Eucharist

"From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others." Saint John Paul II

Holy Eucharist: The Heart and Summit of Our Faith

The Eucharist is the sacrament of thanksgiving to God, which constitutes the principal Catholic Christian liturgical celebration of our participation in communion with the paschal mystery of Jesus. Because the Eucharist is Jesus, it is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Through our participation in the Eucharist, we grow closer to God and one another.

The Holy Mass is at the center of our Catholic life because the Holy Eucharist is “the source and summit” of our Faith.

Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper while celebrating the Passover meal with his apostles. The gift of the Holy Eucharist makes Jesus present to us today and every day. He did not abandon us, rather he gave us the Church in whose authority priests and bishops consecrate the unleavened bread and wine at the Mass by which it becomes the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. Through this miracle the same Jesus who was crucified and rose from the dead may be received by Catholics today.

The grace of this sacrament provides supernatural food for the soul to strengthen and nourish the faithful as they seek greater union with Christ in their daily life. Each time Catholics receive holy communion they have an opportunity to grow in holiness through their openness to the graces offered in this encounter with Jesus. In the Catholic tradition we call these graces the fruits of Holy Communion.

“The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth.”

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Eucharistic Devotion

It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to His Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take His departure from His own in His visible form, He wanted to give us His sacramental presence; since He was about to offer Himself on the cross to save us, He wanted us to have the memorial of the love with which He loved us “to the end,” even to the giving of His life. In His Eucharistic presence He remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave Himself up for us, and He remains under signs that express and communicate this love:

The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet Him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease (Catechism Catholic Church; 1380).

Holy hours are the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Whether 5 minutes, 30 minutes or a full hour, the important thing is taking the time to spend with the One who loves us. There are a variety of resources to help us focus our prayer on Jesus in the Eucharist:

Masses &

Communion Services

Communion Service: Tuesdays 9 am

Daily Mass: Wednesday through Friday 8 am

Saturday Mass: 5 pm

Sunday Mass: 8:45 am and 10:45 am

Communion for the Homebound

If you or someone you know is homebound and would like to receive communion, please contact the parish office at 952-443-2661.

First Eucharist

For those who want to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, please see our Sacramental Preparation page for more information. First Reconciliation for youth starting in Grade 2 is available through our Faith Formation program, which holds classes from September to May each year. Registration information will be communicated on the parish website.

Adults who are seeking reconciliation for the first time, can learn more at our RCIA page.