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July 13, 2023
Interview with Fr. Zak Boazman about Eucharistic Revival
Father Zak Boazman was appointed by Archbishop Coakley as the diocesan coordinator for the 2022-2025 Eucharistic Revival - the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops initiative aimed at restoring the understanding, devotion and worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. He coordinates efforts of the Eucharistic Revival in the archdiocese and communicates the progress with the national team in Washington D.C.
Father Boazman also functions as the associate director of the Secretariat for Divine Worship for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, sacramental minister at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and chaplain of Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School.
His personal devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Eucharistic adoration have grown immensely throughout his priestly vocation, but particularly during his studies at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, where the Holy Hour was an integral part of the daily schedule for all seminarians.
On June 11 (the Feast of Corpus Christi) the Eucharistic Revival initiative entered the parish revival stage, following the year of archdiocesan revival. Father Boazman explained the importance of the Eucharistic Revival for Catholics, and shared advice on how to become actively involved in this transforming initiative, especially in the local parish communities, to benefit spiritually from this unique opportunity.
What is the purpose, goals and the meaning of the Eucharistic Revival for Catholics?
The purpose is to engage Catholics with our Eucharistic faith in a deeper way in response to the decreasing Eucharistic devotion in the United States. The Eucharistic Revival has two distinct goals: to reenkindle and strengthen Catholic faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and to present our faith and the gift of the Eucharist to those who are not Catholic yet.
As Catholics, we are Eucharistic people who are hungry for God and hungry to belong to a community of devoted believers. In the Eucharist we find satisfaction to this hunger.
The 2022-2025 Eucharistic Revival is only a U.S. initiative. Is it more important for the United States than for other countries in the world?
It is equally important to speak about and adopt the Eucharistic Revival in the U.S. as anywhere else in the world. However, it is needed urgently in the U.S., particularly because we are an economically prosperous country with many material resources which can easily blind the prudent perspective of people and make them lose sight of their spiritual hunger for God. The pandemic served to reveal this blindness, and so a Eucharistic revival is opportune at this time.
What does it mean practically to be involved in the Eucharistic Revival at the parish level compared to the archdiocesan level?
In this new stage of parish revival, parishioners, parish group leaders and volunteers need to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance on how the Lord desires to use them as individual members of their parish communities in spreading the message of the Eucharistic Revival.
In parishes the faithful can expect Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic adoration, catechetical events such as a workshop series exploring the meaning of the Holy Eucharist and adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and small group discussions about the Real Eucharistic Presence combined with testimonies about personal encounters with Christ in the Eucharist.
The Eucharistic Revival is a grassroot movement; therefore, all Catholics are invited and should feel empowered to share their ideas with their pastors about possible initiatives and activities to expand the experience of Eucharistic renewal for all parish members, both young and adult.
Eucharistic Revival is targeted toward personal revival of mind and heart of each Catholic but also the revival of the Church - the Mystical Body of Christ. How can these two revival levels be experienced and lived out simultaneously?
Through the Eucharistic Revival, Catholics should first and foremost find a deeper meaning of the Eucharist in their personal lives by asking themselves, “What does the celebration of the Eucharist mean to me?” and “Why do I go to church on Sunday or on other days?” This personal reflection is practically the first place where the Eucharistic revival begins in people’s hearts and lives.
As the community of believers, Catholics can engage in the Eucharistic Revival through joint prayers (especially the Eucharistic adoration) and participation in the Church’s activities, for instance, the pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis, Ind. Through events of this kind, they will not only become missionary witnesses to the Eucharist along with tens of thousands of other Catholics from around the country, but they will also be built up in their personal Eucharistic faith, enlivened in their devotion to Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist, and be better prepared to encourage others to remain faithful and steadfast in the devotion to Eucharistic Jesus.
What spiritual benefits can Catholics expect as a fruit of Eucharistic Revival?
The Lord desires to grant special graces to the Church in the U.S. because we ask for it. The U.S. bishops have urged to make a good use of this time to allow the Lord to pour out his love into our hearts. No matter where you are in your journey of faith, be open to the Eucharistic Revival and the renewal of your heart and mind which you will experience when you actively and unreservedly devote your time and energy to be a part of this historical movement of the Church.
Also, pray for the Eucharistic renewal in the hearts of priests who are special ministers of the Eucharist. Eucharistic revival begins and ends with priests.
How can young people be drawn closer to the Eucharist through the Eucharistic Revival?
The archdiocese has been very successful with bringing together young Catholics for Summit Nights - monthly nights of adoration along with music worship held on each third Thursday of each month (7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. The underlying gift of the Eucharistic Revival for young people is that they can find in each other a common element of Catholic faith in which they make up the Mystical Body of Christ.
What would you say to Catholics to animate them to become actively involved in the Eucharistic Revival in their parishes?
Be courageous and creative; invite others to a faithful and meaningful participation in the Mass but also to contemplate the mystery of the Eucharist, especially in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Take time to learn more through the Scripture, the Eucharistic Revival website (eucharisticrevival.org) and other resources about the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, what is actually happening during Mass and what it means to you as an individual Catholic but also to all Catholics as the community of faith. Sign up for the weekly Eucharistic Revival newsletter, enroll in online prayer groups and consider joining or starting a small prayer group in your own parish.
What is your final advice about Eucharistic revival to young and adult Catholics?
The Eucharistic Revival is not just a program or a period in the history of the Church, but this time is a beginning of something new and we have this singular opportunity to participate in it. Although the U.S. bishops have called for the emphasis for 2022-2025, Eucharistic revival is an ongoing deepening of our Catholic faith. We are called to be Eucharistic people and to live the sacrificial mystery of Jesus in our very lives.
Jad Ziolkowska is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
St. Alphonsus Liguori’s prayer to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament
My Lord Jesus Christ, for the love which Thou dost bear to men, Thou dost remain night and day in this Sacrament full of compassion and of love, awaiting, calling, and welcoming all who come to visit Thee. I believe that Thou art present in the Sacrament of the Altar: I adore Thee from the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank Thee for all the graces which Thou hast bestowed upon me and in particular for having given me Thyself in this Sacrament, for having given me Thy Holy Mother Mary for my advocate, and for having called me to visit Thee in this chapel. I now salute Thy most loving Heart: and this for three ends:
1. In thanksgiving for this great gift;
2. To make amends to Thee for all the outrages which Thou dost receive in this Sacrament from all Thine enemies;
3. I intend by this visit to adore Thee in all the places on earth in which Thou are the least revered and the most abandoned.
My Jesus, I love Thee with all my heart. I grieve for having so many times offended Thine infinite goodness. I promise with Thy grace never more to offend Thee in the future.
Now, miserable and unworthy though I be, I consecrate myself to Thee without reserve; I give Thee my entire will, my affections, my desires, and all that I possess. From now on dispose of me and of all that I have as Thou dost please. All that I ask of Thee and desire is Thy holy love, final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the Holy Souls in Purgatory; but especially those who had the greatest devotion to the most Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to Thee all poor sinners.
My dearest Savior, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy most loving Heart; and I offer them, thus united, to Thine Eternal Father, and beseech Him in Thy Name to vouchsafe, for Thy love, to accept them. Amen.
Photo: Jad Ziolkowska/Sooner Catholic.
