St Thomas Parish, Tucson, Arizona was the gathering place for over forty Catholic young adults to reflect, discuss, pray and enjoy being together for a Franciscan presentation on the Eucharist on March 13, 2025. They came from St Augustine Cathedral parish, St. Mark, St Francis de Sales, St Thomas More Catholic Newman Center, St. Odilia and St Thomas the Apostle.
Franciscan Friar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, Brother Matthew Ryan, OFM serving as a transitional deacon at the Franciscan Renewal Center along with Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mary Ann Spanjers guided the evening with an emphasis on how much God is in love with us! Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Carla Riach and pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle, Father Patrick Crino, also accompanied the young adults.
The evening was meaningful to them as expressed in their comments:
“Your joy and humor as you shared about the Eucharist was appreciated. Your enthusiasm is contagious. I liked the reflections that really made us thing about our own lives in correlation with Jesus.”
“I appreciated sharing with those at my table their experiences with the Eucharist and Adoration. It was good to hear the stories told about the life of St. Francis and both Brother and Sister’s lives.”
“I was reoriented to how the Eucharist and Adoration is to direct us to minister and love others. I loved the part about a relationship with Christ not entailing just a private space with Christ.”
“I appreciated learning more about what it means to participate in adoration, listening to other people’s experiences and learning about how much God loves me”
