Volume 12, Number 2: Summer 2004

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From the Director

“Stay with us, Lord...” are the words we use to begin this new liturgical year, The Year of the Eucharist. The words are taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke telling of the disciples of Emmaus who recognized the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread after speaking with this stranger on the journey and hearing the Scriptures explained to them. Their hearts were burning within them as he
spoke to them of his suffering and death.

“Stay with us, Lord...” are the words our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, used to begin his Apostolic Letter, “Mane Nobiscum Domine,” offering spiritual guidelines for making the coming year one that is focused on living fully aspects of the Eucharistic mystery: “The Eucharist is a mystery of light!” Pope John Paul II states that the Eucharist is light above all because at every Mass the Liturgy of the Word of God precedes the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the unity of the two “tables,” the table of the word and the table of the bread. In reading this I could not but help to think of how the talks in the LITE seminar, both on nourishment and
reconciliation, place the table as central to the Eucharist as a place where we are fed and forgiven.

“Stay with us, Lord...” is also the theme of the coming General Chapter of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation to be held in Lyon, France between May 23 and June 11. A number of preparatory sessions are planned in preparation for this important General Chapter. Among these events is a Province Retreat that will bring the SSS and lay associates together for prayer and reflection in Winter Park, Florida between January 31 and February 4. These days are special days for the SSS as they mark the birthday and baptism of Saint Peter Julian Eymard.

“Stay with us, Lord...” are the words we find in the hearts of many of the LITE team members as you read through this issue of HI LITE. You will see firsthand whatour Life In The Eucharist ministry has accomplished and the various ways it has been a transformative experience in peoples’ lives. In a particular way I wish to pray for all those who companion us along the journey in the ministry of Eucharistic Evangelizing. God has indeed blessed all of us in the call to proclaim the mystery of his love in the Eucharist through our LITE seminars. All the LITE teams are looking forward to sharing with others what they have received throughout the year.

Fr. William Fickel, sss
Director of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
Houston, Texas

BEING EUCHARIST TO OTHERS

By Shirley Pecjak (St. Justin Martyr–Eastlake, OH)

At St. Justin Martyr in Eastlake, Ohio, Our Life In The Eucharist team has been in existence since 1995. We have presented twelve programs from that time to
the present. Our one and only program outside our parish was at a nearby church, St. John Vianney where it was very well attended. It was an awesome experience for us as well as the participants.
On October 30 and 31 of this year, we presented LITE at another parish close to us, St. Mary in Painsville, Ohio. Their leaders were very excited to have us come
and had been working very hard with their publicity campaign. Fr. Bill Fickel, SSS was in town and joined us for the program.

In our own parish, St. Justin Martyr, we are planning a LITE Renewal on Saturday, February 19, 2005 to replace the regular weekend format. Even
though it is being called a renewal, we will be opening it to all the parishioners in hope that we will be able to spark some interest in those who have not previously
attended as well as provide a refreshing experience for those who have attended the weekend program.

On March 11 and 12, we will be traveling to yet another parish in Lake County, St. Anthony of Padua in Fairport Harbor. They are interested in either a five day
mission or a Friday -Saturday program. This will be a new experience for us since we have never presented LITE in this format before. Our LITE team has been waiting to present LITE outside our own parish for a long time. The wonderful thing about these invitations at this time is that it coincides with Pope John Paul’s encyclical on the Eucharist, naming this the “Year of the Eucharist.”

What better way to celebrate than by helping others deepen their spirituality and understanding of the Eucharist. I personally would like to thank Fr. Bob
Rousseau and the Blessed Sacrament Congregation for giving lay persons the opportunities to collaborate and share with them in helping each other to betterunderstand and grow in our Eucharistic spirituality. Loretta Vanagas, a member of our team, has volunteered to share her personal experience of LITE in
this issue of HI LITE. Through her participation as a team member, she has become a wonderful example of being Eucharist to others. She gives so much of her time and shares her talents to assist in helping to prepare for the weekend experiences. She is a great example to us of how to nourishe others in many ways.

