Letter from the Executive Director

Photo by Jeffrey Bruno

Dear Friends in Christ,

The priesthood and the Eucharist are among the most precious gifts through which Jesus gives himself to us for our salvation.

The US bishops have called for the Church in our country to a renewed focus on Jesus Christ in the Eucharist—the source and summit of Christian life—by organizing a 3-year Eucharistic Revival. This is a response, in part, to the alarming findings of a recent Pew poll that found that 50% of Catholics and 75% of young Catholics in the US doubt the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Six of our Dominican Friars have been appointed to serve as National Eucharistic Preachers to support the Eucharistic Revival. In this capacity, they will preach throughout the country to foster faith in the amazing reality that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist—body, blood, soul, and divinity.

The Dominican Friars place the Eucharist at the center of our preaching and ministry. I had the privilege of participating with several of our friars in a Eucharistic Procession down Fifth Avenue in New York City to celebrate and give public witness to our faith in the Eucharist. After opening a new Eucharistic Adoration chapel in the University of Louisville campus ministry last fall, we are now preparing to open the first Adoration chapel for Perpetual Adoration in Manhattan—giving 24/7 access to pray in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord—at our St. Joseph’s Church. These examples are characteristic of our Eucharist-centered life, preaching, and ministry.

Without the priesthood there is no Eucharist. We were excited and grateful to recently celebrate the ordination of nine new Dominican priests on May 20, in Washington, DC, who are now out serving in the Lord’s vineyard, providing the Eucharist to nourish the lives of the faithful. Three of our friars at the Dominican House of Studies were among the speakers at a recent North American theological conference on the priesthood at the Catholic University of America and Fr. Ezra Sullivan, O.P., wrote a book on the priest as Alter Christus or “another Christ.”

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our formation programs. Without your support and participation in our Dominican mission we would not be able to continue to prepare the young men God is sending us to serve as Dominican priests, providing the Eucharist to the people of God, faithfully teaching, and boldly preaching the saving truth of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls. We are so grateful to you.

In the Priestly Heart of Jesus Christ,