Gulf Pine Catholic

8 Gulf Pine Catholic • September 15, 2023 Excitement about 2024’s National Eucharistic Congress is growing, says congress official BY NATALIE HOEFER INDIANAPOLIS ( OSV News ) -- Local and national organizers of the National Eucharistic Congress -- which will take place in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024, -- have been meeting virtually for some time. But for the first time, scores of them met in person in Indianapolis Aug. 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium, where in less than a year tens of thousands Catholics will gather for the clos- ing Mass of the historic event -- the first such event in 83 years. The congress will launch the third year of a three-year National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops to renew devotion to the Eucharist. “The Holy Spirit is inviting the United States to find unity and renewal through a grassroots National Eucharistic Revival,” Jaime Reyna, event lead for the National Eucharistic Congress, said, quoting remarks from a letter written by executive director Tim Glemkowski. “This movement -- dis- cerned and approved by the bishops of the U.S. -- is critical to rekindling a living faith in the hearts of Catholics across America, unleashing a new missionary chapter at this pivotal moment in church history. …The goal is to start a fire, not a program.” More than 25,000 have already registered for the event, said Reyna. “We just have a lot of people who are excited about gathering,” he noted. “Remember that feeling after COVID when people just wanted to come back togeth- er? It’s almost the same way, that there’s that spiritual connection of wanting to come together and pray and for the many different reasons that people are just want- ing to come together.” In addition to general and breakout sessions, the five-day event will be filled with opportunities for prayer, worship and the sacraments, said Father Patrick Beidelman. The pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Indianapolis is chair of the National Eucharistic Congress liturgy committee. “We’ll have a large Mass each day, three at the Indiana Convention Center and the closing Mass at Lucas Oil Stadium, … and opportunities for confession all over the place,” he said, adding that St. John the Evangelist Church across from the convention center “will be turned into a place of perpetual adoration start- ing on Wednesday evening through Sunday.” The route of a massive Eucharistic procession dur- ing the congress is still being determined, he noted. The day before the five-day congress opens, Catholics from around the U.S. participating in pilgrim- ages leading to Indianapolis will converge on the city. Planning is well under way for “Eucharistic caravans.” There will be four, each following a different route and each with its own name: the “Marian Route,” the “Juan Diego Route,” the “Seton Route,” and the “Junipero Serra Route.” Pilgrims on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all reach Indianapolis July 16, 2024. In his remarks Aug. 30, Reyna spoke with excitement about the speakers scheduled for the general and breakout sessions at the National Eucharistic Congress. Among them are well- known Catholic speakers, including priests, reli- gious and bishops. The church is diverse, Reyna also noted, and event coordinators are taking that into consider- ation. In addition to pro- gramming in English and Spanish, he said the congress team is working with existing min- istries to address other language needs as well. “We’re talking about Vietnamese, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Islanders and oth- ers,” he said. The team also is cognizant of engaging those with special needs. “We are working with national ministry organizations, like the National Catholic Office for Deaf Ministry,” said Reyna. “We also (are) trying to be as inclusive as possible for all our brothers and sisters, including those who may have some physical disabili- ties, to make sure that they are able to par- ticipate and to see how we can accommodate and serve them.” The event will involve “hundreds if not thousands” of volunteers, said Nikki Slater of Maribeth Smith & Associates, the Indianapolis-based event planning firm con- tracted to coordinate the National Eucharistic Congress. While registration for specific volunteer opportunities and shifts will go live next spring, Slater noted that a section of the con- gress website -- www.eucharisticcongress. org -- will be created soon for people to sign up as interested in volunteering. SEE NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS, PAGE 16 Jaime Reyna, event lead for the National Eucharistic Congress, speaks in Indianapolis Aug. 30 during a planning meeting of national and local organizers for the congress, which will take place in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024. OSV News photo/Natalie Hoefer, The Criterion