Sharing by Loretta Vanagas
St. Justin Martyr -- Eastlake, Ohio

My experience with LITE has gone from joy and jubilation to tears and sorrow and everything in between. I initially attended by first LITE weekend in 1996. The experience was okay but not really life shaking, not that in depth. But what followed, I truly believe, was guided by the Holy Spirit and continues to be guided by Him.
I had said I would be willing to become a team member but felt also there really wasn’t much room in my life for one more commitment. But somehow everything fell into place and I was able to attend all the training sessions.

The discernment process I experienced was a first for me. Never before did I have someone tell me what they saw in me regarding my religion. I always looked at that as personal, not spoken about, let alone shared with a room full of people. I was amazed at what I was hearing, yet quite comfortable with it. That was the first step in my process. I was told I was seen as fitting quite nicely in the “nourishment” aspect of Eucharist. I wholeheartedly agreed even though “abiding presence” plays an extremely significant part in my life also. Of course without being nourished by Eucharist, his abiding presence would not have as much significance.

The next step involved taking a serious look at my life and examining how Eucharist had nourished me, to write all this down and then present my reflections to my peers. My approach to this “witness” to Nourishment was simple and ordinary. That’s how I saw my life – simple and ordinary: nothing any different than
most people. Now I really felt the Holy Spirit working here as my life passed before me and the many trials and tribulations were examined. My father’s sudden death
at age 62, my daughter’s pregnancy at age 17, my sister-in-law’s battle with breast cancer and her ultimate death at age 49, and my father-in-law’s death from lung
cancer. These were all ordinary events in my life which were being handled in extra ordinary ways of calm and peace guided by the Holy Spirit and nourished quite
regularly by Jesus Christ in the Eucharist – his gift of thanksgiving.

Over the years of being a LITE team member, I have encountered many different people from various walks of life, some of whom have shared many of the same hardships. Through LITE, each and every one of them were able to gain the insight into Eucharist and the gift that Jesus Christ really gave to all of us.A few years ago I was asked to do a teaching on the Nourishment of Eucharist. Again, I felt truly led by the Holy Spirit in my understanding of this teaching. I came up with so many examples of what Jesus has taught us, what He wants us to do with our lives and how we need to look at others in our lives. But to accomplish all this, there is one thing we must have – FAITH! We have all heard the saying “if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move mountains.”

For our faith to grow, it must be nourished. Jesus nourishes us with His life giving body and blood, His Eucharist. Over the years I have still encountered many of life’s hardships and challenges but I have been able to face them, to work through them and then to go on and continue with life. Each time I take part in a LITE program I have encountered someone or some thought that helps me to grow and see what the Holy Spirit does for me and those around me. My faith in Jesus Christ and Hisgift of everlasting presence in the Eucharist sustains me, nourishes me, calms me and brings me peace.

Power of the Eucharist
by George Hand (Atlanta SouthernTeam and Emmanuella Medina (Atlanta Northern Team)

We are blessed in the Archdiocese of Atlanta to have the Eucharistic inspiration of Archbishop John F. Donoghue. From his pastoral letter on the Eucharist,
December 12, 1993, he says: “... I write to you in praise of that singular miracle which Jesus Christ has given the Church as the wellspring of our salvation and the ultimate meaning of our individual lives, the Holy Eucharist.” Under his devoted leadership, Eucharistic Renewal and the Life In The Eucharist Seminars have
continued to flourish in the Archdiocese of Atlanta since 1996.

