Most people know the snippet of Flannery O’Connor’s defense of the Holy Eucharist, wherein she sat at a dinner party and said, “Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.” The quote goes ...

From St. Paul to St. Augustine, the language of ‘bread’ doesn’t deny the Real Presence — it points to the deeper reality of ...

Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is ... for cleansing with water, a symbol of baptism. Also emphasized are the critical importance of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ ...

The survey also finds that belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is most common among older Catholics, though majorities in every age group (including 61% of those age 60 and over) ...

There are also a variety of names used, such as the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Mass and the breaking ... They believe that the bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus.