Renewal begins in the Eucharist

​Something new is stirring at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

After months of prayer, planning and preparation, the parish launched its first Renewal Gathering Night, bringing parishioners and guests together around Faith, Food, and Fellowship.

The evening was not intended to be simply another parish event. It marked the beginning of an ongoing journey of renewal rooted in a simple conviction: authentic renewal happens when people encounter Jesus Christ, allow Him to change them, and carry that encounter into their homes, ministries, and community.

Participants were also encouraged to “bring someone with you.” That invitation captured the gathering's missionary spirit. Renewal is not meant to remain within ourselves. A parish becomes missionary when its members begin noticing and inviting those who may simply be waiting to be welcomed.

It was fitting that the first gathering focused on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Christian Life.

Following praise and worship and a shared meal, Fr. Avi offered a reflection centred on a challenging question: if a parish continued all its ministries, meetings, social activities and charitable works but stopped celebrating the Eucharist, would it still truly be the Church, or simply a very active organization?

His message was clear: The Church does not live from its programs. The Church lives from Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist is the source because everything begins with Christ giving Himself to us. It is the summit because everything the Church does should ultimately lead people into deeper communion with Him.

We come to the altar hungry. We leave carrying Christ.

From the altar to the mission

This insight lies at the heart of the Pastoral Renewal taking place at St. Mary’s Cathedral and throughout the Diocese of Calgary. Renewal is not simply about adding activities or asking volunteers to do more. It begins when our encounter with Jesus changes how we welcome strangers, notice the lonely, serve those in need, and accompany one another.

Fr. Avi reminded those involved in ministry: We do not serve so that Christ will love us; we serve because Christ has already loved and served us first.

Our gifts may appear ordinary: a warm greeting, an hour of our time, preparing a meal, visiting someone who is lonely, remembering someone’s name, or patiently listening to another person. Yet, like the bread and wine offered at the altar, ordinary gifts placed in Christ’s hands can become instruments of extraordinary grace.

A parishioner welcoming someone at the door, sitting beside a person who seems alone, or serving quietly behind the scenes may become the very means through which another person encounters Jesus.

Our “Amen” becomes mission

Fr. Avi also reflected on the word “Amen” spoken when receiving Holy Communion. It means more than simply acknowledging the Eucharist. It expresses:

Yes, Lord, I believe.
Yes, Lord, change me.
Yes, Lord, live through me.

When we receive the Body of Christ, we also accept the call to become the Body of Christ for others. This is why the Mass does not simply end. We are sent. The Christ received at the altar is carried into our homes, workplaces, neighbourhoods, hospitals and encounters with the poor, lonely and forgotten.

The pattern of renewal is therefore simple:

We receive Christ.
We carry Christ.
We bring Christ to others.

As the first Renewal Gathering Night concluded with praise and prayer, one thing was clear: the evening may have ended, but the journey of renewal had only begun.

St. Mary’s Cathedral is being called to become more than a place where people attend Mass or participate in programs. It is becoming a spiritual home where the hungry are fed, the lonely are noticed, the wounded are welcomed, the discouraged find hope, and all are invited to encounter Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the question at the heart of renewal is not simply, “What more can our parish do?”

​It is something more personal: “Having received Christ, whom is He sending me to today?”

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Submitted by Deacon Greg Bercelon. Photos from the St. Mary's Cathedral Parish Renewal Team.