33-Day Journey to Eucharistic Glory: awakening a deeper love for the Eucharist

In an effort to foster a deeper love and appreciation for the Eucharist among the Catholic faithful, a powerful initiative called the ‘33-day Journey to Eucharistic Glory’ was launched. Spearheaded by Fr Jesse Maingot OP, the dream is to consecrate the whole world to the Eucharist, one person, family, marriage, parish, community, diocese, and country at a time. He spoke to Altos about it.

The journey came about organically, as Fr Maingot explained: “Obviously, [it] came from the ground up and also from the Bishop’s heart. When the vicars were discussing the needs of the parish people, asking for more prayer, more Adoration, Matthew Kelly reached out to the Bishop, and the Bishop realised that this was a time to promote a deeper love of the Eucharist.”

Fr Maingot said in his conversations around different parishes, he realised “that this is a real move from the Lord. This is not just anybody, one man’s initiative. It seems to be something that the Lord has poured out upon our nation.”

He went on to describe some of the impacts he’s witnessed, stating “I’m amazed at how people are telling me that when they journey the 33 days, how it’s changed their family life because it’s creating more conversations at home. People are discussing things about faith, going into deeper areas…it’s waking up people as hunger for the Eucharist. People are arriving a little bit earlier to Mass. People are trying to stay after Mass has ended, to linger.”

Fr Maingot stated his hope that “this 33-day journey has been creating that awareness and that hunger and trying to help people plug into the Source.” He emphasised the need to “always be conscious about preaching the Eucharist” and “cultivate with a preaching, this is the Lord.”

Powerful testimonies

As the 33-day Journey to Eucharistic Glory progressed, Fr Maingot witnessed powerful testimonies emerge, showcasing the transformative power of the Eucharist. One man approached him, sharing how he was miraculously healed of severe eczema after “begging the Lord before the tabernacle” during a retreat. As Fr Maingot recounted, “he felt a tangible hug of Jesus from the Eucharist. And as those days went on, he was completely healed.”

Another striking story came from a couple at St Finbar’s parish. The husband had developed chronic, debilitating hiccups after suffering a stroke. Despite trying every remedy, nothing worked until, as the wife explained tearfully, “The moment the Eucharist touched his tongue, his hiccups ceased.” Remarkably, when the hiccups returned a year later, they stopped again “the moment his hand touched the door of the Adoration Chapel.”

Witnessing these powerful testimonies firsthand left Fr Maingot in awe, stating “It’s raised my faith even more in the Eucharist…this is real, tangible proof that the Eucharist is real.”

Cultivating Adoration and silence

While not everyone has access to an Adoration chapel, Fr Maingot emphasised the importance of cultivating a spirit of adoration and silence in our daily lives. He encouraged people to “carve out time to be alone with God, whether it’s early in the morning or the last thing in the night or when you come home from work. And to just be aware that you’re in the presence of God and simply sit there and allow Him to love you.”

Moreover, Fr Maingot clarified that adoration is possible even without exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, as “Jesus is there. No door of the tabernacle stops Him.”

The journey will culminate in a grand consecration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, but Fr Maingot hopes that this will not be the end. “The next question is how we could keep the journey going. And we will,” he affirmed, determined to sustain the newfound love and devotion to the Eucharist.