Eucharist
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. - Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324
Worship of the Eucharist at St. Brendan
At St. Brendan, we strive to prioritize the celebration of Sunday Mass. It is on Sunday, the day of Christ's Resurrection, when we gather to offer the divine sacrifice of the Mass, to worship and receive Christ in the Eucharist, to learn about our faith and support one another in it, and to renew our desire to serve those in need.
Eucharistic Adoration
In addition to weekend and weekday Masses, St. Brendan has a small chapel where the Eucharist is reserved for adoration in the tabernacle. Members of the parish are encouraged to make visits at any time or even to sign up for a schedule hour of adoration.
Eucharistic Exposition (Eucharistic Holy Hour)
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration in the church Wednesdays at 2pm. This concludes with the rite of Benediction at 2:55pm.
We hope to begin Exposition in the Church again soon, Contact Fr. Veit if you are interested in "an hour" or in helping to coordinate! (we will likely begin with Tuesdays)
About the Eucharist
“The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 1325
The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions and Answers, from the US Conference of Catholic Bishop's Committee on Doctrine tells us:
The Lord Jesus, on the night before he suffered on the cross, shared one last meal with his disciples. During this meal our Savior instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages and to entrust to the Church his Spouse a memorial of his death and Resurrection.
As the Gospel of Matthew relates:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt 26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Recalling these words of Jesus, the Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . . . For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (Jn 6:51-55). The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. This presence of Christ in the Eucharist is called "real" not to exclude other types of his presence as if they could not be understood as real (cf. Catechism, no. 1374). The risen Christ is present to his Church in many ways, but most especially through the sacrament of his Body and Blood.