As a member of Atlanta’s Southern LITES “Bethlehem” team, I have experienced a new sense of love and excitement for our Eucharistic Lord and our
neighbors due to the seminars. We are fortunate to have twelve dedicated members, most of whom have been with the team since its beginning, three of which
are deacons. Our team’s newest deacon, Mike Landaiche, was honored to celebrate his first Benediction and Eucharistic blessing service at our recent seminar at Holy Trinity, his home parish. The spiritual experience was deeply moving for everyone.During each seminar, I am amazed at how the different team members touch the hearts of the participants, and then how the participants touch the hearts of one another. The common thread is everyone’s belief and love in the power of the real
presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is perhaps somewhat like Jesus must feel when he gives his love and himself to us in the Eucharist, and we share his love with one another and back to him and the Father. The love and joy in giving and sharing God’s love is so exciting, it makes you truly feel that you are part of the mystical body of Christ.

Through the power of the Eucharist, these seminars are responsible for the conversion of many hearts and souls. A very close friend of ours attributes
the seminar at St. George Parish for his conversion from the Jewish faith to Catholicism. He and his wife are now leaders of faith in the community, founders of a
Catholic homeschool group, and are blessed with six spiritfilled children of their own. LITE continues to spread in the northern area of the Archdiocese as well, thanks to the efforts of our northern “Emmaus” team. They started this year with a wonderful oneday seminar at St. Monica’s parish, having nearly a hundred participants. The large number of couples, families, and men in attendance was very encouraging, thanks to the active participation of the pastor, Fr. Greg Golsby, & parochial vicar, Fr. Chito Palang. Their team’s newly-ordained deacon, Mike Byrne, led the participants in the powerful Eucharistic prayer service and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which proved to be a most touching, lifechanging experience. Participants left that day with a renewed and deepened appreciation of the Eucharist
in their lives. As a result, Eucharistic Adoration and Celebration at St. Monica’s continues to grow in numbers.Emmanuela Medina, coordinator for the “Emmaus” team, reports the following: “LITE has been a most effective tool for evangelization. Seminar participants find it a wellrounded approach to the elements of Eucharistic spirituality. Members of the team feel they have been blessed and want to proclaim and give witness to God’s goodness and love through Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It’s like a beggar pointing out to another beggar ‘The Bread Of Life’. So encouraged by our Holy Father’s apostolic letter, ‘Duc in Altum’, we continue to launch out into the deep of prayer and into the deep of our mission of Eucharistic evangelization and lower our nets for a catch. To God be the Glory!” Thanks to our LITES Archdiocesan coordinator and trainer, Dottie O’Connor, eight new team members were trained this summer. The new members bring fresh enthusiasm andcommitment to the work of Eucharistic renewal and evangelization. We are pleased to welcome: Maureen Alexander, Julie Cox, Mitchell Fagan, Santi Hayo, David McLaughlin, Eileen Morrell, Nestor and Amy Rodriguez.Some of the fruits of our labor are seen each year. There are now ten parishes in the Archdiocese with perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and many more parishes with weekly and monthly Adoration. Also, at the annual Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress, there
continues to be an increase in attendance. Thousands of people from every walk of life and culture join with Archbishop Donoghue to proudly give witness to their faith in Jesus Christ’s true presence in the Holy Eucharist. We are indeed blessed to be part of this “Life In The Eucharist” Archdiocesan team effort.

LITE Has Nourished Us
by Tomas and Nereida Rodriguez, Corpus Christi Parish -- Houston, TX (Members of the only Bi-Lingual LITE Team in the United States)

We’d like to tell you about a journey, our journey – who we are; where we came from and where we’re going. We are Nereida and Tomas Rodriguez, born in
Cuba and married in Havana in November, 1958. Two years later, in 1961 we left our homeland because we did not want to raise our two children under the
communist regime that was so evident at that time. We had no money, no plans, no future, but we had God and that was enough. It was not an easy journey! We
arrived in St. Louis, Missouri in January of that year. It was very cold and difficult; we didn’t have winter clothes. We stayed with relatives in a very small house
for three months. Finally Tom found a job in Chicago. He is a graduate engineer from Louisiana State University. Our adventure started in the “Windy City”
with the cold, the snow and the language. Tom taught me how to drive on the freeway – a very scary experience, I still don’t know how I survived. We moved
to a garden apartment where we could see people’s feet walking by when we looked out the window. It was kind of a basement apartment. We attended church and made new friends and people showered us with much-needed material goods, kindness, friendship and compassion. We stayed in Chicago for five cold and windy years. We had two more babies and experienced joy and sadness, worries and trust, uncertainties and faith

