests: Sanctify to Thyself, O my Lord, the hearts of Thy priests, that by the merits of Thy sacred humanity, they may become living images of Thee, children of Mary, and full of the fire of the Holy Ghost, that they may guard Thy house, and defend Thy glory, and that through their ministry the face of the earth may be renewed, and they may save those souls which have cost Thee all Thy blood. Amen. (Francis Cardinal Spellman)

Feast of the Transfiguration—Aug. 6: 

“As He then lived upon earth, so now He lives in our midst, but transfigured and veiled to the bodily eyes [in the Blessed Sacrament].” (Fr. Frederick Wm Faber) “Christian faith's steady gaze upon Jesus transforms us here and now.” (Fr Hans Urs von Balthasar)

St. Teresa Benedicta, Doctor of the Church, Carmelite Nun, Martyr, Germany (1891-1942)—Feast, Aug. 9:

“To live the Eucharistic life means to exit the narrowness of one’s own life... in order to grow into the infinity of Christ’s life.” (St. Teresa Benedicta)

St. Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr, Patron of Deacons, the Poor, Rome (d. 258)—Feast, Aug. 10:

“The Pope and the faithful had gathered in the catacombs in the evening of August 6, 258. Being Christians in a cemetery, theirs was an illegal assembly punishable by death. There is every reason to believe that the catacomb Mass that evening was to be offered specifically to strengthen the faithful to endure the new persecution... Pope Sixtus was preaching... soldiers burst into the crypt. The congregation drew together before them, baring their breasts and extending their necks to signify that they were ready to die to protect the Pope. But Sixtus would have none of that. He came forward and they took him, along with four of his deacons. Another deacon, Lawrence, cried out: ‘Father, where are you going without your deacon?’ Sixtus replied: ‘I do not leave you, my son. You shall follow me in three days.’ The Vicar of Christ was taken up the nearby stairs and beheaded on the spot, along with the four deacons. For some 1,500 years his name was mentioned in the Canon said by every Catholic priest of the Latin rite, anywhere in the world. Deacon Lawrence was temporarily spared in order to give the persecution officials access to the treasure supposedly accumulated by the Roman church. What he actually brought forth before the prefect of Rome was not gold and silver, but a representative group of the poor and needy. ...The angry prefect commanded that Lawrence be roasted to death on a gridiron. He joked with his executioners about turning his body over because ‘one side is broiled enough.’” (From The Founding of Christendom, Vol I , by Warren Carroll)

St. Clare of Assisi, Foundress of Poor Clare Nuns, Italy (1193-1253)—Feast, Aug. 11: 

“Love God, serve God; everything is in that.” (St. Clare). St. Clare gave up a life of wealth to become a nun and imitated St. Francis’ life of poverty. She spent hours in Eucharistic Adoration and placed her trust in Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, even when her convent was besieged by an army. Looking upon Jesus Eucharistic, the enemies fled in fear.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven—August 15: 

“Today, she who ‘belongs to Christ’ by a unique, abiding, and unrepeatable privilege, the most holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, follows where He has gone, ‘through the greater and more perfect tent not made by human hands, that is, not of this creation . . . into the Holy Place’ (Heb 9:11). ‘Today the sacred and living ark of the living God, who conceived her Creator Himself, takes up her abode in the temple of God.’” (St. John Damascene)

St. Rose of Lima, First Saint and Patroness of the Americas (1586-1617)—Feast, Aug. 23

“St Joseph Benedict Labre, St Paschal Baylon and St Rose of Lima are three saints that we know of who spent forty straight hours in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament commemorating the forty hours Christ was in the tomb.” (From the book Hidden Treasure, The Riches of the Eucharist, by Louis Kaczmarek available through us)

St. Bartholomew (Nathanael) the Apostle, Martyr (d. 71)—Feast, Aug. 24: Pray for us to love Jesus Eucharistic!

