Diocesan Day of Renewal
on the occasion of the Year of the Eucharist

“Seek and You Shall Find” (Mt 7:7)

Day Of Renewal Presentation by Fr. Pierre Ingram, Companions of the Cross

“In my hectic and most often noise-filled life it was necessary for me to step outside of the every day in order to refocus on what is truly important. The Day of Renewal did just that for me.” Michelle Griepsma from St. Luke's Parish in Downeyville was not the only one who needed a break from her busy daily routine. Indeed, about 300 faithful from across the Diocese came together in the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains in Peterborough on Saturday November 20 th for a Diocesan Day of Renewal.   

The Day of Renewal, organized by volunteers at the Diocesan Evangelization Office, was an attempt to bring together faithful from all 40 parishes of the Diocese and to offer ways to come to a greater understanding and appreciation of the faith of the Church. This, the first such day in the Peterborough Diocese, focused on the Blessed Eucharist in keeping with the Holy Father's recent announcement that October 2004 to October 2005 be observed by the whole Church as the ‘Year of the Eucharist'. It was a day of prayer and devotion, of reflection, learning and worship, beginning with a prayer service led by Bishop De Angelis and culminating in the celebration of Holy Mass at the end of the day which happened to be the Vigil of the Solemnity of Christ the King. While Christ's kingship is not of this world, as He himself had said before Pontius Pilate, the sanctuary and in particular the altar, all decked for the occasion in shimmering white and gold cloths, surrounded by bouquets of flowers and lighted candles, was indeed, in the words of one of the participants, “fit for a King”.   

After invocation of the Holy Spirit and tribute to Our Blessed Mother, the main guest speaker for the day, Fr. Pierre Ingram from Ottawa, member of the ‘Companions of the Cross' and Professor of Liturgy and Sacramental Theology, offered an array of inspiring reflections on the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit of our lives as Christians, as the II Vatican Council stated. The Year of the Eucharist, he said, is “a challenge for us to deepen our own faith, our reverence, our sense of wonder at the marvellous treasure the Lord has bestowed upon his Church.” The Holy Eucharist, instituted at the Last Supper shortly before Christ's death, is in a mysterious but real way “the fruit of the cross”. Beginning with the Last Supper and continued at every Holy Mass since, the sacrifice of the cross is being made real. “Since that sacrifice is the one source of salvation for the whole human race, it is clear why Vatican II calls the Eucharistic sacrifice the summit of the whole Christian life.” Quoting from sacred scripture and Church teachings Fr. Ingram made clear that Holy Mass as the memorial celebration of Christ's sacrifice is more than a remembrance service, but, indeed, the making present of Christ's true body and blood. “Take this”, Jesus had said, “… this is my body …. this is the cup of my blood …” (Mk 14:22-24), and even before this He had already declared  that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53). As offensive and unacceptable as these words were at the time to many of his listeners and still are today to just as many who hear them, it is unthinkable that Christ should have used them and moreover insisted upon them unless He indeed meant precisely what He had said. Christ, risen and immortal, is therefore present in the Eucharist in his body and blood, soul and divinity, and this presence is not a metaphor, but reality. The Church guards and preserves this truth, for it was to her, in the person of his apostles, that Christ entrusted this treasure and commanded to “do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). Here lies the profound mystery of our faith and the challenge to us as believers; but here also is hidden the source of life for body and soul. In conclusion, Fr Ingram set the mystery of the Holy Eucharist in the context of what is yet to come: “As powerful as the Eucharistic sacrifice is; as great a treasure as we have in the real presence of the Lord, these are only a down payment in comparison with the future glory that has been prepared for us. ‘Maranatha!' ‘Come Lord Jesus!'(Rev. 22:20).”   

