Father Tim Tran, parochial vicar of St. Stephen in Anoka, recalled a 2019 Pew Research study that indicated only about one-third of the faithful who attend Mass “truly believe that Christ becomes present — body, blood, soul and divinity — in the form of bread and wine at the sacrifice of the Mass.”  

That means about two-thirds “of our congregation does not know or perhaps might have a misunderstanding about this great gift of the Eucharist,” Father Tran said. “If that is what the centrality, most important aspect of our faith is, as the bishops say in the Second Vatican Council, as the source and summit of our faith, then we need to go out and proclaim this good news to the entire world.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. bishops called for a eucharistic revival, Father Tran said, “to unite the entire United States on this movement so that we can go out and transform the world.” Father Tran recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss the upcoming National Eucharistic Revival.  

Father Tran is the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ point person for the revival. He said he and others in that role for other dioceses serve as representatives, receive communication from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops about the revival, serve as a bridge between the larger Church in the U.S. with the local Church and, with the approval of the archbishop, propose ideas, listen, discern, organize events and accompany parishes and different apostolic movements with resources provided by the revival. 

A lot of things are “swirling around” pertaining to the Eucharistic Revival, Father Tran said, and it seems that “something great is happening in our local Church here.” 

“For the wider country, I’ve been hearing a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, especially from different dioceses who’ve done some wonderful events as well,” Father Tran said. Social media outlets and news agencies have reported events ranging from processions last June for Corpus Christi, eucharistic preachers visiting various dioceses and towns to give talks, and “different local small group movements,” he said.  

For the local Church, Father Tran said, “we have the Holy Spirit, the fire of the Synod, and we have the bread, which is the Eucharistic Revival. And so, it’s just simple: It’s just putting the bread in the oven, smelling the aroma and spreading the fragrance.”  

To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Dec. 16 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Dec. 17 and 2 p.m. Dec. 18. For more information on the National Eucharistic Revival, visit EucharisticRevival.org. At the website, click on the “Learn” tab to find a link to a free, online course presented by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, who is leading the U.S. bishops’ effort, on understanding the gift of the Eucharist and sharing it with others. 

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who discusses the upcoming one-year anniversary of Bishop Joseph Williams’ ordination and the role of an auxiliary bishop; and Michelle Boris and Nick Brady, who describe an upcoming young adult pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. 

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.