The Rev. Chris Wadelton of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus distributes communion at Mass.
Without much prodding, in a world of the uber-practical, the Rev. Chris Wadelton will tell you why the mystical matters today.
“With our modern internet life and our Google search world, I have heard it said that we have lost to some degree our sense of awe and wonder — and we feel that we must explain everything,” said the pastor of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, one of Bartholomew County’s largest houses of worship.
Wadelton will be among area Catholics embracing a sense of awe, wonder and the mystical while attending Roman Catholic Church’s National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. The schedule of speakers includes some nationally known names in Catholic circles such as Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. He is the author of “The Body of Christ,” calling for what he terms “a Eucharistic revival.”
The gathering, the first of its kind in 83 years, includes the tagline “Every Movement Needs a Moment.”
Wadelton pointed out that there has indeed been a renewed focus among Catholics on Jesus’ body and blood at communion for at least the past three years. He pointed out there have been special processions, Eucharistic adoration, specific prayer time and other activities.
“We already have seen some of the fruits of that,” he said.
Yet, he understands that even the most passionate believers unintentionally can let a foundation wobble.
“Among some Catholics, the Eucharist can become too common, maybe,” Wadelton said. “We can take it for granted sometimes. And this can bring a renewal and a renewed focus upon it and just how significant it is to us.”
The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning thanksgiving.
U.S. Catholic bishops took note of a Pew Research Center study five years ago that showed that two-thirds of Catholics did not believe in or understand the mystery of transubstantiation — that is, the real presence of Jesus’ body in the Eucharist, which is the bread and the wine served as communion at Mass. That majority said that they believe the communion elements are “symbols” of Jesus’ sacrifice, which falls dramatically short of the church’s basic doctrine.
Furthermore, most of those believing in only the symbolism answered that they were unaware of the church’s official stance on the elements becoming the body and blood of Jesus.
“Since that time,” Wadelton said, “we’ve all been looking for better ways to teach about the Eucharist, and for ways to help to instill the belief in the true presence (of Christ) within it.”
Diane Schafer, pastoral associate and adult faith formation staffer at St. Bartholomew’s, was originally excited about attending the congress. But her ministry coordinating funerals currently means she will have to miss the gathering. She guesses that maybe 50 parish members are attending the event that organizers expect to attract non-Catholics, too.
“My one big prayer is that we can all come together as Catholics and see just how rich our faith is, and that we also become a beacon of light especially to those who may not be Catholic — so that they can see that we are truly faith-filled,” Schafer said. “I want us to shine out toward others.”
At St. Agnes Catholic Church in Brown County’s Nashville, Deacon Russ Woodard, parish life coordinator, figures that about 20 people from that church will be attending.
“Ideally, I just really hope that people can find ways to draw closer to Jesus through the Eucharist,” Woodard said.
He added that he understands that the spiritual mystery of the communion elements might make little practical sense to outsiders or nonbelievers.
“I realize that there are people who say that, unless you can prove something to them scientifically, they are not going to believe it,” Woodard said. “But we also have to understand that there is a whole world of very real things that we cannot physically see.”