Bishop's Blog / Diocesan Year of the Eucharist

By Joseph Strickland
Tuesday, November 26, 2019

 
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As Bishop of Tyler, I decree the liturgical year beginning the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2019, and ending on the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 22, 2020, will be observed as the "Year of the Eucharist: Fostering Reverence for the Real Presence" in the Diocese of Tyler.

As we journey through this year, it is my hope that we may seek ways to deepen our personal faith and understanding of the tremendous gift of the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. This will be a time for us to remember that the Lord, out of his great love for us, established the saving memorial of his Passion and Resurrection, the Eucharist, to spiritually nourish and transform us with his Body and Blood so that, participating in the life of the Trinity, we might go out into the world and glorify the Lord by our lives (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1330; Order of the Mass, 114). 

I intend to begin a personal Eucharistic Adoration Pilgrimage at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the First Sunday of Advent, and continue this pilgrimage throughout the year with the goal of praying in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament at each tabernacle throughout the diocese. 

Throughout the year, the St. Philip Institute and our Catholic schools will be offering opportunities for growth in our appreciation of the Eucharist. I ask all of the faithful of the diocese to enter into this Year of the Eucharist through study of the Word of God and the teachings of our Catholic faith. Let us all grow in understanding of the Eucharist - a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity - as we grow in our relationship with Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament (Constitution on the Liturgy, 47).

May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us as we seek to reverence the Eucharistic Face of her Son more powerfully in our journey of faith.



Joseph Strickland

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland was named the fourth bishop of Tyler in September of 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Prior to being named bishop, he served a number of roles in the diocese, including vicar general, judicial vicar, and pastor of the Cathedral parish. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1985.
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