Youtube Interviews
In this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright interviews Kris Frank, the chief mission officer for the National Eucharistic Revival. They discuss a new small group program called “Jesus and the Eucharist”, which aims to promote greater devotion and understanding of the Eucharist and church teachings.
Kris explains that the program is designed for parish communities to engage in a seven-week study together. The small groups will consist of six to eight people, who will watch the video series and engage in discussions.
The program provides resources and a playbook for parish leaders to easily implement the small group program. The goal of the program is not just to gain knowledge but to deepen participants’ relationship with Jesus and foster a sense of community within the parish. The National Eucharistic Revival website offers abundant information and resources, and the “Jesus and the Eucharist” program is available for free on their learning platform.
Kris also encourages families to participate in the program together at home, since the videos can be accessed for free by anyone who visits the National Eucharistic Revival website.
Adam Wright:
Kris Frank is the chief mission officer for the Eucharistic Revival. You may have heard about this over the past year or so here on Roadmap to Heaven, or anywhere in the Catholic church in the United States right now. But we’re so happy to have you with us on Roadmap today, Kris. We’re talking about “Jesus and the Eucharist”, a new small group program that is rolling out pretty much right now. So, number one: welcome. Number two: tell us what we’re talking about today.
Kris Frank:
Yeah. So thanks for having me. Pleasure to be here. And then “Jesus and the Eucharist”, this new small group study that was a collaboration between the Augustine Institute and the USCCB, is a seven-week small group series for the church to bring about greater devotion and formation around the Eucharist and church teaching. So we’re really excited that this is finally out, and we’re really excited for the churches to begin to dive into this study.
Adam Wright:
Alright. So let’s recap here because we’ve talked about some of the small group stuff before. But when we say small group, who are we talking about? Are these already preselected groups, and if we miss the boat on this, it’s too late to get in?
Kris Frank:
No. No. Not at all. So, there are various elements in how we could do this, but every parish in this revival movement has been asked to have a parish point person. We have offered trainings for this study, and the way that we’ve kind of laid this out is that we hope that the church offers this to the congregation. And then as the congregation comes, the parish comes together for this study and community that they sit in table groups. So ideally, six to eight people are sitting at a table together watching this video series, and the video is really plug-and-play. So, you kind of watch the video, and then it stops so that there can be discussion, and then the content continues. So it’s very easy. It’s a very light lift for the parish, but the small groups are from the parish, table groups that are kind of set by people who want to partake in the study.
Adam Wright:
That’s one of the things I love about how you’re setting this up. You have the parish leader playbook. And for anyone who’s ever coached — Especially I’m thinking back to when I coached tee-ball for my son’s team, and I had never coached before. I’m like, “I need the coach to tell me what to do. I need somebody else’s playbook.” Well here, the Eucharistic Revival is giving you the playbook. All you have to do is say, “Father, would you be interested in having this at the parish?” If Father doesn’t want to take the lead because he’s got eight million other things on his plate? Kris and his crew are going to give you everything you need to run this small group program and to lead it at your parish. So, whether you started a small group program already or you’re diving in for the first time, the resources are out there. We’re talking about this though, Kris, in the midst — We’re I guess about halfway through or right around the halfway point of the national Eucharistic Revival, and we’re in the middle of the parish year still. What are the fruits that you’re hoping to see from this? Because this isn’t just, like, let’s have a class at the parish so that everyone gets a little bit more continuing ed. But this is all about leading us deeper in relationship. What do you hope that looks like on the other side of this program?
Kris Frank:
No. That’s exactly right. I love, again Bishop Cozzens has been saying this from the beginning of the revival, that the revival is not about a program. It’s about a fire. And so we really want people to just have that burning love, that greater desire for the Lord. So with this study specifically: yes ideally, we have people who have greater understanding and greater devotion to Jesus, specifically in the Blessed Sacrament. But even more than that, we hope that this study specifically launches parishes into more small group studies to create a better sense of community within the parish. So that the church collectively going forward can continue to dive into studies and further opportunities to be a parish as they dive deeper into faith and catechesis.
