Session helps Explore the Connection between Eucharist and Discipleship

At Morning Prayer on January 12th Archbishop Prendergast welcomed participants to an all-day session on liturgical ministry as a call to discipleship, with a special focus on why we celebrate Sunday Eucharist. Presented jointly by the Diocesan Liturgy Commission and Adult Faith Development, the event attracted more than 100 participants from the Archdiocese s of Ottawa, Gatineau and Kingston.

Both presenters drew upon their formal study and long experience with celebrating and teaching liturgy and, in a dynamic and engaging manner, offered personal anecdotes to illustrate key themes. Fr. Roy Roberts, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Ajax, presented the morning session and affirmed the power of the Sunday Eucharist the source and summit of life to reveal the identity and dignity that results from living fully in our baptismal reality. Good liturgy increases faith, and it speaks to the human heart. The Eucharist is our naming ceremony, and we are called as Gods beloved to eat and drink. Solemnity should skip rather than lumber. Fr. Bill Burke, Director of the CCCBs National Liturgy Office, stressed that the Sunday Eucharist is about transformation, and that those who are transformed are then sent to enact the Kingdom of God in the streets. Participation in the liturgical life of the community offers an experiential way of knowing God, and challenges us to overcome the habitual forgetfulness and indifference that are characteristic of sin. The Eucharist is a sacrament of reconciliation that brings healing to our own lives and the whole creation, and calls us to become active and committed participants in that on-going process.

The session was very well received by participants. It was an excellent way for all the baptised to deepen their identity as a Eucharistic people. Some who participated will attend the Eucharistic congress being held in Quebec City this June and found the session to be excellent preparation.

On Sat., Feb 23rd a session will be held on Spiritual Discernment. All are welcome! [email protected] for information, or [email protected] (613)738-5025 (x217) to register.

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