I’ve been part of this diocese my whole life and have seen a lot of difficult times, from abuse allegations, closings, countering cultural ideologies, covid-19, and now bankruptcy and parish realignment, all while the number of priests continues to shrink. Over the years, I’ve talked with parents, parishioners, and families who are tired and emotional. Many of them have asked an honest question: Why stay?

This same sentiment is seen in John Chapter 6, where Jesus has just fed a crowd of five thousand. The people are amazed. And then Jesus keeps talking and says something that shocks them: He is the Bread of Life. His flesh is real food. His blood is real drink. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (Jn 6:53).

And many of His followers walked away. The same people who had just witnessed a miracle found this too hard to accept, and so they left. He didn’t change His words to convince them to stay, and instead He turned to the Apostles and asked, “Do you also want to go away?” (Jn 6:67)

I love Peter’s response because it is so simple and honest. He says, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).

This is when we see true faith in Christ. The Apostles didn’t stay with Jesus because everything He said or did made sense to them. They stayed because they recognized Jesus Christ to be who He says He is. This is the vocation of staying.

The Eucharist is where our Catholic faith becomes concrete. We need to stay because the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and within Her, through the sacraments, Christ gives us Himself. In the Eucharist, bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

The Church teaches that at the moment of consecration, Christ becomes truly present in the Eucharist and remains whole and entire as long as the Eucharistic species endure (CCC 1377).

So the question “Why stay?” should always lead back to the Eucharist. Because where else can we go to receive Jesus Christ truly and sacramentally present? Where else do we encounter the sacrifice of the Mass? Where else do we receive Christ Himself?

What our diocese is facing right now is real, and it is painful. It’s natural to feel grief and discouragement. But our faith has never depended on stability, finances, or even buildings. The early Church had no property or budgets. The early Church had persecution, which led to fear and uncertainty, and through it all, they had the Eucharist. And people who were willing to gather around it, no matter the cost, even when doing so led to death.

They stayed because they knew where Christ was. And because of their faithfulness, the Church has endured for two thousand years.

This should matter to us now, especially because younger generations are watching how we respond when the Church is struggling. They are learning whether belief in the Eucharist can withstand suffering, or whether our faith is something we set aside when it becomes difficult.

Jesus is asking us the same question today: “Do you also want to go away?” And the most honest answer we can give is Peter’s, because Jesus is still here.

Now is the time to strengthen our Church by choosing fidelity. We can do this by making faith our priority, by returning again and again to the sacraments, and by anchoring ourselves in the one reality that has never failed the Church: Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. Staying doesn’t mean we are ignoring the suffering; rather, we believe that Christ is still here, still giving Himself to us, and still worthy of our trust. Sometimes the holiest, bravest act of faith is not turning away, but remaining, kneeling in prayer, and letting God do what only He can do.