Well, the Diocese of Springfield- Cape Girardeau has outdone itself again! Your generous donations to the 2021 Retirement Fund for Religious collection is $66,971.82 with a total since the collection was launched coming to $2,518,073.43. This collection provides direct care for retired religious, such as medications, nursing care, and other day-to-day necessities. Over 30,000 elderly sisters, brothers, and religious-order priests benefit from the retirement fund for religious. Thank you for your generosity.

June 12 is the annual collection for the Catholic Communications Campaign. Did you know that half the collection stays in the diocese? Those funds help us to assist in issuing grant money within our diocese to broadcast Mass on the radio, assist in getting Wi-Fi for parishes, and help build parish Websites.

As we look to the future there are several local projects that we have in mind. Have you ever visited our Website? I’m constantly being told that I must increase my digital presence. Although I’m not quite sure what that means, I do know that our Website, built in 2012, could be more “user-friendly” and needs a serious “re-do.” We’re in the throes of this process now! This will help increase our digital resources and content for seekers and our own faith communities. We are beefing up our social media presence and recently launched an Instagram account. I hope you’re following the diocese on social media!
Funds from the Catholic Communications Campaign also enables video coverage for various events, such as our Evangelization and Discipleship Summit. It will also enable me to reach out to people on various topics through an increased use of video and Podcast. Now in its 57th year, we continue to print The Mirror and in recent years have begun offering a digital edition for those who want to receive it electronically. This saves the diocese the cost of printing and postage as well as avoids USPS delivery delays in our largely rural diocese, delays which are more and more common. If you have a paper subscription you might consider receiving The Mirror digitally.

I thank you in advance for your donation to support the Catholic Communications Campaign and our diocesan efforts to reach out to others through any means possible, which includes us growing our use of technology and expanding our social media footprint.

CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSIONS

As we anticipate the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 19, also Father’s Day, I encourage everyone to participate in a Corpus Christi procession. While each of our cathedrals will offer a procession at 2 p.m., many of our parishes have them as well. This would be a beautiful way to spend faith-filled time with fathers and grandfathers. June 19 is the kickoff of our three-year Eucharistic Revival. As we move into this special time of renewal, I invite you to send me any ideas you might have on how to increase our love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

At the end of each Sunday Mass, a number of our parishes recite or sing that beautiful verse, “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine. All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.” It might be beneficial to revive our Eucharistic piety by focusing on songs that express what we believe about the Mass and the Eucharist. I’ve always been touched by the second and third verses of that same song. Verse two, “Now come, all you who labor in sorrow and in pain, come, eat this Bread from Heaven; thy peace and strength regain.” The third verse summarizes our Eucharistic theology so well, “Lord Jesus, we adore Thee, our victim and our priest, whose Precious Blood and Body become our sacred feast.

Not long ago we sang a song I recall from elementary school, “Gift of Finest Wheat.” I had not heard that song in ages. Do you recall the refrain? “You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat. Come give to us oh saving Lord the Bread of Life to eat.”
I am excited for the possibilities that can flow from our efforts to promote a Eucharistic revival throughout southern Missouri. Let us be “One Church, East to West,” singing “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine. All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.”