As Catholics discern the future of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, it’s important to remember our eucharistic foundation as a people of faith.

Part of the All Things New prayer focuses on discernment. The word means to examine all of the good and decide what is best. To discern well, Catholics need to be totally free, totally generous and totally passionate.

Those characteristics are eucharistic in nature. To be free, we must look to God’s will in all that we do; to be generous, we give back all of our gifts to God; and to be passionate means having a willingness to suffer all in order to do God’s will.

At Mass, Catholics make a spiritual offering of all that we have received from God as we enter into Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.

In June 2022, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a Eucharistic Revival, a three-year effort to renew Catholic understanding and love of the Eucharist. The bishops said they believe God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.”

The revival is driven by the Church’s universal mission to evangelize. As Catholics discern the future structures of the archdiocese — meaning the presence in our parishes, schools and organizations — it’s important to embrace that eucharistic foundation, as witnesses of a living encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.

Eucharistic Revival

To learn more about the Eucharistic Revival in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, including resources and upcoming events, see allthingsnew.archstl.org/Eucharistic-Revival

All Things New prayer

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son Jesus as the first Evangelizer of the Good News.

Send forth the power of the Holy Spirit upon the Church of St. Louis and grant us the gift of true discernment so we may do your will in all things.

Help us be totally free to follow wherever you lead us, totally generous to be good stewards of your many gifts, and totally passionate to suffer all in order to be more closely united to you.

Commissioned by your Son and empowered by the Spirit to “Go and Make Disciples of all Nations,” strengthen us by the power of your grace as we bring the Good News of Salvation into the lives of all those we touch, so that individual hearts and all of society may be converted to you and all things might be made new.

Inspired by the apostolic zeal of previous generations, as we begin the process of planning for the future, may our only desire be to do all things for the greater glory and honor of your name and for the good of your people in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.