OUR WORK
Like our Founder, St Peter Julian Eymard, the religious of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation see the Eucharist ‘as a powerful force of renewal for Church and society’ (Rule #33).
Our mission is to do all that we can to enable the Eucharist to transform the world. This opens the way for a wide range of ministries. In the first place we aim to celebrate the Eucharist faithfully in the parishes entrusted to our care, in city-centre shrines or in places of prayer and retreat.
- We promote the practice of eucharistic adoration, our prayer of communion with the Lord.
- We study, teach and preach what it means to live the Eucharist; we do whatever we can to foster the justice, peace and unity that the Eucharist embodies.
- We invite the lay faithful to share our eucharistic spirituality and we especially put ourselves at the service of priests.
MINISTRY AREAS
In Australia the mission of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation is focussed on two city-centre churches: St Francis’ in Melbourne and St Peter Julian’s in Sydney. The principal ministries we engage in are:
- the celebration of Eucharist at convenient times for city workers and visitors
- the sacrament of penance or reconciliation
- pastoral counselling and spiritual direction
- chaplaincy to overseas-born tertiary students and ethnic communities
- faith formation programmes leading to baptism, confirmation and eucharist
- hospitality to priests.
In addition we have religious who offer eucharistic catechesis in parishes or who teach in the field of liturgy in theological colleges.