“What is your mission? How are you carrying Christ into the world?” Father Damian Ference asked those attending the recent Theology on the Rocks West program.
Father Ference, vicar for evangelization and head of the diocesan Parish Life and Special Ministries Office, spoke to a packed room in The Pub at the West Side Irish American Club on Nov. 11. His topic was “Life After the National Eucharistic Congress.” He and Lynette (Saenz) Cisneros were named co-directors of the diocesan Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Edward Malesic.
Father Ference recapped the 10th Eucharistic Congress, which took place July 17-21 in Indianapolis, Indiana. A cohort of 250 delegates from the Diocese of Cleveland were among the approximately 60,000 people who attended the event. The Congress featured prominent speakers, daily liturgies, adoration and a Eucharistic procession in Indianapolis.
Father Ference also talked about the local Eucharistic processions, ballpark Masses, billboards and other local initiatives that led up to the Congress.
After delegates returned, they were invited to attend a Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in August where they were commissioned as Eucharistic missionaries by Bishop Malesic. As Eucharistic missionaries, they are charged with taking a renewed fervor for their faith into the diocese and sharing it with others.
He described the stages of spiritual companionship: identify, intercede, connect and invite. Father Ference explained that each person should find someone to walk with for the next year. “Ask God who he wants you to accompany,” he said, adding, the Lord will identify that person.
Once your person is identified, he said to pray/intercede for him or her in order to remove any impediments so the person can draw closer to Christ. Then find ways to build a deeper relationship with the person and finally, following the prompts of the Holy Spirit, invite the person to take the next steps to create a deeper relationship with the Lord. That could mean an invitation to attend Mass on Sunday.
As the journey continues, Father Ference said there will be additional events in the diocese and on the parish level. He mentioned upcoming regional Lenten Eucharistic Congresses in 2025, community mission projects on April 5, 2025, and the planned closing liturgy for the Eucharistic Revival on June 28, 2025. Other events include a special, invitation-only concert with Matt Maher and Sara Kroger Dec. 8 in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, a youth rally and Mass on Oct. 23, 2025 and the Bishop’s Ministerium on Oct. 24, 2025. Watch for more details on these events.
The diocese also will be participating in the Jubilee Year of Hope, which kicks off Dec. 29 with a procession from St. Peter Church in downtown Cleveland to the cathedral, for Mass that evening. During the jubilee year, there will be eight churches – one in each of the eight counties of the diocese – and three shrines where the faithful can visit. More details on the local jubilee year will be forthcoming.
Click here for more information on Theology on the Rocks West and upcoming programs. Bill Toler will speak about Judeo Christian faith at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in The Pub at the West Side Irish American Club, 8559 Jennings Road, Olmsted Township. Cost is $15, which includes refreshments. There is a cash bar. Theology on the Rocks is a Catholic-based discussion group for adults age 40 and older.