By S.L. Hansen
for the Register
Bishop James D. Conley, multiple priests, religious, and more than 200 lay people from dozens of parishes in the Diocese of Lincoln made the pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21.
Most of the pilgrims boarded three travel buses to make the 11+-hour journey overnight to Indianapolis, stopping for morning Mass at a rest area beside the road and arriving in time for Wednesday evening’s opening session at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I knew it was going to be an opportunity to rejuvenate my faith,” said Katie Kudron of Blessed Sacrament in Lincoln. “I just couldn’t turn down that opportunity.”
See also: SNAPSHOTS: Pilgrims at the NEC
Normally the home of the Indianapolis Colts professional football team, the stadium’s north end zone was equipped with a stage with a digital backdrop, and soaring video screens on either side. The field was covered with interlocking floor tiles to hold thousands of chairs and a dais lined with altar candles.
To open the Congress, the “Perpetual Pilgrims” of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage were welcomed with applause and images captured during the north, south, east and west routes flashed on the video screens. Each group placed a framed picture of its route’s patron saint on easels surrounding the dais.
Then the lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the attendees. A thurifer entered, sending clouds of incense into the rafters. With candle-bearers preceding, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston (Minnesota), chairman of the board of National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., carried the Eucharistic Lord into the stadium. People dropped to their knees in joy and adoration at the sight of Jesus in the glittering, custom-made monstrance, lit front and back by spotlights.
In a press conference the next day, Bishop Cozzens said it was important to set the tone for the Congress by leading with adoration of the Lord.
Digital imagery on the backdrop of the stage helped create an environment of worship, revealing how thoughtful organizers had been in addressing every aspect of the Congress.
“It’s inspiring to see they put a lot of effort into making it beautiful,” said Mary Dixon of St. Michael Parish in Hastings.
After a morning rosary, liturgy was offered in English at the stadium each morning. Alternative liturgies were offered in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Latin, either morning or afternoon. Mass was celebrated for youth, and three Eastern Rite liturgies offered pilgrims the opportunity to experience the universality of Catholicism in yet another way.
After Mass, themed impact sessions to inspire were held at the stadium in the morning, and breakout sessions to instruct at the Indianapolis Conference Center in the afternoon. To serve the many Hispanic and Latino Catholics in attendance, a number of these were held in Spanish.
Each session featured national speakers, guiding people into a transformative experience with the Lord based on the theme.
For example, Encounter and Encuentro invited people to be transformed by Christ’s love. Empower delivered practical tools to foster a deeper interior life with Christ to be able to share Him with others. Renewal focused on those who minister in the Church in various capacities, both paid and volunteer, but have felt dry or even burned out.
The Cultivate tract was designed to equip families to foster a love of the Eucharist in their homes, while Awaken was especially for youth. In the Abide tract, priests were encouraged to balance their interior life with their call to serve others.
Afternoon sessions were smaller and even more focused. Some were geared toward education or raising Catholic children; others dealt with healthcare, theology, healing after abortion, or the challenge of living faithfully while dealing with gender dysphoria.
An estimated 2,000 people attended Trent Horn’s breakout, “I Object: Answering Fundamentalist Attacks on the Eucharist” and left with Bible verses, language, and logic for their next conversation with an evangelical who doubts the Real Presence.
Katie Kudron, an accountant at a large firm in Lincoln, attended “Trustworthy Stewards: The Intersection of Faith and Business,” which was presented by General Kevin P. Chilton, retired NASA astronaut.
“That was a big one for me, because I am not in any Church ministry, I’m out in the business world,” she said.
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SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell
A number of sessions were in Spanish, and many others included language translation that could be accessed by scanning a QR code. In fact, organizers said 19 languages were spoken at the Congress, including Arabic, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and American Sign Language.
Organizers seemed to have thought of everything. Confessions were offered from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. A pair of ballrooms at the convention center held a relic chapel with relics of congress patrons Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Manuel González García, and St. Paschal Baylón, and two exhibits: Blessed Carlo’s Eucharistic Miracles and the Shroud of Turin exhibit. These were so popular, the line at one point stretched down two corridors of the conference center.
An exhibition hall offered attendees everything from religious orders to pro-life organizations, Catholic education to moral investment tools, Catholic t-shirts to various items carved in the Holy Land, books, rosaries, and much more. In one corner, attendees donned disposable gloves and hair nets, to pack meal kits for those in need.
On the second level, there was a toddler play area, a quiet space designed for nursing mothers and their babies, and sensory playrooms to serve families. Atriums for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd invited children and their parents to experience that creative form of Catholic education.
Across the street, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church hosted perpetual adoration. People of all ages filled the church, and even through the night, the Eucharistic Lord was never left unattended.
See also: Revering the Lord with undivided hearts
Evenings, the audience returned to the stadium for more songs of praise and inspiring speakers. Each night ended with a holy hour. The monstrance was brought into the stadium, and again, those in attendance fell silent in adoration.
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SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell
On Saturday, the Diocese of Lincoln pilgrims journeyed to nearby Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral for a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Conley. In his homily, he expressed his gratitude that such a wide range of people from his diocese attended the Congress, including so many priests, religious and seminarians.
“You were called here for a reason,” he said during his homily.
Noting that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops wanted this National Eucharistic Congress to take place because so many of today’s Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence, Bishop Conley said, “Jesus comes to our lives through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and that’s what we need to convey to our brothers and sisters.”
He invited the pilgrims to “think of the names of people to invite back to the Church. One or two… or six, or five. Share this experience. Don’t worry about what you’re going to say. Let that joy radiate from your heart.”
See also: Diocesan religious experience joy, renewal at NEC
Then came the massive Eucharistic procession through the streets of downtown Indianapolis. Led by children who had just received their first Communion this past spring, then religious sisters and brothers, then seminarians, deacons, priests and finally bishops, the Eucharistic Lord was brought out, with throngs of adorers lining the streets on either side, and climbing up the steps of the monument circle for a better view.
A local man asked one of the Congress attendees, “Who are you waiting for? Is the pope coming?”
“No,” she answered. “Jesus is coming.”
The procession ended at the Indian World War Memorial. An outdoor altar was set up on the northern steps, and again, people lapsed into silent adoration. Passers-by also stopped and gazed with wonder.
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SNR photos | Corbin Hubbell
At the final Mass on Sunday morning, celebrated by Papal Delegate Luis Cardinal Tagle, participants were urged to return home and walk with just one fallen-away Catholic, or someone else who does not believe Christ is truly present in the Holy Eucharist.
“The gift of His presence and love for us will be our gift to people,” Cardinal Tagle said. “A Eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people.”
