Film about the Eucharist hits Arizona theaters

By Carissa Krautscheid 

“It is transforming lives like never before,” Deacon Steve Greco told the New Outlook. The executive producer of Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist said, “We have testimony after testimony after testimony of people saying, ‘I was a cradle Catholic; I never really understood it. Now I do.’ People who have left the Church are saying, ‘Now I’m going back to the Church.’ The film has a persuasiveness of people on fire for Jesus Christ. It makes us better understand why we believe and what we believe. If you want to learn more about the power of the Eucharist, how the Eucharist transforms your life, this is the film to see.”

After the three-day theatrical release of Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, Fathom Events announced that the film “scored big at the U.S. box office, grossing $2,141,273 and landing at number one in per screen average for all three days. The movie is Fathom’s highest grossing documentary of 2024 and is currently in second place for all documentaries released in 2024. It will return to theaters nationwide by popular demand on June 18 and 19.” 

The all-star cast of leading Catholic voices includes Chris Stefanick, Dr. Scott Hahn, Eduardo Verástegui, Fr. Donald Calloway and the Marian Fathers, Patrick Kelly, Most Rev. Andrew Cozzens, Sr. Briege McKenna, OSC, Sr. Mary Grace and the Sisters of Life, Dr. Tim Gray, Curtis Martin and FOCUS Missionaries, James Wahlberg, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, and many more.  

“This visually stunning documentary offers the insights and testimonies of some of the most prominent Catholic leaders and thinkers of our era. With scenes captured across the United States and in countries including Poland, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Uganda, Canada, and Slovenia, Jesus Thirsts is a poignant exploration of the Eucharist, revered as the source and summit of Christian life. The film is a celebration of the Eucharist as God’s paramount gift to humanity, uniquely able to satisfy the deepest yearnings of the human heart” (Fathom Events). 

Deacon Greco told New Outlook that he was inspired by St. Teresa of Calcutta’s books about how Jesus came to her and said, “I thirst for souls… No matter how far you have strayed without a destination, no matter how often you have forgotten Me, no matter how many crosses you bear in this life; I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change. I thirst for you – just you, as you are." 

This was the foundation for Deacon Greco’s “national I Thirst movement of Eucharistic revival and evangelization. The whole idea is to be all in,” he said.  

Jim Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg’s brother, was “filming these conferences for evangelization purposes. After a few of the events, we both felt that there was a film here,” said Deacon Greco. “In the midst of the Eucharistic Revival, people needed to hear the Truth that Jesus is the Real Presence, that Jesus is Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist. We have to embrace that – and if you do and you really understand that, you’re going to want to go to Mass all the time. You’re going to want to go to Reconciliation and Adoration. We talk about the longest journey being from the head to the heart. We want people to get on fire for the Eucharist, the Mass, and Jesus.”

Deacon Greco wanted the film to show “how the Old Testament pointed to the Eucharist and Jesus. From the Last Supper on, the Church believed it,” he said. “Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, has a really great line in the movie where he said that the Mass predated Scripture by 350 years. There was always Scripture, but it wasn’t written down in a Bible yet. What held the Church together was the Mass, and the people always believed in the Real Presence. Even Martin Luther believed in the Real Presence, but it wasn’t until the Middle Ages and Reformation that there was this big split. With 70% of Catholics who don’t believe in the Real Presence, we felt it mandatory to come out with this documentary film that demonstrated, quite frankly, in such a powerful way that the Real Presence was believed from the very beginning, and with Eucharistic miracles and with testimonies from people from all over the world who were transformed by the Mass. When we believe in the Real Presence and believe in Jesus, our life changes. We wanted to have a film of beauty and historical worth, but also a film that essentially shows people the Truth about the Eucharist and Jesus.”

Deacon Greco’s ministry, Spirit Filled Hearts, “is involved a lot in healing. We believe very strongly that the greatest moment of healing is after we receive Jesus in the Eucharist.” He told New Outlook about two particular healings that took place directly after receiving the Eucharist, “I prayed over a woman who had cancer all throughout her body. Right after Mass, we went to the chapel, and she was completely healed. Another time, a man had a huge tumor in his lungs. After we received the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, we went and prayed in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Fatima. His doctor could not believe it – the doctor had given him a one in 500 chance of living. That was 12 years ago; he’s still living with no cancer.  

“The Eucharist is life. The Eucharist is everything!” said Deacon Greco. “The Eucharist is the foundation of love: Jesus, who is love, but is also the foundation for complete healing. It is very, very important that we recognize that Jesus is love, and the Eucharist is love in action.” 

Deacon Greco encourages the Diocese of Tucson community to go see Jesus Thirsts this week. “If you want to fall in love with Jesus Christ in a way like never before,” he said, “see the movie, go to Mass, go to Adoration, and your life will change in a way you can’t even imagine. You will be blessed beyond words.” 

Visit Fathom Events for tickets.