SW News:

A millennial, who is the icon of sanctity for Catholic youth, will reanimate the faith of Americans and foster greater awareness about the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. During the annual fall general assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore that got over on Thursday, November 18, the prelates declared that  Blessed Carlo Acutis will be the patron of the first phase of the three-year Eucharistic Renewal project that begins next year. 

This comes in the backdrop of a national survey that found that the number of Catholics who believe in the Real Presence is abysmally low. The bishops chose the young British-born Italian beatus as the patron of the first year of the project as he had an extraordinary devotion towards the Blessed Sacrament. Acutis, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 15 after being diagnosed with leukemia employed his computer skills to create a website that documents all Church-approved Eucharistic miracles. The teenager was declared Blessed on Oct. 10, 2020, in Assisi, Italy. 

The first millennial to be declared Blessed, Acutis’ statement that ‘the more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus so that this earth will have a foretaste of heaven’ is the foundation of the Eucharistic Revival Project unveiled by the American bishops. 

Only Blessed Acutis has been announced as one of the patrons so far. The prelates are yet to declare the other patrons. On Wednesday they endorsed the initiative that will get underway on June 19, the feast of Corpus Christi, next year with a series of Eucharistic processions in all dioceses in the US. A new website dedicated to the revival of Eucharistic piety and special training for diocesan and parish leaders are some of the initiatives that are being planned. The bishops will also create a team of travelling preachers who will spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. 

The US will also witness a National Eucharistic Congress after half a century that concludes the campaign. The Congress will be held from June 17 to 21 in Indianapolis, said Bishop Andrew H Cozzens, who played a key role in outlining the Revival campaign. The prelate is the bishop-designate of Crookston Diocese and auxiliary of the Archdiocese of St Paul-Minneapolis.