Sawdust carpets, 40 Hours, Eucharistic procession — you’re invited
Laura Keener, Editor
The three-year Eucharistic Revival makes a major shift on the solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 11. On that day, the Year of Diocesan Revival will end, and the Year of Parish Revival begins.
In November 2021, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for a National Eucharistic Revival, “To renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” This is a three-year effort, which began June 19, 2022, on the Feast of Corpus Christi and will culminate with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17–21, 2024.
To celebrate the transition to the Year of Parish Revival (June 11, 2023–July 14, 2024) in the Diocese of Covington, parishes are being encouraged to participate in the diocese’s annual Corpus Christi services and procession and a subsequent 40-Hour Devotion.
Beginning the morning before the feast, Father Jordan Hainsey, bishop’s administrative assistant, invites parishioners to assist with making sawdust carpets. This centuries-old tradition was reestablished in the Diocese last year. Several hundred pounds of sawdust are dyed and fashioned into large carpet-like squares along the route of the Eucharistic procession. The colorful carpets feature designs and symbols inspired by the Cathedral’s decoration.
Everyone is welcome to join in the creation of the sawdust carpets beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the gardens of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, June 10.
On the day of the solemnity, June 11, Eucharistic adoration will begin following 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral. Confessions will also be heard. At 2 p.m., the priests, deacons and faithful of the Diocese will begin a liturgy of the Word service that culminates with Bishop John Iffert leading the Eucharistic procession.
This year’s First Communicants are encouraged to wear their dresses and suits in the procession. To accommodate the expected crowd, the Diocese is asking the City of Covington and State of Kentucky to close the streets of the procession route.
The procession will exit the Cathedral through its front doors on Madison Ave., travel one block down Madison and turn right on Robbins Street, then right on Scott Street, re-entering the Cathedral campus through the Scott Street parking lot adjacent to Covington Latin School, traveling past the North side of the Cathedral and re-entering the Cathedral back through the front doors on Madison Ave.
Later that evening 40-Hour Devotion will begin after 5:30 p.m. Mass and continue until Vespers, 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 13. Confession will also be available Monday from 6–9 p.m. To ensure that the Blessed Sacrament is never left alone, adorers are asked to select a time using the online link on the Diocese of Covington website, www.covdio.org/corpuschristi. Private security detail will be present at the Cathedral during the overnight hours, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday and Monday.
To assist parishes in their participation of the Parish Year of Revival, the National Eucharistic Revival website has made available a Leader’s Playbook, online at EucharisticRevival.org.
