Father Luke Spannagel

The Catholic parishes of Hancock County are focusing on the Eucharist in the coming days with the help of Father Luke Spannagel, one of 58 priests chosen as preachers for the National Eucharistic Revival.

The dates, topics and locations for the eucharistic mission are:

• Sunday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 125 N. Fayette St., in Carthage. The topic will be “Really and Truly Present: Jesus in the Eucharist and How Miracles Prove What Our Faith Says Is Always True.”
• Monday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 245 S. Ninth St., in Warsaw. Mass will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Father Spannagel will speak about “The Perfect Savior: How Jesus Offers a Perfect Sacrifice and Our Invitation to Join Him.”
• Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 6 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 560 Lakeview Ave., in Hamilton. Mass is planned for 5:30 p.m. Father Spannagel’s topic is “Finding True Unity with Jesus and One Another: How to Work for Unity and Protect It Each Day.”
• Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 90 W. Fifth St., in Dallas City. Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. The topic is “Sacrament of Love: Why Jesus in the Eucharist is Truly a Taste of Heaven.”
• Thursday, Oct. 27, at 5:30 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 190 N. Wells St., in Nauvoo. This will be an explanatory Mass, with Father Spannagel talking about “The Holy Mass: Uniting with Jesus in the Perfect Worship of the Father.”
• Friday, Oct. 28, at 8:30 a.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Nauvoo. This will be an explanatory Mass for the children of Sts. Peter and Paul School. They will hear Father Spannagel talk about “The Holy Mass: The Best of Many Ways God Loves Us Perfectly.”

Refreshments will be available after each of the evening sessions.

Father Spannagel was ordained in 2003 and his first assignment was as assistant pastor in Hancock County. His current assignment — in addition to his duties as a National Eucharistic Preacher — is to St. Mary’s Cathedral and the Heart of Peoria Catholic Community, where he is parochial vicar.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Father Spannagel was the keynote speaker at the biennial convention of the Peoria Diocesan Council of Catholic Women on Oct. 8 at St. Louis Church, Princeton. He told the women that the National Eucharistic Revival is “an opportunity to remind ourselves of the great gift we have” in Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist.