National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress

The National Eucharistic Congress, scheduled to take place in Indianapolis on July 17-21, is a milestone event within the three-year grassroots movement of the Eucharistic Revival. Preceding the gathering itself will be several weeks of Eucharistic Processions throughout the United States, with all routes leading to Indianapolis.

The theme of the Congress is “From the Four Corners.” According to the schedule on the Eucharistic Congress website:

“As the Congress begins, the four branches of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will converge at the venue in a powerful symbol of unity. Then – gathered as one Church – we will present our wounded and imperfect hearts to the triune God who loves us. Just as he did on the road to Emmaus, Our Lord will listen to our worries and reveal himself once more in the breaking of the bread.”

The Pilgrimage

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, “Our National Emmaus Moment,” takes its name from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, in which two disciples were walking from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus after Jesus’ resurrection. They were discussing all that had happened, and Jesus himself “drew near and walked with them.” (13-35) 

The Eucharist will be carried through the streets, accompanied by the faithful. It is both a journey to Jesus and with Jesus.

The processions will begin in May in four different locations and end in Indianapolis at the Congress. Below are the routes. 

·   Marian Route (North): From the headwaters of the Mississippi through Wisconsin and Illinois

·   Seton Route (East): From New Haven, Conn. through Manhattan, Philadelphia, Baltimore and the University of Steubenville

·   Juan Diego Route (South): From Brownsville, Tex. through Alabama, St. Louis and Louisville, Ken.

·   Serra Route (West): From the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco through the Rocky Mountains, Kansas and St. Louis

According to Bishop Andrew Cozzens, bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, Minn. and chairman of the Board of Directors, National Eucharistic Congress, “The Pilgrimage will be a powerful, once-in-a-lifetime witness of how Jesus Christ comes close to us and invites all to encounter him in the Eucharist.”

Who Can Attend the Congress?

Everyone! The Congress is for laypeople, clergy and religious. Families are welcome and admission is free for children 12 and under

 When: July 17-21, 2024

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.

Who: Laypeople, clergy and religious

How to attend: Passes can be purchased for the full event or for a single day

For more information and to register for the Congress, visit eucharisticcongress.org.

Congress Details

Each day at the Congress is designed to facilitate a life-changing encounter with Jesus, regardless of where individuals are on their journeys of faith. Attendees will select their preferred series of impact sessions for the morning and breakout sessions for the afternoon. Then, gathered together as one, the whole assembly will experience the powerful revival sessions in Lucas Oil Stadium each evening.

Themes

·   Day One: From the Four Corners. Catholics gather to experience profound, personal renewal through the power of Christ’s love.

·   Day Two: The Greatest Love Story. During this first full day of the Congress, participants receive a clear kerygmatic proclamation that invites them into intimate relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Together, participants respond to this call in the celebration of the Eucharist and learn how their lives can be understood within the context of salvation history – the greatest love story ever told.

·   Day Three: Into Gethsemane. Today, eyes will be opened to the effects of sin and the healing that God wants to give everyone. On an individual level, opportunities are available for the healing of the whole person, including physical, psychological and spiritual healing. On the corporate level, the Congress recognizes the areas where the Church has failed and the repentance and healing needed to unify the Body of Christ.

·   Day Four: This Is My Body. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke recounts that the disciples “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” (2:42) Using the early Church as a model, this day will build up participants as disciples through Jesus Christ to live out the Gospel in their love of both God and neighbor.

·   Day Five: To the Ends of the Earth. On this last day of the Congress, the faithful will be commissioned to go out into the world as missionary disciples as we enter the third year of the National Eucharistic Revival: the Year of Mission.

Emcees

·       Montse Alvarado worked 14 years with the team at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a renowned nonprofit defending religious freedom as a human right at the Supreme Court.

·       Sister Miriam James Heidland joined the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) in 1998. She holds a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute and leads healing retreats for priests and religious sisters across the nation.

·       Father Josh Johnson was ordained for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 2014, and now travels widely as a speaker.

Revival Session Speakers

·       Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens is bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, Minn and the chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress.

·       Mother Adela Galindo was born in Nicaragua and later moved to the United States. She founded a bilingual religious family: Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests, and Lay Apostles of the Pierced Hearts.

·       Sister Josephine Garrett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, is a nationally certified and licensed counselor, specializing in trauma and the treatment of children and adolescents.

·       Father Rocky Hoffman is the chairman and CEO of Relevant Radio.

·       Sister Bethany Madonna and her fellow Sisters of Life accompany vulnerable pregnant women and minister to young college students through their presence and evangelization.

·       Cardinal Christophe Pierre is the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

·       Gloria Purvis is an author, commentator and host of the Gloria Purvis Podcast. She is a strong Catholic voice for life issues, religious liberty and racial justice.

·       Father Michael Schmitz is the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, as well as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He offers weekly homilies on iTunes and BulldogCatholic.org, and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press.

·       Chris Stefanick is an author, speaker and television host. His live seminars reach more than 85,000 people per year. 

 ·       Father Agustino Torres, CFR, serves with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal based in the Bronx. He is the founder of Corazon Puro, an organization dedicated to forming youth. He hosts the EWTN programs Icons and Clic con Corazon Puro in Spanish.

In addition to the Revival speakers, there are more than 30 Impact Session speakers, including Bishop Robert Barron, Father John Burns, Dr. Mary Healy and Sister Mary Grace Langrell.