.In 1966, by the grace of God, Tom found a job in this wonderful and hot city, Houston. We missed our old friends but made new friends. We moved to a nice big
house and in 1971 had another baby, the last of five(two boys and three girls). Also during our first year in Houston, we had the honor and the privilege to become
USA Citizens, of which we are very proud. We love this country and our fellow Americans who welcomed ushere with open arms. Thank you! Thank y’all!

We joined Corpus Christi Parish in 1967. Life was good, but only got better when the Blessed Sacrament Community came to our parish in 1987. We were blessed and even more than blessed when God visited us in the person of Father Bob Rousseau who introduced us to the Life In The Eucharist Seminar.
Training started in English but we decided to wait for the Spanish version of the LITE Seminar. Finally in October,1996 we had the first bilingual seminar at St.Francis de Sales in Houston. That was the turning point of our lives. From being spectators, we became participants. We realized that we have a gift to share
with others and we were ready to do it. We have had our ups and downs, weaknesses and strengths but we still are here as a team, walking with God and always ready to serve. LITE has nourished us, made us aware of His constant presence, transformed us into forgiving people and given us the freedom to love unconditionally. LITE has changed us inside out because now the Eucharist has become the center of
our lives. We are in our journey of faith guided by God.

Only He knows where, when and what is next but we trust and walk in faith and follow Him. “Here we are Lord, your servants are listening!” The comments we receive from seminar participants continue to inspire us. Many participants expressed their feelings beautifully and we would like to share some of those comments with the readers of HI LITE:
• We discovered that Jesus is always with us and His arms are extended to embrace us; we want to learn everything about the Eucharist and Jesus who is always
waiting for us.

• It was moving to listen to God talking through other people.

• The shared stories made me feel closer to God.

• It was wonderful to feel the freedom to talk about the great love of God, to listen and share more the love of Christ with my brothers and sisters through the blessed Sacrament.

• I learned a different way of living my catholic faith.

• It takes time to develop a relationship with God based on love and forgiveness but it is not difficult when we realize that God manifests
His love for us in every moment.

• The team showed me how we should be willing and ready to serve, to know God more deeply.

• It was a beautiful experience and I thank God for letting me participate in this LITE Seminar.

We believe that because of LITE we are better Christians today and our knowledge and love of our God in the Eucharist has deepened, increased and
made us more aware of His presence in our brothers and sisters and in our daily life. For all the above we thank God and trust in Him because the best is yet to
come.

New Spiritual Awakening
By Gerrie Cek -- St. Paschal Baylon in Cleveland, OH

My “Life In The Eucharist” truly began in April, 1990 when Fr. Bob Rousseau introduced a group of us at St. Paschal’s, to the LITE Seminar. Under the guidance of Fr. Frank Costa and later Fr. Tony Schueller and now Fr. Tom Smithson and my LITE “family”, my eucharistic awareness has brought me closer to the Lord than I could ever have anticipated.

Not too long ago, when I was younger (I say that with tongue in cheek.), Eucharist was “receiving the body and blood of Christ” as I was taught in The Baltimore Catechism by the good sisters of Notre Dame. Through LITE, a realization of the “whole” concept of the Eucharist gave me a new spiritual awakening. My LITE “family” and I spiritually nurture each other, and earnestly share our desire and love for the Eucharist through our presentations.

