Joseph Charles
NORTHERN ARABIAN VICARIATE, FEBRUARY 11, 2012: Since few of the Eucharistic Ministers for Holy Communion Distribution left our parish in the year gone by, we felt a need to induct new ministers. The induction program has been initiated by Parish Priest and it will span 8 weeks beginning from the first week of February and will culminate with retreat in the last week of March.
The eight sessions are intended to prepare the twenty five new Ministers for the Parish of St. Therese and also provide an update to the already existing Ministers in the Northern Arabian Vicariate. The sessions are scheduled to be covered by Fr. Blany, Fr. Joy, Fr. Francis, Fr. Lionel and Fr. Franco. Fr. Francis, who is the spiritual director of the Eucharistic Ministers, explained the objectives of the training sessions.
The first of the eight session was held on Wednesday, February 08, 2012 and it was conducted by Fr. Joy. In his opening prayer, he reflected on how mother Mary carried Jesus not only in her womb, but to so many places and to so many people. He provided a brief introduction on the history of the Holy Communion starting from journey of the early Christians to Rome and their life of slavery. He explained how the early Christians lived in faith and reverence for the Holy Communion, while still being persecuted.
Fr. Joy shared the story of Tarcisius, who preferred death at the hands of a mob rather than deliver the Blessed Sacrament to them, which he was carrying to the prisoners. The story as narrated by Fr. Joy reflected how the early Christians valued the Holy Communion. The bread of the Strong, which was consumed after the consecration, but was later stored for distributing to the sick, prisoners and to the needy. Tarcisius, a little boy, who gave his life for the sake of the bread of Life, was one of the early martyrs and his feast is celebrated on August 15. He is also the patron saint of the First Holy Communicants. Since we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on that day, Tarcisius is eclipsed. He is not mentioned in the General Roman Calendar, but only in the Roman Martyrology.
The entire new group is both, excited and enthused, by the spiritual and intellectual nourishment provided to them. All we say is thanks to God for inviting us to be the Eucharistic Ministers and to the Salesian for their wonderful pastoral care.