The Diocese of Saginaw has invited the faithful to attend the diocesan kickoff Mass for the National Eucharistic Revival at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption.

“In May, Bishop Gruss invited all priests, deacons and directors of parish life from throughout the Diocese to join him at this Mass on June 19, which marks the beginning of the National Eucharistic Revival,” the diocese posted on Facebook this week. “You are invited to this Mass, which takes place on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.” 

The Eucharistic Revival is “a grassroots movement of Catholics, each responding to the gift of the Eucharist in their own way,” EucharisticRevival.org said. Catholics across the country were given the chance to participate in a novena from June 10-18 to prepare spiritually for the Revival.

"It's our mission to renew the Church by enkindling in God's people a living relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist," Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said in a video posted online. "We want everyone to encounter the love of Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist and to experience the life-changing effects of that love. We want to see a movement of Catholics across the United States that are healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and then sent out on mission for the life of the world." 

The National Eucharistic Revival is "central to the mission of the Church in the United States right now,” Cozzens said. 

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ, is a celebration of thanksgiving for the Eucharist, or Holy Communion; Office Holidays said. The feast day became popularized in the 13th century. It is traditionally celebrated with a Eucharistic procession, during which a priest carries the Eucharist in a monstrance and walks through the streets.