Every time I give a presentation at the LITE seminar, or as some have called it, a retreat, a new invigorating spark of love for the Eucharist is enkindled, by the enthusiasm of the participants who share their thoughts and inner feelings. Through my first years, I felt a discernment to do the Nourishment teaching. With each presentation I became more aware of increasing ways that the Eucharist nourishes. Repetition is good for the mind and the soul. We know that Jesus came as God’sfood to a hungry creation. But, if you are not hungry, you cannot be filled; and when Mary exclaimed in her beautiful Magnificat, “He has filled the hungry withgood things and sent the rich away with empty hands” (Luke 1;53), we see that even as a babe in a manger, he began filling the hearts of the kings and shepherdswith great hope and expectations for they were hungry and had been longing for their Lord. We ourselves hunger for the Lord and we anticipate receivinghim in table fellowship when we attend the celebration of the Mass knowing that we are continually nourished as “Disciples of Christ.”

I remember one snowbound wintry day (which can happen overnight here in Cleveland), when roads were closed, and for some of our LITE family it was impossibleto attend the last day of a seminar we were giving. We called each other to determine what to do. A few of us managed to shovel ourselves out and as we made our way over to the church which was about 20 or more miles away (although it seemed more like 40 miles), we made last minute plans. We had to improvise since none of us had ever done this segment of the seminar before. We prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and guide us, to help us continue this spiritual journey, to the satisfaction of the participants. (We hoped they were still waiting for us.)Upon our arrival we found they were enjoying themselves singingsongs and when they saw us, they said, “We knew you’d be here!” – we were only two hours late.

But for each one of us on that day, it wasn’t only a first for the participants, but also a first for us. It was a learning process and a quick spiritual adaption. To me, the closing Mass was a Mass of thanksgiving to our Lord for his loving guidance. We know our Lord sometimes challenges us and this was one of those times. But let me tell you, at the end of the day, we enjoyed the agape very much! The Lord has also led me to give a witness on reconciliation which I have been doing for a couple of years.

A humble feeling of christian satisfaction overcomes me when someone wants to talk to me about my witness and share with me their own personal experience. I pray that my own story may help someone who may need to hear it.Many have spoken these words, and I endorse this message – the Mass and the Eucharist is more meaningful to me now.” We hear this time and time again from people who have attended the LITE experience. I know in my heart that if this is true, ourevangelization has reaped its rewards. Thank you, Fr. Bob Rousseau!

All Things Are Possible Through Christ
By Bubba Pizzitola, Corpus Christi Parish -- Houston, TX

In Scripture, St. Paul states that of all the disciples of Christ, he is the least. I can identify with St. Paul so well. Although my conversion did not come about as abrubtly or dramatically, through God’s grace, I have accepted the call to ministry, not because of ability, worthiness, or holiness, but
through my belief that I am doing what God has called me todo. My experiences over the past few years have led me to
believe strongly that every Catholic – every Christian – is called by God to help build up His kingdom. Everything is possible through Christ, and this is my story. I cannot begin without acknowledging that this story would not be possible without the love and support of my wife of 33 years, Patty. Although this story is about my involvement in LITE, know that she has been, and will be, with me every second. Patty is also a member of LITE at Corpus Christi parish in Houston Texas.

As a child and adolescent, twelve years of Catholic schools filled me with “guilt.” Going to church was a duty for other people, not for me. But 20 years ago I underwent a strong conversion and returned to Church. I was filled with enthusiasm and love for God. Patty and I soon became youth ministers at our parish.

After a few years of youth ministry, Patty and I attended, and where later asked to consider presenting, the LITE seminar. Like everyone else I thought, “Why me?”God could not possibly be asking me, an introvert with little knowledge of Scripture or Church teaching, to talk to a group of strangers on a subject I knew so little about. During the LITE team formation period I realized very quickly that I could not offer anything of value from a teaching perspective. The articles given toread were too difficult to understand. During this same time I had been watching Christian television. Occasionally, people talked about God’s presence in their lives and how God helped them through a difficult time, or how God performed a miraculous healing. I found great comfort and encouragement in listening to these people.