Adam Wright:
I’m guessing a good benchmark would be if someone is maybe new to all of this in the parish and they say, “Alright. I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’ve been invited to the small group. I heard about this on the radio. I heard about this online, watching a video.” Maybe they didn’t go to Eucharistic adoration before this. But on the flip side, they’re going to start visiting the adoration chapel, or maybe they’re showing up a little early to mass to prep to receive our Lord in the holy Eucharist, and staying a couple minutes afterwards to spend some time in thanksgiving for that gift we receive at each and every Holy Mass.
Kris Frank:
Oh, absolutely. I think that would be the dream. Right? That it’s not just again, “Oh, I learned a few new things about my faith”, but that we see it in practice. And specifically, we see it in deepening a relationship with our Lord. And so, right, more people going to adoration, more people going to daily Mass or staying afterward to have a few moments of prayer. To see fruit like that, that’s what makes this moment really exciting for the church.
Adam Wright:
Now there is no shortage of information on the National Eucharistic Revival website, which is a blessing. In fact, I just finished doing my registration for the congress a few minutes ago. I’m so excited to be going out there. But here’s the thing. When there’s no shortage of information, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. We say, “Alright. I heard about the small group thing, but I have no idea where to go.” So, Kris, set us straight. If we want to get this started in our parish or maybe we’ve been tasked with getting this started in our parish, where do we need to go to get everything we need for this particular program, “Jesus and the Eucharist”?
Kris Frank:
Yeah. Great question. So if you go to eucharisticrevival.org, you’re going to find the links right there. This is really for parish point people to find. Again, we’ve given training to these people who are supposed to bring this study to the parish. But the little secret of this whole thing is that it’s a totally free program, and it’s available on our learn platform. So anybody can go to our website. You look for the free resources, and you can find the study right there. But, again, if you’re a parish point person looking to bring this to your parish, or you’re just on your phone looking for some quick information, eucharisticrevival.org is the website that will get you all you need.
Adam Wright:
Yeah, I love that. You know, I love the thought of doing this in the parish and the intention of doing this in the parish, but I also love how you say, “If that’s not you, if you can’t make that work, well, we’re still going to make this available to you.” We joke around all the time here that we’ve got the right institute for theological discourse, and it’s the dining room table every night where the kids are asking these questions. And, you know, I might not take them to small group at the parish, but especially with the older kids, this could be a great thing to do in the home. You said those lessons are being released digitally. So it’s not like you would have to watch the mailbox. It’s all going to get either emailed to you or posted on the website.
Kris Frank:
That’s right. That’s exactly right. Yeah. I’ve actually watched a video on my phone. And so I’m there in my living room just watching it. My kids are over my shoulder, and it’s been a fun thing for my family to be a part of. So I hope that is true for other families around the country.
Adam Wright:
Alright. Well, Kris, thank you so much for being with us today and sharing the good news about this new program. We hope that you’re going to check out all of these great resources. I have to tell you, I was poking around on the Facebook page for the National Eucharistic Revival today, and it was just inspiring video, after inspiring video, after inspiring video. And even as a guy that’s surrounded by Catholic stuff all day long on the radio here, I’m like, “Wow. This is beautiful. I want to watch more of this. Oh, I’ve got to go interview Kris, here. I’ve got to stop.” So, be sure to follow them on social media. Go to the website for the Eucharistic Revival. Think about the congress. Maybe you’re going to go with your Diocese or another group. It’s all great stuff out there. Kris, thank you so much for the hard work you and the team are doing to make this a priority for our country and for our Catholic church in the United States right now.
Kris Frank:
Well, thank you.
Adam Wright:
Alright. We’re going to take a break here on Roadmap to Heaven, but there is more ahead after this. Stay tuned.
