In Support of the National Eucharistic Revival

WHEREAS, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist “is the source and summit of the Christian life,” and that all the sacraments and works of the Church are, “bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself;” and

WHEREAS, a September 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that 70% of U.S. Catholics either do not accept, or do not fully understand, the Church’s teaching that the Eucharist is “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ;” and

WHEREAS, Mass attendance in the United States has been declining for the past several years and suffered even further following the abatement of the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, in response to these realities, and recognizing a clear need and opportunity to evangelize all people, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced a three-year National Eucharistic Revival which included spiritual and catechetical programs at the parish and diocesan levels as well as the recent 10th National Eucharistic Congress, in Indianapolis, Indiana; and

WHEREAS, in his address to the 139th Supreme Convention, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly called on all brother Knights to be Knights of the Eucharist and committed the Order to fully supporting the National Eucharistic Revival; and

WHEREAS, the Supreme Council developed resources to support this initiative, and the evangelization of all communities, including The Eucharist: Source of Our Healing and Hope, an inspirational and catechetical video about the gift of Christ’s Real Presence; videos explaining the significance of various portions of the Holy Mass; and resources demonstrating how to properly organize eucharistic processions which were central to the revival; and

WHEREAS, councils throughout the United States stepped up to support the efforts of their pastors to organize eucharistic adoration, eucharistic processions, and other catechetical and liturgical events focused on increased reverence for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; and

WHEREAS, a major initiative of the revival was the successful completion of four national eucharistic processions which led the faithful to Indianapolis from the four corners of the United States, including the Seton Route which commenced at the tomb of our holy Founder at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven’s Blessed Michael McGivney Parish and included a stop at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Knights of Columbus fully commits itself to Eucharistic renewal throughout the Universal Church by answering the Supreme Knight’s call to be Knights of the Eucharist; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will continue to work with our pastors and local dioceses to support eucharistic processions in the communities we serve so as to provide a special witness to the power of Christ’s Real Presence and the hope that it will inspire a new fervor in all of God’s people and an atmosphere of charity and peace in communities throughout the world.

In Support of the National Eucharistic Revival

Resolutions