WAUNAKEE — It was a weekend bookended and filled with celebrations of the Eucharist.
The first-ever Madison Diocesan Eucharistic Congress — at St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee from September 29 to October 1 — began with the celebration of Mass and concluded with Mass and a Eucharistic Procession.
In between, there were opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration.
Jesus was present the whole weekend.
A longing for God
The opening Mass, celebrated by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison with concelebrating priests from the diocese and guest priest speakers, included a bilingual homily by Fr. David Carrano, parochial administrator of Pastorate 11.
He opened his homily quoting St. Maximilian Kolbe who said, “If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
Speaking of angels, Father Carrano said, “They enjoy forever the sight of the invisible God — the same God that we grope for, that we long to see.”
He later called the Eucharist, which is one of God’s great gifts to us, a “divine sustainer of all life” that “becomes the sustenance of humble pilgrims like you and me.”
Father Carrano added, “You and I can see, every day, in the tabernacles of our churches, every day in the Holy Mass, things which angels long to see — these very angels which already behold the face of the living God. What a gift we have in the Eucharist.”
Following the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in a monstrance for Eucharistic Adoration.
Bishop Hying a led procession from the new church at St. John the Baptist to the old church building where more than 36 continuous hours of Adoration would take place.
Some people signed up to spend an hour with the Lord — especially in the overnight hours — while others rather spontaneously made their way into the church to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Some stayed behind in the new church to pray in front of the tabernacle or venerate an icon and relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
Knowing the Eucharist
Morning Prayer prefaced the celebration of Mass as Saturday got underway.
Vicar General Msgr. James Bartylla celebrated the Mass with diocesan and guest priests.
Bishop Hying was in choir.
As with all the Masses during the weekend, the readings alternated being proclaimed in English and Spanish.
In his homily during the Votive Mass of the Blessed Mother, Monsignor Bartylla said the Church “began with the Blessed Mother at the Annunciation”.
“Hers was the earliest Church — the Marian Church,” he added.
“We tend to enter into that Marian Church the most at Christmas,” Monsignor Bartylla said and asked those gathered to reflect on “quiet moments” such as the snow falling in a contemplative season with the “mystery of the Incarnation”.
He called Mary the “first Doctor of the Church” and said that she “teaches us mostly in her contemplative silence if we’re willing to listen.”
Later in the day, Bishop Hying and Monsignor Bartylla shared opportunities for people to grow in knowledge of the Eucharist.
Bishop Hying led two sessions of a Eucharistic workshop for people who speak Spanish.
Those sessions were given in the school gym in the view of the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit based on the research done by Blessed Carlo Acutis.
Monsignor Bartylla led two similar sessions for English speakers.
Going forth
On Sunday, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament concluded in the early afternoon hours.
People gathered into the old church one final time to pray before the Lord as Benediction took place.
The congress culminated with the celebration of a Votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist in the main church.
Bishop Hying delivered the homily for this Mass.
He looked at the Eucharist as both parallel and opposite of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they ate the fruit.
With Christ giving us the Eucharist, the bishop called it, “The revelation of the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, this splash of spiritual recognition, this opening of our eyes and hearts to the reality of Christ’s power and mercy shining forth in the Eucharist.”
Connecting the Eucharist with the Apocalypse and the Book of Revelation, he said, “If the Apocalypse is truly the unveiling of God’s light, love, and power manifested in Christ, then we are in the Apocalypse right now in this Mass.”
He added, “The Eucharist unveils for us — indeed, draws us into — the vast beautiful world of the Resurrection.”
Bishop Hying told everyone that, “When people ask me what I think Heaven will be like I often say it will be like going to Mass. What do we do at Mass? We worship and praise God. We’re joined in the Communion of Saints with the Celestial Court as well as our brothers and sisters here. And, we are fed at the Paschal Feast of the Lamb . . . What are we going to do in Heaven? Those exact same three things
. . . I say ‘If you don’t like Mass, you might not like Heaven.’”
Following the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was again exposed in a monstrance. Bishop Hying led a Eucharistic Procession of many of the faithful who attended the congress.
The procession walked out the church doors and onto the sidewalk in front of the parish grounds. It processed around the block, past the school building, and into the parish cemetery for moments of prayer and reflection for the dead.
The procession was led back into the church building for a final Benediction of the congress.
It was then time to go forth, ponder all that was learned, reflect on all of the blessings of the weekend, and go out and love and serve the Lord.