Together on the Journey: A Weekly Word from Archbishop Hebda
Today, I am off to St. Mary’s University in Winona for the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Assembly. Every other year, the priests in the Archdiocese gather for four days of prayer, learning and discussion, all with the intention of strengthening our fraternity as brothers in Christ. We are blessed this year to have Bishop Donald Hying, the bishop of Madison, leading us in our reflections. I always look forward to this time with our priests but am especially excited to hear from Bishop Hying. He is doing an amazing job in his diocese. I apologize to those of you who normally go to daily Mass that it may be harder to find a Mass this week, being that your priests will be away with their brothers. I hope, however, that you will be sure to say an extra prayer for all of us as we gather for our Assembly.
As part of the National Eucharistic Revival, and especially in conjunction with our Year II priority for our pastoral letter implementation, we have spent much time and energy as an Archdiocese over the last the thirteen months reflecting on the “Truth, Beauty and Goodness” of the Eucharist. I am grateful that Bishop Hying will be speaking to this priority in his talks in Winona. I am confident, however, that he will be building on a strong foundation, due to the many ways in which you and our clergy have invested yourselves in a true Eucharistic revival that propels us to service and evangelization.
In many ways, yesterday’s Corpus Christi celebration at the Cathedral marked the formal conclusion of our Year II implementation. I was particularly thrilled that so many had come out on such a hot day for our celebration, even though our procession was moved indoors. The Cathedral choir’s presentation of the traditional Corpus Christi sequence, Lauda Sion (English, Latin), was particularly moving: the text alone would give us food for thought for another year.
As we pass that milestone, I hope that you can look back on this last year and see that your love for the Mass and for Jesus present in the Eucharist has grown. Was there something that stood out to you in your small group this year? Or in watching the Teaching Mass series? I hope this year has helped you take your love for Jesus in the Eucharist, our source and summit, beyond Mass and Adoration hours – as important as those are – and carry it through to all areas of your life, letting him truly transform your heart.
It seems to me that there’s something particularly powerful about wrapping up our Year II implementation in this month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If you’ve explored the Eucharistic miracles throughout the history of our Church – so lovingly catalogued by Blessed Carlo Acutis – you’ve likely read about several commonalities among them. One of these is that on those rare occasions when the Eucharist has transformed into flesh, it often becomes heart muscle. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives us his Sacred Heart as our nourishment.
While I recognize that there’s still plenty of room for our love for our Eucharistic Lord to grow and for our understanding of the Mass to deepen, we now have to turn our focus to the next pastoral letter priority: Parents as Primary Educators of Their Children. Fortunately, the Blue Ribbon Commission that was established last year to help me plan for the implementation of that priority made a strong recommendation that we begin our support of families by focusing on a theme that builds directly upon our Year II work: Reclaiming Sundays as the Lord’s Day. That’s going to be our area of emphasis from now until the end of June 2026.
Pope St. John Paul II once noted Sunday is indeed the “day which is at the very heart of the Christian life.” In that perspective, Sunday Mass is just one part of the Sunday celebration. The whole day should be a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Sunday is not just another day and shouldn’t be seen as simply an opportunity for us to complete tasks that escaped us during the week. It is a day of grace in which we need to give our time to Christ and to others. St. John Paul II goes on to say: “I would strongly urge everyone to rediscover Sunday: Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ! Yes, let us open our time to Christ, that he may cast light upon it and give it direction.”
I am so grateful for the work of the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education and the Blue Ribbon Commission for their work creating a guide, “Reclaiming Sundays: Recover Sunday as a Day for the Lord and Family,” to help families – and all the lay faithful – find ways we can live out the call to keep Sunday holy. I encourage you to visit archspm.org/sundays to download this guide and choose the ideas that speak to you most with your family and those closest to you.
Be assured of my prayers this week from Winona!
Join more than 81,000 Catholics receiving monthly Together on the Journey videos from Archbishop Hebda. By signing up, you’ll also receive his Weekly Word newsletter:
Read this message on Flocknote.