These programs were the driving force that led me to look for God in the people and situations in my past. Little did I know that I had started on a great spiritual journey filled with personal experiences of God.During my early years the person who influenced me the most was my grandmother. “Motka” as we called her, was severely crippled from arthritis and had several complications from colon and bowel surgery. With no formal education, she could barely read. In spite of her illnesses and education level, what my grandmother would and could do very quickly and passionately was speak of her love for Jesus, and her passion
for going to Church on Sundays and receiving Holy Communion, a passion not based on reading the bible, but on a personal relationship with Christ. I decided to develop a witness based on my experiences with my grandmother, her love for Jesus, and the difficulties of growing up as a young adolescent.

Remembering my early years, I made present the intimate feelings of the unconditional love, the painful and traumatic days before her death, and the sense of loss felt for many years. I recalled my returning to Church and commitment to encountering the risen Christ on a personal level. Through these many days of tearful remembering, my witness was born. It was all I had to offer, my only hope of being part of the LITE team. Would the team accept my simple words about someone they didn’t know? Could I communicate the story, and my feelings, effectively? Although my witness was not directly based on any of the themes of the
seminar, it was warmly received. I became confident that I could contribute something of value. I gave my presentation in the “transformation” session of the seminar. After my presentation, people came up with tearsin their eyes to thank me for helping them remember God’s presence in the special people and situations of their lives.

In the past 15 years my simple words of God’s love have traveled to many parishes in Houston, and throughout Texas, and beyond. In 1993, Patty and I were asked to give a condensed version of the seminar to the Blessed Sacrament priests and brothers in Rome, which was the beginning of the
LITE movement internationally. We were part of a team thatgave a LITE seminar at the Eucharistic Congress in Poland. As part of a traveling team, we have traveled to California, Oklahoma, and Florida, and the journey continues. Throughout Scripture God uses unlikely people to perform His work. They are not always the holiest, or have the most ability. But at some point they become willing, willing to be open to the fullness of God’s Spirit.

God’s Plan for Me
by Trish Numbers, Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Macedonia, OH

So, who am I, this person named Trish Numbers? In addition to being a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s LITE team, I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, employee and many other things including a Multiple Sclerosis patient. The fact that I have MS is relevant because it was exactly two weeks prior to my diagnosis that I attended my first LITE seminar.

My symptoms began a few days before the seminar in late January, 1998 with a headache. No big deal, I got them frequently and had learned to cope with them. I attended the LITE seminar as planned and found it to be spiritually nourishing. What I did not realize at the time was that it was also a transforming experience. The headache intensified and I sought medical intervention. During the testing process, I found myself praying differently. The initial “God help me, please; don’t let me have MS” gave way to “Dear Lord, I know that you love me and have a plan for my life. If I do have MS, I accept this fate knowing you will be by my side to show me what to do with it.” That first LITE seminar put my relationship with my Heavenly Father in perspective, allowing me to confront my eventual diagnosis with theconfidence that He will always take care of me.

Through much meditation on the last 18 years, I have come to realize that I have had MS at least that long, and that God has been taking care of me all the while. I have determined that God’s plan for me is to be an example . . . an example of a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, who just happens to have a potentially debilitating illness. He has shown me that the general public knows little and assumes much about MS; therefore I feel I must educate those around me about its characteristics. He has led me to work for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) so that I might nourish those I work with through knowledge and understanding of this disease, and He has led me to the LITE team to share my “transformation” with others in my faith community.

“Remember that when we have placed a Eucharistic spark in someone’s heart, we have planted there a divine seed of life and of all the virtues.” St. Peter Julian Eymard in a letter to Mme. Tholin-Bost (October 1851)

SSS International | Eucharistic Theology | SSS USA | Saint Peter Julian Eymard