United by the Body of Christ

A few weeks back, I wrote about our gradual return to public life amidst the pandemic was not, “going back” to the way things were, rather we have the opportunity to embrace the “new beginnings” in spite of all the challenges. One of those new beginnings is the opportunity to return to public Mass, with appropriate precautions to lovingly protect one another. As we celebrate this week the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ ( Corpus Christi), we mark two more new beginnings in our collaborative parishes: the initiation of six adults as Catholics, and the beginning of a special Year of the Eucharist in our archdiocese.

T he Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process that prepares adults to become fully initiated Catholics. This is a powerful process not only for them but for our whole Catholic community which supports them in prayer and rejoices in their faith and desire to be full members with us! The high point of the process usually takes place at the Easter Vigil when they receive the Sacraments of Initiation, but this is preceded by months of spiritual preparation and followed by a period when these neophytes reflect on the sacraments received and get actively involved in the faith community. This year, although these sacraments were delayed by the pandemic, we are blessed with six
adults who have patiently waited with eagerness until this Sunday. The RCIA is fundamentally for unbaptized adults (“catechumens”) to receive Baptism, Confirmation,
and Eucharist, which we are celebrating this Sunday with Kelly Connery and Michelle Shaughnessy.  This can also be adapted for those baptized in other Christian communities to respect the fact they are already incorporated into the Body of Christ. These “candidates” for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church include Linda Sansoucy, Beth Tezber, and Terri Pucillo, who make a profession of faith and then receive Confirmation and Eucharist. Finally, adults who were baptized Catholic but did not proceed with the other sacraments of initiation can also participate in aspects of the RCIA to receive Confirmation with First Eucharist, as Brittany Chan is doing this year. Congratulations and welcome to all of these wonderful new members of our Catholic Church and our parishes! Anyone curious about the RCIA can speak with a priest, deacon or staff in the parish office.

It is fitting that these adults receive the Eucharist for the first time on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this year, especially since it marks the beginning of a special “Year of the Eucharist” declared by Cardinal Seán for the people of the Archdiocese of Boston!

It will be a year in which we are all invited to grow in our understanding and appreciation of the great gift of the Eucharist, and our privilege of participating in it. While not part of the Cardinal’s plan, we ended up having an extended “fast” from the Eucharist because of the pandemic, which for many people led to a great longing to return to receiving Christ in Communion. The fact that Catholics had to wait so long - and the preparation of adults and children for their first Communion took even longer than planned - reminds us that this is a gift and privilege we should not take for granted. In the coming year, we will be promoting opportunities for learning, reflection, prayer and celebration of the gift of the Eucharist.  These will be offered in our collaborative, other parishes in our area, and in archdiocese-wide events. The plan is for the Year of the Eucharist (YoE) to culminate
in a major celebration next spring on the weekend of Corpus Christi. More information on YoE is available at bostoncatholic.org/yearoftheeucharist and in future bulletins.

I am grateful for every one of you as members of the Body of Christ in our communities!