Advent – Christmas Time 2025
Dear Friends and Family of the Blessed Sacrament Religious:
We are so grateful to God for this special 125th Anniversary Year. It was truly a gifted, Jubilee Year, where we had wonderful celebrations across the United States of which many of you were able to participate and renew friendships, share in a Mass and/or retreat day, and enjoy the company of the Eymardian Family (SSS). Thank you for your kind prayers and support!
We had many highlights for the year, beginning at our first foundation in New York City:
- Bishop Ed Whalen reminding us of the Eucharistic Fire that burns still strong in the hearts of the Blessed Sacrament Community, its Associates and volunteer companions.
- That fire led us to celebrate another event with Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller in San Antonio reminding us of Saint Joseph and the quiet way he lived the faith and the faithful ways we live our SSS charism in our world today.
- Bishop Edward Malesic of the Diocese of Cleveland offered an amazing homily and thanks to the SSS for the ways we have formed the church of the USA in a Eucharistic style of evangelizing and prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We came to certain diocese to have Eucharistic Congresses and share Eymard’s style of prayer, the “4-ends of Sacrifice of the Mass” that guide all Eymardian disciples even still.
Other highlights included:
- The amazing journey that our Superior General from Rome, Father Philip Benzy Romician, SSS entered into during his canonical visitation in August and early September, sharing in the life of the Province of Saint Ann. His reminder of our connection to the international Blessed Sacrament Community.
- Our recent Province Associates Zoom Meeting with Father Simon Peter Zikusooka, SSS (from Uganda) gave a face and voice to the internationality of our order between the needs around the globe for supporting the men in formation and our USA founding of this mission in 1959.
- Our Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing organized retreats and formation to become an Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, especially in Spanish.
- We published a third edition of Tomorrow Will Be Too Late Be Too Late – the Life of our Founder Saint Peter Julian Eymard by Father Norman Pelletier, SSS.
- The jubilee resurrected an online version of Emmanuel Magazine to share the theology, spirituality, prayer and liturgy around Eucharistic spirituality and the heritage of the award-winning magazine that began in 1895 through 2021; now it continues thanks to your support.
As we conclude this 125th Anniversary year, would you be so kind to consider a year-end gift to support our mission for the next year(s)?
Your gift, in honor of our 125 years, will support many aspects of our life, for instance:
- We recently had one of our faithful men, Father Bernard Camiré retire to Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio. He and the other 6 men there pray for you each day and appreciate your funding of their health care.
- We also appreciate your support for our man in formation, novice Matthew Vlastelica.
- Perhaps you can support the ongoing work of the CEE or our new efforts of Eucharistic evangelizing and publishing through Emmanuel Magazine and our media?
Your tax-deductible contribution will be greatly appreciated – and we will keep you in our prayers and a special year-end Jubilee Mass on January 6, 2026 at Saint Ann Shrine, now a Diocesan Shrine of Cleveland.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Eucharistic mission and our daily life of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. Without you, we could not thrive and share our mission of Eucharistic love. Be assured of our constant affinity, affection and prayers and may your generosity and kindness be matched by that of the spirit of this season of giving which “God with us” made known in a manager – a food basket – so that we may continue to feed the hungers of the world with our religious serving here in the USA and across the globe.
God bless you and let us continue to pray for each other! Merry Christmas & Happy 2026!
In Christ our Eucharist,
Very Reverend John Thomas J. Lane, SSS
14th Provincial Superior
