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CV NEWS FEED // The National Eucharistic Revival (NEC) is calling on Catholics to embrace their longing for Christ in the Eucharist and their desire to share that longing with others by becoming a trained Eucharistic Missionary.
In an email press release, the NEC describes Eucharistic Missionaries as those who, “inspired by an encounter with Christ in the Eucharist and fueled by the Bread of Life — [allow] God to use them as an instrument of his grace.” These missionaries are called by the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel through word and deed, the NEC website adds.
The missionary training begins May 18. It is designed to take place in small group settings at parishes, but individuals can also complete it independently. The training will be completed on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, also known as the Feast of Corpus Christi.
The five-part training will include Eucharistic Missionary formation, testimonials, discussion questions, and a weekly practice.
On its website, NEC also outlines “Four Pillars of Mission” for the evangelizers. The first pillar is Eucharistic encounter, where a missionary encounters Christ regularly through weekly holy hours as well as an additional Mass during the week. The missionary offers up this additional Mass and Holy Hour for the ongoing Eucharistic Revival in the United States.
The second pillar is Eucharistic identity, where a missionary engages in ongoing spiritual formation, education, and service to their parish and community to continually form their identity in Jesus Christ.
Eucharistic life forms the third pillar. Family, friends, and community provide nourishment and grounding for the Eucharistic Missionary, the NEC states. These missionaries “form intentional relationships with those closest to them, stepping out of themselves to truly love their neighbors.”
Finally, the fourth pillar is Eucharistic mission, in which the missionary desires to share what they have been given by Christ to others. The NEC explains that “this Eucharistic Mission is sustained by periods of fasting and almsgiving, and is lived out explicitly by a Eucharistic Missionary walking with one person in his or her journey of faith.”
