Intro by friar Bob Roddy, OFM Conv.

As we enter into this year of Eucharistic Renewal we wanted to share with our readers the powerful impact of the Eucharist on the lives of the friars and the many men, women and children the friars minister to and who have shared ministry with the friars, throughout the world. The stories that you are about to read will take you from the intimate, transformative moments of spiritual care in the heart of personal loss, to the communal gatherings of faith in the remote outposts of Zambia. As you read the following reflections we invite you to think of the moments in your life when the power and the grace of the Eucharist touched you.

Distant Faith:
St. Joseph Mission and Its Outreach in Zambia

By Father Andrew Mukosa, OFM Conv.
Protomartyrs Province (Zambia-Malawi)
Guardian and Parish Priest of St. Joseph Mission Lufwanyama

St. Joseph Mission and Parish is in the Copperbelt province of Zambia, about 200 Km from Kitwe. St. Joseph is a rural parish with a population of about 12,000 Catholics. For easier administration, the Parish is divided into nine zones and has 36 outstations (churches). The furthest outstation is about a four-hour drive from the main center of St. Joseph Parish. Other outstations are in different directions and varying distances. St. Joseph Parish has four priest-friars assigned to it – two serve as assistant pastors. Together, we schedule the priest-friar who will be celebrating the Eucharist at the various outstations and the main Parish Church. Each outstation gets the privilege of having Mass once a month. However, the closest churches are sometimes privileged to have Mass regularly. Since the terrain and the roads to these other rural missions are rough and full of potholes, we suspend going for Mass to these places when the roads become impassable. This creates a deep longing in the hearts of the people, who, by faith, depend on Mass to receive the blessings of God.

A Holy Communion:
Witnessing Christ’s Grace

By Kris Joseph
Spiritual Director and Former Staff Member
at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, MN

From my early childhood, I have felt drawn to God. I have many treasured memories of listening to and sharing faith with others. I am deeply grateful to God for this thread in my life. When I retired from retreat work in 2015, I prayerfully considered what was next. As I pondered, I remembered a very dear friend who entered hospice in 2002. When I visited her, the moment we were alone she said, “Kris, Jesus is right here with me.” She went on, with shining eyes, to say that a chaplain had brought her Communion, and Jesus had been with her since that moment. I could see and feel the impact of that gift.

Finding Peace in the Eucharist

By Jessica Murphy
Parishioner at St. Joe’s University Church, Terre Haute, Indiana

It was a Sunday morning and, after three years of trying, we had just learned that our baby had no heartbeat. My husband and I left the hospital and went straight to our church, St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The first person to find us was friar Mario Serrano, OFM Conv., who was then a transitional deacon at St. Joe’s. My husband explained what had happened and it noticeably caught the young friar off guard. He gathered his thoughts and after a moment of silence, he came to my eye level and spoke just to me. I learned that friar Mario had lost his mother, a deep pain, and he shared how he finds comfort and connection to his mother through the Holy Eucharist and encouraged me to do the same. I will never do his words justice, but what I remember in my heart every Sunday is this:

Last Breath

By Kevin Murphy
Parishioner and Eucharistic Minister at St. Joe’s University Church, Terre Haute, Indiana

How many times have we heard that familiar story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth as described in Luke 1:39-45? This particular visit was not an ordinary visit for when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her child, John, leapt into her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit! (Lk 1:41)

I visit the homebound regularly. I had one particular visit that was not an ordinary visit; this visit left a lasting impact on me. I had been visiting an older parishioner for some time. She had dementia and was partially blind. On my second to last visit, she had taken a considerable turn for the worse. I called the family, and they requested I contact a priest for an anointing. I did and when the priest and I left, I thought that this would be the last time I would see her.