SAN DIEGO — “There’s quite a lot of indifference to the Eucharist.”
Father Christopher Tozzi, pastor of St. Thérèse of Carmel Parish, lamented not only the 2019 Pew Research Center survey that showed that only one-third of U.S. Catholics believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
But even among those who do believe, he said, “The number of people that are actually spending time in (Eucharistic) adoration is pretty slim.”
St. Thérèse of Carmel Parish is doing its part to reverse that trend.
From Oct. 9 to 14, it will host “The Eucharistic Mission of Love.”
The centerpiece of the event will be the touring Vatican Exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles, which will be open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day in the parish’s Dempsey Center.
The Catholic Church teaches that, through the words of consecration at Mass, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, even while retaining their original appearance.
The exhibit, however, is dedicated to those extraordinary occasions on which consecrated bread and wine physically changed into human flesh and blood in a manner that has baffled scientists.
Father Tozzi said that “part of the virtue of having the exhibit for the whole week” is that visitors can feel welcome to stop by on a lunch break, browse some of the more than 150 informative display panels, and then return at a convenient time to view the rest of them.
The schedule for “The Eucharistic Mission of Love” hasn’t been finalized yet, but the plan is to supplement the self-guided exhibit with speaker presentations, followed by opportunities for Eucharistic adoration.
“All of the events will be followed up on with an opportunity for adoration in our chapel,” said Father Tozzi. “So, it’ll be sort of like, ‘Here’s the talk. Now, go and pray.’”
The event is also expected to include screenings of two Eucharist-themed documentaries, “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” and “Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality.” The latter is about Blessed Carlo Acutis, who created his own website documenting Eucharistic miracles before dying at the age of 15 in 2006. He is scheduled to be canonized Sept. 7.
Father Tozzi said that “The Eucharistic Mission of Love” was inspired by the National Eucharistic Revival, which was launched in 2022 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and included a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis last year. He said that “a number of the parishioners” had participated in that national endeavor and felt “inspired” to “do something locally.”
He said that the exhibit will be child- and family-friendly, noting that the parish will be promoting the event to the students in its faith-formation program as well as those at Notre Dame Academy, which is located next-door to the church.
“I think the Eucharistic miracles are fascinating,” said Father Tozzi. “I think kids would be drawn to something that’s a little bit supernatural.”
He expressed hope that the event might move visitors toward “a deeper love and appreciation for the Eucharist and maybe a desire to spend some more time” with the Eucharistic Jesus.
“If we truly believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord (in the Eucharist),” he said, “not only should we be coming to Him to receive Him with all reverence, but we really ought to be making some time, at least each week, if not each day, to meet Him in the tabernacle.”
“I know people are busy, and I don’t want to put a lot of guilt or undue pressure on people,” he said, “but the benefits of Eucharistic adoration far outweigh the inconvenience.”
For more information, visit sttheresecarmel.org.
