Catholic Schools Must Restore America’s Faith in the Real Presence, by Patrick J. Reilly

Through Faith, We Can Have Contact With the Living God, by Stephen Beale
August 26, 2019
Daily Reading & Meditation: Tuesday (August 27)
August 27, 2019

By Patrick J. Reilly, Crisis Magazine, August 26, 2019

Patrick J. Reilly

“He is truly there in the Eucharist,” says Amelia Shripka. The 8th-grader at Everest Collegiate High School and Academy in Clarkston, Michigan takes delight in the Eucharistic procession that her school holds every year. It’s a “great time to reflect on what Jesus did for us,” she says.

But according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, such strong faith is increasingly uncommon. The Pew study found that only 26 percent of U.S. Catholics under age 40 believe in Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist.

So how does the Church restore faith in its most precious sacrament? One key solution is the renewal of faithful Catholic education, whether in parochial schools, lay-run schools, online programs or in the home.

At Everest School, Amelia says there are “many opportunities to be with God” that help her grow “closer and closer to Him.”

Students visit the Eucharist daily. “There are four chapels on campus, which means that students never have to go far to have the opportunity to encounter Christ in the Eucharist,” says a school representative. Students encounter the Eucharist from the time they are “very young,” and second-graders complete an authentically Catholic preparation program at the school before their first Communion. ….

Read more at  crisismagazine.com