Be Our Guest / Ronda Swartz

Eucharist Revival is allowing MTCA to bring its students closer to Christ

As the National Eucharistic Revival kicked off in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on the feast of Corpus Christi in June of 2022, the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies (MTCA) embraced the opportunity to share ongoing discussions and presentations to our staff and students about our belief in the Eucharist as the true presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

As Catholics, and as educators, we know the most important assignment we have is bringing those we encounter—especially our children and most importantly during their formative years—closer to Christ. We have done this in several ways.

First, we have had several speakers talk to the staff at MTCA. We have had Erica Hofer, a lifelong Catholic who is part of the archdiocese’s Eucharistic Revival committee and a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, speak about the formation of the National Eucharistic Revival and the importance and need to bring Catholics from around the United States together to celebrate our faith and reconsecrate ourselves to the source and summit of our faith.

Seeing firsthand Father Jeffrey Dufresne’s interactions with the students at St. Philip Neri School in Indianapolis, and his love for the Eucharist and for Christ, I asked Father Dufresne to share with the staff of MTCA his story and the path that lead him to his calling as a priest.

Father Dufresne did an extraordinary job sharing his story and history with the staff. He spoke beautifully about the importance of the Eucharist in our Catholic faith. St. Philip Neri Parish and St. Mary Parish, both in Indianapolis, are blessed to have him as pastor. We appreciate him and all of our dedicated priests within the archdiocese.

At our staff professional development retreat last October, Rose Springman, executive assistant for the archdiocesan Office of the Superintendent of Catholic Schools and for the executive director of MTCA, did a presentation on eucharistic miracles. She used the research that Blessed Carlos Acutis put together prior to his young death. Hearing and reading about these beautiful miracles strengthened our belief in the Eucharist.

Our middle school students at Central Catholic School in Indianapolis are presently researching these eucharistic miracles and will create displays in the school gymnasium to showcase their work. The display will be ready for viewing in early spring of 2024.

Thank you for partnering with us in Catholic education to solidify our mission to bringing our young students closer to Christ.
 

(Ronda Swartz is the executive director of the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies. She can be reached at rswartz@archindy.org.) †