March 12, 2025 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, As I recall worshipping with others at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis last summer, I can’t imagine any Super Bowl event (even if it involved my NY Giants!) that could match the electrifying environment that God’s Spirit and the Presence of His very Body and Blood caused. We don’t need another strategic plan, we need missionary disciples whose ongoing, life-long encounters with Jesus change us into joy-filled disciples in mission, thousands of which we witnessed at the stadium. On Saturday, April 26, 2025, the faithful of the North Country will have the tremendous opportunity to experience a taste of this “electrifying environment” at the “Highway to Heaven” event at St. Agnes Church and School in Lake Placid. On the eve of the canonization of Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, our diocese will gather to behold the Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibit that he created. We will offer a special Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, where I will carry Jesus among you in the monstrance and lead a diocesan Consecration to the Holy Eucharist. Every activity aimed at carrying out the Church’s mission must draw the strength it needs from the Eucharistic Mystery. To help us prepare for the Consecration to the Holy Eucharist, I am encouraging all of the faithful to begin praying with the 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory book on March 24. The Eucharist has the power to continually form and transform you and me. It is essential that we re-focus our attention on the Holy Eucharist as a Mystery to be believed, a Mystery to be celebrated, a Mystery to be adored, and a Mystery to be lived. The challenges we face with a shortage of Church vocations, fractured families, and divided communities are not unique to our diocese. The Holy Eucharist is the “source and summit” of who we are and what we believe as Catholics. When we worship as we believe through weekly Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, we will experience a renewed Church, healing in our families, and peace in our world. The soon-to-be St. Carlo Acutis said, “the Eucharist is my Highway to Heaven.” Please join me in honoring this holy teenager and praying before our Eucharistic Lord. This diocesan Consecration to the Holy Eucharist will offer miracles of God’s love. Join me in this Jubilee year as heralds of hope. Christ walks beside us as our strength and our Food for the journey, and He enables us to become witnesses of hope. After all, we are Christ-led, Christ-fed, and Hope-filled. In Christ our hope,
A day of miracles, prayer and hope By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin It all started with a dream. When North Country attendants of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis returned home this summer, they were mindful of Bishop Andrew Cozzens words: the revival isn’t over, it is just beginning. Participants began to informally meet monthly and brainstorm how they could bring a taste of the great hope they experienced to our diocese. A result is “The Holy Eucharist: Highway to Heaven” event – a day of miracles, prayer and hope – scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 26, on the Eve of Divine Mercy, at St. Agnes Church and School in Lake Placid. A key feature of this event is the interactive Vatican exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World, conceived and designed by Bl. Carlo Acutis, who will be canonized that weekend and become the first millennial saint. Carlo, who died at age fifteen of leukemia, wrote of his great love of the Blessed Sacrament, evangelized his parents, friends and strangers, went to daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, and cared for the poor and forgotten. Bl. Carlo said, “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven.” Over the course of this event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., attendants will have the opportunity to experience this through Mass, an inspirational talk by Father Theodore Crosby at 11 a.m., all-day Eucharistic Adoration and confessions, and a special Holy Hour led by Bishop Terry R. LaValley at 2 p.m., where he will carry Jesus in the monstrance among the faithful and lead a consecration to the Holy Eucharist. Benediction will be at 3 p.m. The event is for the whole family and will also include opportunities for fellowship and service. The Eucharistic miracles exhibit will remain open until 5 p.m., and the parish offers Mass both before and after the event. Participants can attend just one or two portions of the event or come for the whole day. The countdown to the consecration to the Holy Eucharist begins on March 24. The diocese is using the book “33 Days to Eucharistic Glory,” for the consecration. Bulk orders of 250 books may be placed for as little as $2 at https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/33-days-to-eucharistic-glory/33PE-PO.html. If you have questions about obtaining books, please contact Ken Racette at kracette1a@gmail.com or (518) 578-3056. Several parishes across the diocese will be holding small-group discussions on the book to prepare for the consecration. If you have questions about starting a small group, please contact Deacon Bill O’Brien at billob315@gmail.com or (315) 528-0461. Local Catholics expressed a longing for what they saw at the Eucharistic Congress via video, which is what inspired the organizers Father Bryan D. Stitt, Amy Schirmer, Carolyn Pierce, Deacon Bill O’Brien, Ken and Kathy Racette and Mary Beth Bracy to embark on this endeavor. The event will also include informational and inspirational displays with pamphlets and holy cards on the Real Presence and Eucharistic Adoration. Attendants of the event will be able to view these free displays and request one for their parish. Catholic items will also be available for purchase. Pierce shared that, “(Bishop Cozzens’) concluding remarks after the last (National Eucharistic Revival) Mass were, ‘So go, don’t stay, and tell everyone what you experienced here.’ So I’m so happy our Bishop is acting on that ‘mission mandate’ to bring us together in Lake Placid to know the joy of being with the Lord — in adoration, in taking Jesus out in procession, and learning more about the Eucharist — and receiving His love and mercy... So, please plan now to come April 26, be open to receiving what Jesus wants to give you.” More information about the event may be found at https://www.rcdony.org/jubileeh2h. |
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