In a way, says Father Patrick Cosgrove, Corpus Christi has always been part of Chalice’s making.
“It was there in naissance, in our very name,” he shared in an interview.
Corpus Christi, also known as the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, is something Chalice supporters have been hearing a lot about, whether that’s on social media, in our newsletter, or our podcast, Stories from the Table.
Chalice has chosen Corpus Christi weekend, June 18-19, as the new date for most of its child sponsorship appeals in parishes. Child sponsorship appeals are when a deacon or priest gives a talk about Chalice at Mass. The church holding the appeal is sent booklets of children available for sponsorship, which are displayed in a prominent place on the day of the appeal.
But why Corpus Christi?
Well, as Father Pat (how he’s affectionately known) noted, it’s in the name: Chalice, the cup that holds the Blood of Christ.
But deeper than that, he says, receiving the physical body of Christ in the Eucharist invites us to be part of the mystical Body of Christ: the Church.
Taking the Eucharist, Fr. Pat explains, is a way to “activate your faith.”
“Until you activate your faith, it’s just dormant. It’s like a battery that sits there,” he said.
When we accept the Eucharist, we’re also accepting a commission: to go out there and show what it means to be members of the Body of Christ. Or, in other words, to bring Christ to the poor, and the poor to Christ.
By bringing Christ to others, through activities like sponsoring a child or donating to the poor, we live out our faith in a visible way.
The goal, Fr. Pat says, is for people to point to the work of Chalice sponsors, and see the love of Jesus in that work.
Please pray for the success of our Corpus Christi appeals! To learn more, head to chaliceevents.org.