Year of the Eucharist celebration is June 12
By Sean Gallagher
We are in the midst of the Year of the Eucharist, called by the late Pope John Paul II. In the archdiocese, the highlight of this special year will happen from
2-5 p.m. on June 12 at Victory Field in Indianapolis in “The Year of the Eucharist: Celebrating the Body of Christ.”
The day’s events will include a eucharistic procession, sermon and Benediction led by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein.
The event, which is free and open to the general public, will also highlight the Church’s mission of evangelization and how Catholics throughout central and southern Indiana are taking part in it.
Before and after the procession, live music will be offered and a ministry fair will be held in the minor league baseball stadium’s concourse. Games and face painting will be offered for young children following the procession’s conclusion.
Following is the schedule of events for “The Year of the Eucharist: Celebrating the Body of Christ.”
2 p.m. Victory Field gates open
2-3 p.m. Prelude music will be provided on a stage behind home plate by Grace on Demand. Witnesses on the Eucharist will be offered by St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner Sharon Mason of Indianapolis, a staff chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital, and Roncalli High School 2005 valedictorian Matt Pfarr of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood. A ministry fair involving at least 18 archdiocesan offices and agencies and other Catholic organizations will take place in the stadium’s concourse.
3 p.m. The eucharistic procession enters Victory Field, led by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, holding a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. Others participating in the procession will be priests of the archdiocese, members of several Catholic fraternal organizations, boys and girls who have received their first Communion this year, Disciples in Mission parish coordinators and parish banner bearers.
The procession will include Scripture readings, a singing of the sequence for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, other sung responses, prayers and a sermon delivered by Archbishop Buechlein. Those involved in Disciples in Mission will also be commissioned to continue their ministry of evangelization. The procession will conclude with Benediction.
4-5 p.m. Following the conclusion of the eucharistic procession, the ministry fair will resume in the stadium’s concourse. Games for children and face painting will occur in the picnic area behind center field. Grace on Demand will provide music on the main stage behind home plate.
On the evening of June 11, Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general of the archdiocese, will determine whether or not “The Year of the Eucharist: Celebrating the Body of Christ” at Victory Field will be cancelled due to inclement weather and a smaller service held in its place elsewhere.
Information regarding contingency plans can be found on the evening of June 11 by calling the following telephone numbers: 317-236-1431 or 317-236-1432. It can also be found on the homepage of The Criterion at www.CriterionOnline.com. †