July 9-16 vigils in parishes — part of National Eucharistic Revival
Relics of St. Manuel González, Blessed Carlo Acutis to be reposed in eight churches
As more information becomes available about the times and events planned in the various parishes for the July 9-16, 2023, hosting of the relics of Blessed Carlos Acutis and St. Manuel González García, check the diocesan website at diojeffcity.org.
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To receive the fullness of Christ and be transformed and configured into his likeness — as individuals and as the universal Church.
That is the purpose of Holy Communion, as saints throughout history have been testifying with their lives.
The relics of two men who proclaimed that reality in this life and now experience it fully in heaven will be brought to this diocese July 8-16, 2023, for veneration and intercessory prayer.
Relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel González Garcia will arrive the afternoon of July 8 and will be reposed in the following locations:
- July 9 — Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City;
- July 10 — St. Patrick Church in Rolla;
- July 11 — St. Peter Church in Marshall;
- July 12 — St. Patrick Church in Laurie;
- July 13 — St. Brendan Church in Mexico;
- July 14 — St. Joseph Church in Westphalia;
- July 15 — St. Stanislaus Church in Wardsville; and
- July 16 — St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbia.
“This is an opportunity for us to shine a spotlight on the Eucharist and walk in that light for a while,” said Father Daniel Merz, pastor of St. Thomas More Newman Center Parish and chairman of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission.
People from throughout the diocese are encouraged to make pilgrimages to these churches on the appointed days and take part in the related prayer vigils.
Seminarians who are discerning a possible call to Priesthood will be present at each location.
The vigils are part of the National Eucharistic Revival the U.S. Catholic bishops initiated last year to reinvigorate belief in and devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament: the Eucharist.
St. Manuel González García (1877-1935) was a Spanish priest and bishop who came to be known as the Bishop of the Tabernacle. He preached and wrote ardently and compellingly on the Eucharist and founded religious communities devoted to cultivating Eucharistic spirituality.
Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006), who died of leukemia at age 15, centered his life on the Eucharist in order to grow in his relationship with Jesus. He used his technological prowess to develop a website to highlight Eucharistic miracles.
Both are seen as models for the Eucharistic Revival.
Fellowship divine
Each hosting parish will coordinate activities related to the Eucharist in the context of St. Manuel’s and Blessed Carlo’s examples.
Some will offer Votive Masses honoring the saints, others may organize processions with the relics to various parts of their church buildings. Others might schedule Holy Hours or the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours in the presence of the relics and the Most Blessed Sacrament.
“Another suggestion is that after people venerate the relics and learn about the saints and adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, they be given opportunities to go out to visit people who are sick or homebound, or help out at a soup kitchen or take part in some other Corporal Work of Mercy,” said Fr. Merz.
“That is the quintessence of Eucharistic Revival: worshiping the Body of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, and building up the Mystical Body of Christ out in the community,” the priest stated.
He suggested that parents bring their children to one or more of the vigils — possibly those that are closest to home, or maybe some farther away that have personal or historical significance.
He offered two reasons for praying and worshiping God in the presence of relics of saintly witnesses.
“One is our faith in the Resurrection, and the other is the Communion of Saints,” he said.
“In showing reverence for the remains of two people whom the Church has determined are in heaven with God, we’re honoring a physical part of them that will share in the Resurrection on the Last Day,” he stated.
Additionally, “in the Communion of Saints — which unites the Church in heaven, the Church undergoing purification in purgatory, and the Church here on earth — we’re connected to these people in a powerful way through the Sacraments, through God’s grace.”
Fr. Merz said praying in the presence of relics helps unite our prayers with those being offered by the saints in heaven.
It’s similar to but more powerful than praying in the presence of an artistic depiction of a saint.
“This isn’t just an image of someone,” the priest stated. “It is a physical part of them that remains with us.”
The focus, therefore, is less on the relics themselves than what they represent.
“Namely,” said Fr. Merz, “they are a foreshadowing of the Resurrection we all hope to experience, and our communion with all the saints in God.”
Gonna’ rise again
Relics are holy objects that are associated with saints who now live in God’s presence.
Veneration of the earthly remains of saints is a spiritual practice dating back to biblical times and the early centuries of the Church.
“It’s an ancient part of our Catholic faith,” said Fr. Merz.
“We’ve always honored the relics that remain with us of those who went before us and lived heroic virtue,” he stated. “And we’ve always honored the Communion of Saints and their influence on the Eucharist.”
Relics are tangible reminders that all people, including saints, first exist in flesh and blood in this physical realm before God summons them to the next life.
Catholics venerate relics in recognition of the fact that God has worked through a saint, and that an object associated with a saint is holy and can help lead people to God.
Reference to an early form of relics can be found in the New Testament, when a woman was healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment (Matthew 9:18-26) and when cloths touched by St. Paul were used to heal the sick and drive out demons (Acts 19:12).
A more developed use of relics began during the widespread persecution of the early Church, when the faithful would retrieve the bones of martyrs and place them under the altar for Mass.
To this day, Catholic churches place first-class relics underneath church altars, a practice inspired by Scripture in Rev. 6:9-11.
Presence in action
Fr. Merz pointed out that St. Manuel and Blessed Carlo not only promoted belief in and reverence for Christ fully present in the Eucharist, they also frequently received him in that Sacrament.
“Whenever they received Holy Communion, they received Christ into their bodies — just as we do whenever we come forward to receive,” Fr. Merz noted.
“And when we receive Holy Communion, it’s not so much that Christ becomes part of us as we become part of Christ,” he said. “It raises us, ennobles us, dignifies us, elevates us to something higher.”
Having experienced that reality in the Eucharist through their earthly lives, St. Manuel and Blessed Carlo have been raised into the fullness of that communion with Christ and share that glory in heaven.
“So, when the relics are in our presence, we are in the presence of two people who are in the presence of Christ in fullness,” Fr. Merz stated.
He emphasized that authentic Communion involves transformation, deeper unity, and an urgent call to mission.
He noted that the Church speaks of Holy Communion both in the Eucharist, and in the Communion of Saints.
“Love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of the same coin,” he said.
“We can’t love the God we can’t see, if we don’t love the neighbor that we do!” he stated. “We need to receive the love of God so that we can share the love of God with those around us.”
St. Manuel and Blessed Carlo loved God intensely and consequently worked for the good of their brothers and sisters.
“They not only received the Eucharist but they put it into action,” said Fr. Merz. “That’s a great example to be set before us and a great stimulus for us to imitate and follow.”
