Annual Theme

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” - 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 

The theme “Do this in remembrance of me” has been chosen for the 2021-2022 year of ministry as part of the Diocese of Arlington's three years of preparation leading up to the Golden Jubilee in 2024. Each of the preparatory years will have a specific focus and in this first year we are each invited to reflect especially on the Institution of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist! The “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324)! This is what St. Paul passes on to the first Christians in this Scripture reading. And this is what we are able to receive today: Our Lord Himself, in this wondrous sacrament! Jesus instituted the Eucharist to remain with us always. Each time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated, we remember and make present what Christ has done for us.

The Church has always held it to be true that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, but many people - even those who attend Mass each Sunday -  do not believe or understand this. The Eucharist is the Real Presence: body and blood, soul and divinity, Christ among us. This is not a symbol; it is no longer bread and wine but truly the Body and Blood of Our Lord. How do our lives and ministries reflect the reality of the Eucharistic Lord?

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, He directed the apostles to “Do this in remembrance of me.” What does that mean for you and I, today? The Catechism of the Catholic Church shares how we are called to respond: “We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present. We must therefore consider the Eucharist as: thanksgiving and praise to the Father; the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body; the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.” This is what is available to you at every celebration of the Mass and in every moment of prayer in front of our Eucharistic Lord. Christ did not ask us to do this for His sake but for ours. If we heed His command, our lives will be radically transformed.

St. Paul looks to the past to see what was given to him in the Eucharist and moves forward, handing it on to those that followed. Today we too look to the past, remembering what has been given to us in both the Eucharist and the mystical Body of Christ, the Church. As we prepare for the Golden Jubilee, we remember the many ways that Christ has been made present in the Diocese of Arlington. 

Join us in this year of remembrance as we both look back and move forward, ever aware of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who dwells among us in the Eucharist.

(En Espanol)

If you would like copies of this image for your youth, campus, or young adult ministry, please email Clarissa with your request and a brief description of how you plan to use the logo

Post Card Resource

“It is impossible to grasp the concept of evangelization unless one tries to keep in view all its essential elements.” - EN 17

In order to assist you with understanding the Church's language about the process of evangelization as well as contemporary verbiage we have provided a post card with what we hope will be some helpful visuals. Special thanks to the Diocese of Sioux Falls for the idea. See below for details.

front of card

This graphic illustrates the process of evangelization as described in ecclesial documents. We have also provided you with references to these documents that will help explain the individual steps in greater detail.

EN - Evangelii Nuntiandi - Paul VI

RM - Redemptoris Missio - John Paul II 

CT - Catechesi Tradendae - John Paul II 

GDC - General Directory for Catechesis - Congregation for Clergy 

back of card

The Five Thresholds of Conversion are the five steps that every person goes through on the path to discipleship as Sherry Weddell describes in her popular book, Forming Intentional Disciples. These steps are based on Doug Schaupp's work in evangelization at UCLA. For a very informative description of these five steps please watch this short video by Fr. Robert Barron.

The Pyramid of Spiritual Commitment: Duffy Robins describes a typical youth ministry program as a “mixed bag of kids whose commitments are all over the place.” The Pyramid of Spiritual Commitment provides an illustration of this point. In his book Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples he details what all of these spiritual commitments look like and later helps the reader understand what they can do to help teens move forward in their spiritual commitments.

The Four Earmarks of Discipleship are described in an article by Greg Ogden entitled, Making Disciples Jesus' Way: A Few at a Time. In this article he discusses his observations on the necessary components for building true and lasting disciples. In this article he asserts that disciples are made in relationship, not programs. He goes on to outline four earmarks or hallmarks of how a disciple relationship differs from a program. We especially like that he outlines a way to do this most effectively in small groups and not in a one-on-one relationship. The full article can be downloaded here.

Downloads

If you are interested in reproducing this postcard for your youth ministry program we have provided two versions for your convenience. The first is a pdf you can download and send to a printer to print your own copies of the postcard or you can download an 8.5 x 11 version that can easily be printed at your home or office.

If you have any questions on downloading or printing this resource please contact the Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries at 703-841-2559.