Adam Wright:
Kris Frank is the chief mission officer for the Eucharistic Revival. You may have heard about this over the past year or so here on Roadmap to Heaven, or anywhere in the Catholic church in the United States right now. But we’re so happy to have you with us on Roadmap today, Kris. We’re talking about “Jesus and the Eucharist”, a new small group program that is rolling out pretty much right now. So, number one: welcome. Number two: tell us what we’re talking about today.
Kris Frank:
Yeah. So thanks for having me. Pleasure to be here. And then “Jesus and the Eucharist”, this new small group study that was a collaboration between the Augustine Institute and the USCCB, is a seven-week small group series for the church to bring about greater devotion and formation around the Eucharist and church teaching. So we’re really excited that this is finally out, and we’re really excited for the churches to begin to dive into this study.
Adam Wright:
Alright. So let’s recap here because we’ve talked about some of the small group stuff before. But when we say small group, who are we talking about? Are these already preselected groups, and if we miss the boat on this, it’s too late to get in?
Kris Frank:
No. No. Not at all. So, there are various elements in how we could do this, but every parish in this revival movement has been asked to have a parish point person. We have offered trainings for this study, and the way that we’ve kind of laid this out is that we hope that the church offers this to the congregation. And then as the congregation comes, the parish comes together for this study and community that they sit in table groups. So ideally, six to eight people are sitting at a table together watching this video series, and the video is really plug-and-play. So, you kind of watch the video, and then it stops so that there can be discussion, and then the content continues. So it’s very easy. It’s a very light lift for the parish, but the small groups are from the parish, table groups that are kind of set by people who want to partake in the study.
Adam Wright:
That’s one of the things I love about how you’re setting this up. You have the parish leader playbook. And for anyone who’s ever coached — Especially I’m thinking back to when I coached tee-ball for my son’s team, and I had never coached before. I’m like, “I need the coach to tell me what to do. I need somebody else’s playbook.” Well here, the Eucharistic Revival is giving you the playbook. All you have to do is say, “Father, would you be interested in having this at the parish?” If Father doesn’t want to take the lead because he’s got eight million other things on his plate? Kris and his crew are going to give you everything you need to run this small group program and to lead it at your parish. So, whether you started a small group program already or you’re diving in for the first time, the resources are out there. We’re talking about this though, Kris, in the midst — We’re I guess about halfway through or right around the halfway point of the national Eucharistic Revival, and we’re in the middle of the parish year still. What are the fruits that you’re hoping to see from this? Because this isn’t just, like, let’s have a class at the parish so that everyone gets a little bit more continuing ed. But this is all about leading us deeper in relationship. What do you hope that looks like on the other side of this program?
Kris Frank:
No. That’s exactly right. I love, again Bishop Cozzens has been saying this from the beginning of the revival, that the revival is not about a program. It’s about a fire. And so we really want people to just have that burning love, that greater desire for the Lord. So with this study specifically: yes ideally, we have people who have greater understanding and greater devotion to Jesus, specifically in the Blessed Sacrament. But even more than that, we hope that this study specifically launches parishes into more small group studies to create a better sense of community within the parish. So that the church collectively going forward can continue to dive into studies and further opportunities to be a parish as they dive deeper into faith and catechesis.
Adam Wright:
I’m guessing a good benchmark would be if someone is maybe new to all of this in the parish and they say, “Alright. I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’ve been invited to the small group. I heard about this on the radio. I heard about this online, watching a video.” Maybe they didn’t go to Eucharistic adoration before this. But on the flip side, they’re going to start visiting the adoration chapel, or maybe they’re showing up a little early to mass to prep to receive our Lord in the holy Eucharist, and staying a couple minutes afterwards to spend some time in thanksgiving for that gift we receive at each and every Holy Mass.
