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| CRYS in the Media |
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www.catholicsun.org link to article: www.catholicsun.org/archives/feb3/singlesFocus.htm Archives • February 3, 2005 Issue Archive Singles focus on Christ in the Eucharist By Claudia I. Provencio The Catholic Sun Lorraine Toner said it wasn’t until she truly opened her heart to the Lord, that she fully grasped the beauty and sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist. Pictured, she pauses to reflect while sharing her experiences in the Eucharist. The St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner shared her conversion of heart during a day of renewal at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery Jan. 15. Nearly 30 participants attended the event, sponsored by the Catholic Retreats for Young Singles ministry, that included personal witness talks, Mass, adoration and social activities. After being away from the Church for more than a decade, Toner returned when her parish priest declared tuition assistance would only be available to parents who attend Mass regularly. “I’m a single mom,” she said. “So it was saving a buck that got my butt into church on Sunday, but that’s not what kept me there.” One day, the priest said the eucharistic prayer in a way she had never heard before, and she began to cry. “As I knelt at Mass and I stared at the Eucharist being held before me, the floodgates to my soul opened wide and I could feel Christ’s love flow through me,” Toner said. “It was a love like I had never felt from any human being. “That day when I went up to receive Communion, I was truly grateful and truly appreciative of the gift that the Eucharist really was.” In addition to experiencing Christ in the Mass, Dan Vanyo, president of CRYS, said the saving graces of the Eucharist are also available in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Two years ago, he began spending time in adoration daily and said the peace he feels in those times has prompted him to commit to daily Mass. He encouraged the group to research Mass times when traveling on vacation, just as one would book a hotel. Guest speaker Fr. Fred Adamson, vicar general of the diocese, praised CRYS for promoting the Church’s teachings and reemphasized the importance of praying in the presence of the Eucharist. “The very nature of our faith is to gather people together to find strength in Christ,” he said. Newcomer Ambria Hammel said the day helped her to gain a greater appreciation of Christ’s presence in Communion where the community of believers is “spiritually and physically receiving Christ.” |
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