If these enlightening reflections left any doubt as to what the Eucharist is, a power point presentation, prepared by some of our young people for the afternoon of the Day of Renewal, would make it visually clear what actually happens at every celebration of Holy Mass. In a magnificent production with scenes and images taken from the recent movie “The Passion of the Christ” and synchronized with pieces of classical and contemporary music, these young people explained the parts of the Eucharistic celebration in a way both moving and instructive. Quotes from sacred scripture and from the Church's liturgy blended with poetic descriptions and moments of silence, turning the hour-long presentation into a remarkable spiritual meditation which left the hundreds present in the Cathedral Church deeply touched and thoroughly impressed with what these young people were able to put together. Julie Gray of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Minden remarked later: “ The young people's … presentation was excellent, captivating, innovative and memorable.  I have ever since that day recalled those live images at their corresponding times during Mass. ‘Thanks' to the youth for their creativity and for sharing their interpretation of the Eucharist!” Roddy Turpin of St. Anne's Church in Peterborough went even further saying: “The … presentation revealed more to me than all the readings of the last 50+ years. I never realized the magnitude of God's love for me.”    

This love of God was, in the view of so many of the faithful in the Cathedral Church that day, most palpable. Whether in the fellowship enjoyed during lunch or in the music performed by different groups from around the Diocese; whether in the long line-ups for the Sacrament of Confession, in the recitation of the rosary or in the singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet; in different ways the love of God became visible, tangible, real that day, but nowhere more so than in the Blessed Sacrament itself. When it was finally brought out and carried through the Church in procession, solemnly exposed on the altar and held in benediction over the congregation, it was obvious: people knew who was present. It was this unique sense of His presence which pervaded the celebration of Holy Mass at the end of the day and made many wish that “the day would not come to an end”. Alas, it did, but the next Day of Renewal is bound to come. What remains is to thank so many people for their hard work and so many groups for their presence and assistance on that day, especially the ‘Friends of Honduran Children' who prepared the luncheon and forwarded our donations for the same to those in need. Beyond this, I can only hope and pray that the Day of Renewal will have done what it was designed to do: help us find Him who can renew our faith, our lives, our world.  

Fr. Norbert.

Some more responses from participants:   

“We were very impressed by the presentation on the Mass, the PowerPoint presentation done by the youth of the Diocese that featured scenes from the 'Passion of Christ' movie. It was a very moving experience.  It helped lead us to a deeper understanding of Christ's great gift of Himself to us.  We liked everything about the day: Fr.'s talk & music. There was a great spirit among the people in attendance, which we experienced over in the hall while dining on the lovely lunch provided by the Friends of Honduran Children. That was one of the great things about the day, namely, the chance to meet, worship and learn about our faith with people from all parts of our diocese. We look forward very much to the next Day of Renewal.”

Jim and Rose Delaney, St. Therese Parish Courtice

“The day was very peaceful and inspiring.  It was wonderful for the Renewal to happen just as we are entering into Advent.  The young people's presentation was excellent.  It is so nice for the Diocese as a whole to see the young people do have faith and can express it so wonderfully.  The music just added to set the mood. You could feel the Holy Spirit moving everywhere. The line-ups for Confession were out the door.  The Altar was fit for our King.  It would be wonderful to have another one.  I came up from Wooler with a group of Ladies and they all said they didn't want it to end even if we had an hours drive home.”

Janine Wanjon, St. Alphonsus Parish Wooler

“I especially enjoyed the question and answer, as well as partaking in the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.  I also enjoyed some of the people with information in the Church Hall - one man who had CD's explaining the Mass was of particular value to me. I would love to have the opportunity to partake again in a day of renewal.” 

Shannon Barks, Holy Spirit Parish Barrie

" The Priest's talk on the Eucharist reminded me of how real the presence is and the blessings that are really available to us.  The part I enjoyed the most was the presentation put on by the young people.  I thought the young people did a tremendous job and illustrated the points very precisely through the clips. They certainly understood the Christian walk from what was illustrated. I also enjoyed the music, music always has ministered to me personally.  I would certainly like to see more of these types of days available to us. I also took advantage of confession. What I took away from the day was the reminder of what the Lord has given to us in the Eucharist and the opportunity available to us through this Sacrament.”

