As is proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium, the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life (11). It is a gift the Lord gives to us at each and every Mass, giving us the strength and resolve to live out our lives as Catholics.
A Pew Research Study discovered in 2019 that less than one-third of self-identifying Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. As a response, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched the Eucharistic Revival on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2022. Here at St. James and St. John, we are also engaging in this effort.
“Our desire in the Catholic Community of Bartlesville is to have a deep understanding of the gift of the Eucharist, the precious Body and precious Blood we so intimately get to partake of in Communion,” says Fr. John O’Neill. “Not everybody understands that.”
The timing of this revival is important. With many people leaving the Church across the nation and with many distractions in daily life, it is an ideal time to place our focus back on Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
“It’s important for us to get back to our roots of understanding that this is Christ,” Fr. John says. “He loves us and loves others and wants us to love others, even those who do not believe the same way we do or act the same way we do. The only way we’re going to do that as a people is to personally encounter Christ ourselves, in His word, in the Church, in the sacraments, in each other, in the Body of Christ.”
Receiving the Eucharist at Mass gives us strength to carry on with our weekly duties and daily life. At the end of Mass here in both our parishes, we will have an opportunity for silent adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist. This will be followed by singing Anima Christi (please see page 4 for lyrics to become familiar with the song).
At both parishes, we also have the blessing and opportunity for access to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of the Mass. At St. James, we have a Holy Hour after daily Mass. At St. John, we have our 24/7 Adoration Chapel with a keypad. Our upcoming Advent and Lenten missions will again include topics on the Eucharist. There are other experiences and projects in the works still to come.
Fr. John says in his time as a priest, he has seen the power of the Eucharist working in people’s lives. Seeing parishioners attend daily Mass, for example, brings about a deeper relationship with God and those around them.
“If we develop this, at an individual level, it spreads into our family, workplaces, and all of a sudden, the world changes because that’s how the world is going to change,” he says. “I’m just excited that we as a diocese, as people in the United States, are focusing for an extended period of time on this, that is so central to who we are as Catholics.”
St. John Mass times are as follows:
Saturday — 5 p.m., Vigil Mass
Sunday — 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Spanish
Tuesday — 7 a.m.
Wednesday — 5:15 p.m.
Thursday — 7 a.m.
Friday — 9 a.m.
St. James Mass times are as follows:
Saturday — 5:30 p.m., Vigil Mass
Sunday — 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday — 8:30 a.m.
Thursday — 8:30 a.m.
Saturday — 8:30 a.m.
Soul of Christ (Anima Christi)
Soul of Christ, oh sanctify me,
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within thy wounds hide me.
Permit me not to separate from thee.
From the wicked foe defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid that I might come to thee,
that with thy saints I may praise thee forever and ever.
Amen