The National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, the first one in 83 years, was a remarkable experience of love, faith, joy, prayer, and inspiration!
Drawing 60,000 pilgrims from all over the country, offering inspiring Masses, substantive catechetical presentations, Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and dynamic opportunities to simply love and praise the Lord, the Congress was profoundly focused on Christ in the Eucharist.
This remarkable, spiritual experience reminded me of World Youth Day in Denver in 1993, another watershed moment for the Church in the U.S. when St. John Paul II lit our hearts on fire!
Just as back then, I confidently expect many conversions, vocations, and apostolic initiatives to emerge as enduring fruit of this Congress.
Moving highlights
Here are some of the highlights that particularly moved me.
During the opening night of the Congress, young pilgrims who had accompanied the Eucharist for hundreds of miles and for 60 days during the national processions, entered the stadium to thunderous applause, bearing a picture of the saintly patron of their particular route: The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Juan Diego, St. Junipero Serra, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
These processions, which crossed the country and brought the Eucharist to hundreds of churches, schools, nursing homes, prisons, and hospitals, were remarkable encounters with the risen Christ and a fitting preparation for the Congress itself.
I was blessed to lead the Rosary on Thursday morning with Father Rocky from Relevant Radio in the stadium before Mass, praying the Luminous Mysteries with 10s of thousands of people.
My thoughts turned to my parents, who faithfully prayed the Rosary with my five brothers and me after supper every night.
This spiritual practice made the Lord and the Gospel very real for me as a boy.
The Rosary leads us to the storehouse of Mary’s heart, where she cherishes and holds dear her beloved memories of Jesus.
Mary was so profoundly present throughout the Congress. I could feel her with us.
Making disciples
The Saint Paul Evangelization Society is a small group that seeks to help bishops embrace the Great Commission, build a culture of evangelizing in their dioceses, and create a plan to place missionary discipleship front and center.
The Society helped me greatly when we were first planning our Go Make Disciples initiative, and I have been blessed to help in the formation of three cohorts of bishops to do the same.
During the Congress, 100 bishops gathered with the leadership of the Saint Paul Evangelization Society to learn about these opportunities; gratefully, I had the chance to share with them what we have been doing here in Madison with both Go Make Disciples and Into the Deep.
We are all trying to figure out how to go from maintenance to mission so it was good to share and listen with my brother bishops about this important topic.
On Saturday, an enormous Eucharistic Procession wound through the streets of downtown Indianapolis, with hundreds of Religious, more than 1,000 priests, and 200 bishops.
Tens of thousands of lay faithful lined the route, joining in the procession behind the monstrance.
In many places, people stood eight to 10 deep.
I was deeply moved by the faith, devotion, and love of the People of God, who heroically live their discipleship in sacrifice, joy, and prayer.
During Benediction atop Indiana’s Veteran Memorial, I pictured the love and mercy of Jesus radiating out to our entire country from the uplifted monstrance.
The Church as family
As huge as the Church is, She still has the feel of an intimate family!
The Diocese of Madison pilgrims were a great blessing of faith and love to me throughout the week, as were unexpected encounters with friends, parishioners, and acquaintances, all of whom radiated the fire of the Holy Spirit.
What a gift to speak and share life with such holy souls, some of whom I had not seen in years!
The Congress was truly a gathering of the U.S. Church, serving as a reminder that our faith is not a solitary relationship between Jesus and me.
We are the anointed Body of Christ, bound in the sacred communion of the Most Holy Trinity, brothers and sisters to one another, fellow pilgrims who support, love, and carry each other to the Kingdom.
The joy, faith, and kindness that I experienced throughout the gathering was truly a foretaste of Heaven’s glory.
Without faith in God and a living relationship with the Lord, this life would be quite bleak and even unbearable.
The tragic crises of mental health, drug addiction, and suicide all point to the anguish and despair of our present moment.
Jesus is the answer to all of our questions, suffering, and angst. Our Catholic faith leads us to Him.
The National Eucharistic Congress was a watershed moment for the Church in our country, as we seek to enter ever deeper into the Heart of Christ through the Mass and so become effective and fruitful witnesses to the Gospel joy which the Lord so generously offers us, and which no one can ever take away.
Here, in our diocese, we will continue to move forward boldly and confidently to live the Gospel and to allow the Eucharistic Lord to envelop us in His mercy.