Marilyn Collins, St. Peter-in-Chains Cathedral

“We were very impressed by the enthusiasm of all people attending this great day on the "Holy Eucharist"; the teachings and explaining the Holy Mass in detail by Fr. Pierre; the great contribution of other Parishes Music Ministry; the stunning beautiful atmosphere in the Cathedral.  We closed our eyes and believed we were seeing the Golden Holy City of Jerusalem; and the presentation of the Knights of Columbus was excellent.  We have found a great, deeper renewal, appreciation and strength to pass our Faith on!  Also the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Music, touched us deeply, followed by Charismatic Songs. All day we were greatly blessed, we are looking forward to more powerful presentations like these!  A special time for our Diocese!”

Stan & Hermy Zverina, St. Michael's Parish Cobourg .

“I absolutely loved the Day of Renewal, I really don't have the words to express my feelings.  It made me aware again of the great gift of the Eucharist.  The presentation by the young people made me weep.  It was so well done. Good for them. The talk was very good. The Mass was again hard for me to describe.   I do wish that we could have this gift every year.  To me and my friend Sue Miller and many others I spoke to found it like a mini retreat.  Wonderful!  The whole day gets a big 5 star rating.”

Pat Forget, St. Mary's Parish Lindsay

“The entire day was a time of total immersion in faith, hope, love and forgiveness, a day of gentle praise, joy, thanksgiving, harmony; content to nourish all age groups and a variety of interests. Solid nourishment about the Eucharist!  I felt the day was a constant living movement between the tender mercy of God and the awesomeness of His Majesty. The talks, the music, the selection of hymns, Eucharistic Adoration, Sacrament of Reconciliation, the PowerPoint presentation, with the culminating glory of Holy Mass that was as much a celebration of Divine Mercy as it was the proclamation of Divine Majesty. I felt soaked in Divine Love, which continues to transform me, and makes me desire more of the same. The outstanding decorations prepared all of us to be lifted to another plane of worship.”

Sister Alice Johnson, St. Peter-in-Chains Cathedral, Peterborough

“The day was wonderful.  I felt spiritually enriched and musically joyful as I drove home.  One highlight was the youth presentation because I have a great respect and admiration for youth and I was celebrating their success.  It also gave me another proof for those who are sceptical about leaving the world in the hands of this youth generation.  The second terrific part was celebrating Mass and Eucharist at the end of the day because both were 100% more meaningful on that day. Definitely make this an annual.”

Katie Probst, St. John's Parish and Missions Kirkfield

“The presentation by the youth group was wonderful. These youth are a credit to our faith and our diocese.  I liked Fr. Pierre Ingram's first talk and was disappointed we didn't get to hear his second talk.  The gift was the Mass. ” 

Frances Presley, St. Michael's Parish Cobourg

“Bob and I were in the choir loft and our first impression as we looked out over the balcony was one of awe; looking up at the Sanctuary and the Altar.  How beautiful everything looked.  We particularly enjoyed Fr. Pierre Ingram's informative talk along with the question and answer period.  We found this priest to be very uplifting in a quiet way.  We both thoroughly enjoyed the Power Point presentation with scenes from Christ's Passion to explain the Mass. Terrific job.  I really hope that Fr. Norbert will take this to all young people and those in our faith who are lukewarm. One could not help but shed a tear over this wonderful, creative display for comparison purposes with the Holy Mass. The Divine Mercy Chaplet being sung is always so beautiful and I think on this particular day even more touching with the beautiful voice of the girl who sang.  The Music group from the Lakeshore was very good also.  The Holy Mass as the culmination of the day was very spiritual for both Bob and I.  All in all this Day of Renewal was just that for Bob and I.”

Bob and Nancy Watson, St. Peter-in-Chains Cathedral

In addition to the above comments, many people have made suggestions for future events, which will be considered when planning the Next Day Of Renewal for the fall 2005 towards the end of the Year of the Eucharist.   

Your suggestions and ideas are always welcome and most helpful.