Kris Frank:
Oh, absolutely. I think that would be the dream. Right? That it’s not just again, “Oh, I learned a few new things about my faith”, but that we see it in practice. And specifically, we see it in deepening a relationship with our Lord. And so, right, more people going to adoration, more people going to daily Mass or staying afterward to have a few moments of prayer. To see fruit like that, that’s what makes this moment really exciting for the church.
Adam Wright:
Now there is no shortage of information on the National Eucharistic Revival website, which is a blessing. In fact, I just finished doing my registration for the congress a few minutes ago. I’m so excited to be going out there. But here’s the thing. When there’s no shortage of information, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. We say, “Alright. I heard about the small group thing, but I have no idea where to go.” So, Kris, set us straight. If we want to get this started in our parish or maybe we’ve been tasked with getting this started in our parish, where do we need to go to get everything we need for this particular program, “Jesus and the Eucharist”?
Kris Frank:
Yeah. Great question. So if you go to eucharisticrevival.org, you’re going to find the links right there. This is really for parish point people to find. Again, we’ve given training to these people who are supposed to bring this study to the parish. But the little secret of this whole thing is that it’s a totally free program, and it’s available on our learn platform. So anybody can go to our website. You look for the free resources, and you can find the study right there. But, again, if you’re a parish point person looking to bring this to your parish, or you’re just on your phone looking for some quick information, eucharisticrevival.org is the website that will get you all you need.
Adam Wright:
Yeah, I love that. You know, I love the thought of doing this in the parish and the intention of doing this in the parish, but I also love how you say, “If that’s not you, if you can’t make that work, well, we’re still going to make this available to you.” We joke around all the time here that we’ve got the right institute for theological discourse, and it’s the dining room table every night where the kids are asking these questions. And, you know, I might not take them to small group at the parish, but especially with the older kids, this could be a great thing to do in the home. You said those lessons are being released digitally. So it’s not like you would have to watch the mailbox. It’s all going to get either emailed to you or posted on the website.
Kris Frank:
That’s right. That’s exactly right. Yeah. I’ve actually watched a video on my phone. And so I’m there in my living room just watching it. My kids are over my shoulder, and it’s been a fun thing for my family to be a part of. So I hope that is true for other families around the country.
Adam Wright:
Alright. Well, Kris, thank you so much for being with us today and sharing the good news about this new program. We hope that you’re going to check out all of these great resources. I have to tell you, I was poking around on the Facebook page for the National Eucharistic Revival today, and it was just inspiring video, after inspiring video, after inspiring video. And even as a guy that’s surrounded by Catholic stuff all day long on the radio here, I’m like, “Wow. This is beautiful. I want to watch more of this. Oh, I’ve got to go interview Kris, here. I’ve got to stop.” So, be sure to follow them on social media. Go to the website for the Eucharistic Revival. Think about the congress. Maybe you’re going to go with your Diocese or another group. It’s all great stuff out there. Kris, thank you so much for the hard work you and the team are doing to make this a priority for our country and for our Catholic church in the United States right now.
Kris Frank:
Well, thank you.
Adam Wright:
Alright. We’re going to take a break here on Roadmap to Heaven, but there is more ahead after this. Stay tuned.
In this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright interviews Kris Frank, the chief mission officer for the National Eucharistic Revival. They discuss a new small group program called “Jesus and the Eucharist”, which aims to promote greater devotion and understanding of the Eucharist and church teachings.
Kris explains that the program is designed for parish communities to engage in a seven-week study together. The small groups will consist of six to eight people, who will watch the video series and engage in discussions.
The program provides resources and a playbook for parish leaders to easily implement the small group program. The goal of the program is not just to gain knowledge but to deepen participants’ relationship with Jesus and foster a sense of community within the parish. The National Eucharistic Revival website offers abundant information and resources, and the “Jesus and the Eucharist” program is available for free on their learning platform.
Kris also encourages families to participate in the program together at home, since the videos can be accessed for free by anyone who visits the National Eucharistic Revival website.
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