More than 400 people attended the Summit County Mass and Eucharistic procession on June 4 to launch the Year of Eucharistic Revival for Parishes.
The weather was perfect – warm and sunny with blue skies – as Auxiliary Bishop Michel Woost celebrated the outdoor Mass in the Cuyahoga Falls Amphitheater. Concelebrants were Father Jared Orndorff, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Cuyahoga Falls; Father Pete Colletti, pastor of St. Eugene Parish, Cuyahoga Falls; and Father Mike Matusz, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish, Tallmadge. Assisting were Deacon Andy Davis of St. Joseph Parish and Deacon Kent Davis of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Akron.
(See photo gallery above.)
After Mass, the faithful joined the clergy and servers for a Eucharistic procession through downtown Cuyahoga Falls, ending at St. Joseph Parish, about a half-mile walk. The group made a stop at the parish’s St. Mary Shrine before heading into the church for benediction. A reception followed.
“The Eucharistic procession went great,” said Eric Deighton, a St. Joseph parishioner. “It was invigorating to publicly proclaim our faith and visibly display our adoration in the Eucharist. I was so proud of our parish, our diocese and the Catholic Church as a whole today as we walked with Jesus down the public streets to the Mary Shrine and then to our beautiful church building,” he added.
The Year of Eucharistic Revival for Parishes -- June 11, 2023 to July 17, 2024 -- is the second year of a three-year initiative sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to inspire and prepare the people of God to be formed, healed, converted, united and sent out to a hurting and hungry world through a renewed encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the Catholic faith.
Throughout the next year, parishes around the country are called upon to focus their efforts on the four pillars of this Eucharistic Revival: reinvigorate worship, create moments of personal encounter, engage in robust formation and send Catholics forth as missionaries.
At St. Joseph Parish, there will be several opportunities for all to embrace, implement, and focus on Eucharistic traditions to help foster a greater love for the Eucharist. Father Orndorff and the parish took the lead in organizing the June 4 Mass and procession. An invitation to participate in the event was extended to all 33 Catholic parishes in Summit County.
St. Joseph, established in 1831, is one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland, which was formed in 1847. Our Lady of Victory Parish (1944) and St. Eugene (1962) both grew from St. Joseph Parish. Click here for more information on the parish.
To learn more about St. Eugene Parish, click here and find more information about Our Lady of Victory here.
Click here for Eucharistic Revival information and resources from the diocese.