What is going on in the Church? “Two-Thirds of Catholics Believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.” The title of this article, found in the Winter 2024 edition of The CARA Report, stunned me (in a good way)!
What is going on in the Church? “The number of Catholics attending Mass in England and Wales has shot up by roughly 50,000 in 2023. …
A similar trend has been found in Scotland.”—The Tablet
What is going on in the Church? On March 9, 2025, the Archdiocese of Sydney welcomed a record 384 catechumens and candidates at the annual Rite of Election at its St. Mary Cathedral. It is a 30 percent increase in converts from the previous year.
What is going on in the Church? In our own diocese, as small as we are, we have 355 catechumens and candidates entering the Church this Easter.
The Church is certainly not out of the woods. There are many pressing issues that we have to deal with today, but it’s also nice to have some “good news” as we continue to discover ways to evangelize here in southern Missouri. Recent trends indicate a leveling off of those leaving the Church. But most surprising was that statement at the top of my column regarding belief in the Eucharist. It was just a mere three years ago that a survey purported just the opposite, that 70 percent of Catholics did not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Could things have changed for the positive so quickly? Or did the wording of the survey questions cause confusion? When the report came out, one of my staff questioned the wording of the survey, saying it caused confusion. Still, the three-year Eucharistic Revival, initiated to address the lack of belief, ended up being a good experience for the Church and certainly worth the effort.
When asked to explain in their own words what they believe happens to the gifts of bread and wine after Consecration during Mass, 49 percent correctly believe that the Church teaches: “Jesus Christ is truly present under the appearance of bread and wine.” Fifty-one percent incorrectly believe the Church teaches that “bread and wine are symbols of Jesus’ action at the Last Supper.” The conclusion? There remains a substantial confusion about the Church teaching on the Eucharist. So, we are not out of the woods, but there is some positive movement.
CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND
On a final note, all of us are painfully aware of the challenges of Christians living in the Holy Land. While our Holy Father has designated this year to be a Jubilee Year of Hope, the reality is strikingly different. War and violence continue. Homes, schools, hospitals, and even churches have been destroyed. Much of the economy in the Holy Land is based on pilgrims, and with the lack of tourism, there are no jobs. Over the past century, Christians in the Holy Land have gone from being 23 percent of the population to less than two percent of the population. The land of our Lord’s birth, the birth of the Prince of Peace, is struggling.
I ask you to be aware of their needs during the upcoming Good Friday Collection, which directly assists the Church in the Holy Land in maintaining the sacred shrines and the remaining small Catholic population in the area. The collection supports 23 parishes and three schools. The collection also assists in housing and weekly food baskets. Our support is essential! I ask everyone to please be generous as you always are in charitable giving.
“O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.”
Published in the March 28, 2025 issue of The Mirror.
Photo: EASTER VIGIL—The Very Rev. Allan Saunders lit the Paschal Candle during a recent Easter Vigil in St. Mary of the Annunciation Cathedral in Cape Girardeau. The Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has 355 individuals entering the Church within our communities across southern Missouri in 2025. (The Mirror)