St. Monica, Wife, Mother, North Africa, (332-387)—Feast, Aug. 27: 

“She did not let a day pass without being present at the Divine Sacrifice before Your altar, O Lord.” (St. Augustine speaking of his mother St. Monica). St. Monica prayed unceasingly for her son St. Augustine’s conversion.

September is the month of Our Lady of Sorrows

Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Feast, Sept. 8:

“Another woman is now given thee in place of the first, a prudent and humble Eve instead of the proud and foolish one, an Eve who shall offer thee, not the tree of death but the Bread of Life, and who shall yield thee, not the poisoned fruit of bitterness but the delicious fruit of immortality.” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux)

St. Teresa of Calcutta, Rel. founder, Ptn of the Gutters & World Youth Day, Albania (1910-1997)—Sept. 5:

“Our Hours of adoration will be special hours of reparation for sins, and intercession for the needs of the whole world, exposing the sin-sick and suffering humanity to the healing, sustaining and transforming rays of Jesus, radiating from the Eucharist.” (St. Teresa of Calcutta) A pamphlet, prayer card, and posters of Mother Teresa are available through us.

Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Blessed Be Thy Holy Name!—Sept. 12:

“I want what is good for myself; I beg the same for you. Now there is no other way to bring this about than to ask the Virgin Mary constantly to come to you with her glorious Son. Be bold! Ask her to give you her Son, who in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar is truly food of your soul. ... Readily will she give Him to you, still more readily will He come to you, giving you strength to make your way fearlessly through this dark wood. In it large numbers of our enemies lie in wait, but they cannot reach us if they see us relying on such powerful help.” (St. Cajetan)

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross—Feast, Sept. 14: 

“Recognize in this bread what hung on the cross, and in this chalice what flowed from His side... whatever was in many and varied ways announced beforehand in the sacrifices of the Old Testament pertains to this one sacrifice which is revealed in the New Testament. Receive in this bread that which was hanged on the cross; receive in this cup that which was poured from Christ's side. For he will gain death, not life, who thinks Christ is a liar.” (St Augustine)

Our Lady of Sorrows: “Behold your Mother!” (Jn 19:27)—Feast, Sept. 15: 

“If we want to grow and to be filled with the love of God, it is necessary to plant our life firmly on three great realities: the Cross, the Host, and the Virgin: crux, hostia, et virgo. ... These are three mysteries that God gave to the world in order to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to Jesus.” (Cardinal Robert Sarah, The Power of Silence Against the Dictatorship of Noise)

St. Robert Bellarmine, Priest, Cardinal, Jesuit, Patron of Catechists, Italy (1542-1621)—Sept. 17:

“The Holy Eucharist is offered to us on our pilgrimage as food so that we do not faint on the path to the fatherland, especially at the time when, tired by a long journey, our forces are apt to wane… The Lord left His Body in the Eucharist as a pledge of heavenly beatitude.” (St Robert Bellarmine, “Comments on Aquinas’ O Sacrum Convivum”)

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Patron of Bankers and Accountants—Feast, Sept. 21:

“Sharing in that saving joy, O Lord, with which Saint Matthew welcomed the Savior as a guest in his home, we pray: grant that we may always be renewed by the food we receive from Christ, who came to call not the just, but sinners to salvation. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” (Prayer after Communion for today’s Mass)

St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Franciscan Priest, Stigmatist, Mystic, Italy (1887-1968)—Feast, Sept. 23:

“Protected, covered and defended by the Presence of this dear Lord, let us stand before Him in the Holy Eucharist and pray with the humility of the creature and the confidence and freedom of the child.” (St. Padre Pio)

Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Saints—Feast, September 29: 

“In the presence of the angels, let us praise our God! Those who, especially in the silent hours of the night, gather together in adoration with the Angels and render to the Lamb, who was immolated, the thanksgiving due to Him, draw abundantly for themselves and for all the Church waters from the fountains of the Savior.” (Pius XII) St. Michael, protector of the Eucharist, pray for us! St. Gabriel bring God’s word! St. Raphael bring God’s healing!