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The Men of the Eucharist came from an inspiration in prayer before Jesus during adoration. Keith Doucette began praying early in 2008 every Friday morning in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cumberland wanting to enrich his spiritual life. Mike Seguin joined him in the fall of 2008 to share this morning worship. One morning in early 2009 during the rosary they both stopped praying and looking at each other simultaneously felt they were being asked to invite other men to join them in prayer.
On Good Friday, April 2009 twelve men gathered to begin what would become the Men of the Eucharist. A priest was asked to join the group that morning, (the significance of the numbers was not wasted on the group) to offer a blessing at this beginning.
Now, some of the Men of the Eucharist, meet every First Friday of the month, in prayer, adoration and discussion of men's issues enriching their relationship with the Lord and each other.
The Men of the Eucharist movement exists to glorify the mercy of God, to proclaim the truth of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and to acknowledge the authority of the Catholic Church, through the Holy Father. This authority given by Christ to His Church is to guard the deposit of faith and to bind and loose with respect to faith and morals. (Mt.16:13-20)
The Men of the Eucharist are defenders of the faith and in a spirit of Knights of old, battle to reclaim the holy land, the sacredness of their own hearts, their families, parishes, and communities. They are pro-life and pro-family, pray for priests and vocations.
The Men of the Eucharist are called to bring a message of mercy to a hurting world and to exercise their faith through the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.
Devotion to Mary
It is hoped that the Men of the Eucharist will be consecrated to Mary through the Brown Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel. On the Cross, Jesus gave Mary to St. John, the figure of every man. Mary is the Mother and Woman of the Eucharist and so her sons are Men of the Eucharist. Like John then, we stand at the foot of the cross drawing life from Jesus Crucified, we kneel before the Blessed Sacrament in union with our God to claim this sacredness of life.
Mary’s greatness resided in her Fiat, her Yes, her discipleship and the Men draw this grace from her presence.
"At the root of the Eucharist is the virginal and maternal life of Mary." (Pope John Paul II)
Challenges for Today
One of the great challenges the Church faces today is the lack of belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, that He is present body, blood, soul, and divinity, that the Eucharist is real and substantial.
This lack of belief is played out in the rejection of the Church and its teachings. Blessed Pope John Paul II said that to reject the Church is to reject Christ. To reject Christ is to reject Jesus in the Eucharist.
If Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
as He Himself has said,and He is fully present in the Eucharist,
and the Eucharist is born out of the Church,
(it does not exist in isolation)then what the Church teaches, must be true
or it could not give birth to
Jesus in the Eucharist who is Truth, the Way, and the Life.We can only give birth to that which is of our essence, so for the Church to give birth to Truth, it itself, in its essence, in the area of faith and morals, cannot be false.
The rejection then that we experience in the Church is of a Eucharistic nature.
Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millenio Ineunte calls the entire Church to put aside all fear and pursue daring Apostolic goals, which are deeply rooted in prayer. The pope’s clarion call is a return to our first priority, a universal call to holiness. This holiness is found, the Pope suggests, in these ‘Schools of Prayer’, in the ‘Art of Prayer’.
Both Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict XVI have stated emphatically that the future of the Church is found in small Christian communities and this is the impetus for the Men of the Eucharist. As men gathered in prayer for others, they are brought more fully into the art and the school of prayer and a greater holiness of life.
"In order to evangelize the world we need experts in celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Holy Eucharist." (Pope John Paul II)
Again, in his Apostolic Letter Novo Millenio Ineunte, the Holy Father wrote, “The time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living: the whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this direction. It is also clear however that the paths to holiness are personal and call for a genuine ‘training in holiness’, adapted to peoples needs.”
“This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer... Yes, brothers and sisters our Christian communities must become genuine schools of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly falls in love”. (NMI 32, 33)
Gatherings
The Men of the Eucharist gather each Friday morning in two locations, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kanata and St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Cumberland. They study Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Rich in Mercy, and the Diary of St. Faustina.
The Men of the Eucharist have embarked on an exciting new journey of faith, 'Becoming the man God created you to be'. with Fr. Larry Richard's DVD series, 'Be a Man'. This series is powerful and inspiring! Fr. Larry says, "you won't be bored and your life will change".
These evenings commence at 1800 hours (6 pm) every First Friday of the month with Adoration followed by the series at 1900 hours (7 pm), at the Ottawa Diocesan Centre 1247 kilborn Place.
For more information contact Keith Doucette 613-325-5447 or jp2centreottawa@gmail.com
"The Eucharist is the heart of the Church. Where Eucharistic life flourishes, there the life of the Church will blossom." (Pope John Paul II)