Each year the Eastern Catholic Eparchial Directors of Religious Education (ECED) prepare and distribute resource materials to our parishes for Catechetical Sunday.

Due to the pandemic, Covid-19, many parishes have adjusted their liturgical services and Eastern Christian Formation programs to assure the safety and well being of their parishioners.  In some instances this has resulted in the faithful not having the opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist as frequently as they have in the past. Now is an opportune time to reflect on this Mystery and gain a deeper appreciation of the gift that has been given to us.

In his 24 Lectures entitled, Jerusalem Catechesis, St. Clement of Alexandria reminds us. “From the very beginning of Christian history, holy men and women have reflected on Christ’s presence in the Holy Eucharist.  They taught the sacred transformation that occurs in the Eucharistic Liturgy is a sign and a cause of the transformation that should occur in the lives of all those who receive this Mystery.”

  Resources provided:

The God With Us curriculum builds upon the faith initiated through Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Eucharist.  In the curriculum you will find the following lessons on the Holy Eucharist as an additional resource for reflection:

Pre-K-Lesson 10-“I’m Thankful for Holy Communion”

Kdgn.-Lesson 22-“We Receive Jesus”

Grade 1-Lesson 21-“We Receive Holy Communion”

Grade 2-Lesson 13-“I Receive the Bread of Life”

Grade 3-Lesson 15-“As Church We Receive”

Grade 4-Lesson 20-“Living in God’s Love”

Grade 5-Lesson 8-“The Liturgy Enables Us to be the Church”

Grade 6-Lesson 27-“Pascha, the New Passover”

Grade 7-Lesson 13-“We Are Sharers in Jesus’ Victory”

Grade 8-Lesson 5-“Holy Eucharist Nourishes Us on Our Journey”

Catechists and parents who might be dealing with a different catechetical format during these unprecedented times, please know ECED membership supports and encourages you to continue  teaching the faith.  In the tradition of our Church, children and youth receive the Holy Eucharist along with Baptism and Chrismation.  What a treasure!  In the new 2020 Directory for Catechesis published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)  we are reminded, “The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions, liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and the established standards of the Christian Life of the Eastern Churches, for in them, distinguished as they are for their venerable antiquity, there remains conspicuous the tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers and that forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church.  These treasures have always contributed to evangelization.  The Catholic Church affirms repeatedly that the members of the Eastern Churches have the right and the duty to preserve them, to know them, and to live them, doing all they can to avoid losing their identity.”  (2. The Eastern Churches #290)

As we begin the new catechetical year 2020 let us take time to meditate on the reflections, grow in our love and gratitude for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, sharing that love with those entrusted to our care.  May we all Faith-fully navigate through this pandemic, knowing and trusting that God is With Us.