For Father Patrick Hyde, OP, the Eucharist is at the center of everything.
“The Eucharist has had the greatest impact on my life. The Eucharist fostered my own conversion of heart, mind and life,” he said. “I want to be able to share that with others.”
Father Hyde is one of two National Eucharistic preachers who will visit the Diocese of Camden on March 25, serving as a main speaker at the diocesan Eucharistic Congress along Camden’s waterfront. Faithful from throughout the Diocese will come together for the Congress, the first-of-its-kind event being organized as part of the inaugural year of the National Eucharistic Revival.
Father Hyde was nominated to serve as a Eucharistic preacher by his provincial superiors.
“After some initial conversations and prayer, I decided to accept their invitation,” he said. “At the time, I did not realize it would be a small group of priests, so I am beyond honored to be a part of this group.”
Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Father Hyde grew up in a Catholic family and attended Catholic school from kindergarten through his high school graduation. After graduating from college, he went on to teach middle school students at a Catholic school on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. He entered the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great – the Dominican province for the Midwest – in 2009 and was ordained in 2016.
Since his ordination, Father Hyde has served at the St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University. As pastor and director of campus ministry, he has led faithful there through their own Eucharistic revival, of sorts.
“After years of not having a [strong] campus ministry, the friars started putting an encounter with Jesus at the center of everything we do, and it has radically transformed our ministry,” he said. “I hope those lessons can be of use to the people to whom I preach and that they can help to inspire Catholics all over the country to a greater love for the Eucharist and a deeper desire to share Jesus with others.”
As he visits with and speaks to Catholics across the country, Father Hyde’s talks will take various approaches – but a central theme will be “God’s desire to be close to each and every one of us.”
“Since the pandemic, there are staggering numbers of people, especially young people, who report strong feelings of loneliness and despair. At a time when we should feel more connected than ever because of technology, people are feeling more isolated, unseen and unknown,” he said. “In the Eucharist, Jesus shows us how intimately he desires to be with us. He wants us to see him, touch him, taste him, and to be completely united with him. When the world makes us feel isolated, Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist offering us intimacy, love, healing and community.”
Father Hyde sees the Eucharistic Congress as an opportunity for Catholics to gather together, share fellowship and benefit from the support of being surrounded by other faithful.
“Being Catholic is never easy. Being Catholic in today’s culture can be overwhelming,” he said. “The Congress will give you a welcoming, supportive community of brothers and sisters in Christ as well as the spiritual and moral formation you need to live your faith with courage, conviction and confidence.”
The Diocesan Eucharistic Congress will be held on Saturday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with doors opening at 8 a.m. It will take place at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd., Camden, and admission and parking are free. Individuals, families and groups are invited to attend. For more information, visit eucharisticrevivalsouthjersey.org or avivamientoeucaristicosj.org. To get tickets, visit camdendiocese.org/ectix.
The upcoming Congress and the National Eucharistic Revival, Father Hyde said, will help reinforce the importance of each person’s relationship with Jesus.
“Jesus loves you. Jesus shares in every aspect of your life. Jesus has a plan for you and desires for every part of you to be known, healed, saved and sanctified,” he said. “We are made for relationship – with God and with others – so we need community and brothers and sisters walking alongside us in faith. The Congress is a great way for you to experience the grandness of your faith and God’s love for you as a part of a beautiful, diverse whole.”
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