The Eucharistic Congress: A Call to Change

Sherry Hayes-Peirce shares four takeaways from the National Eucharistic Congress.

The Eucharistic Congress was truly awesome! I was awed by the sheer number of people at the gathering. The presence of the Holy Spirit was palpable in the Lucas Oil Stadium during the 10th Annual Eucharistic Congress (NEC).  

Holy habits 

It is estimated that there were more than 50,000 attendees gathered to participate in a revival experience. I was struck by seeing so many young religious sisters who were wearing full habits. 

The number of seminarians was also extraordinary. They were wearing cassocks. Both instances sparked a tinge of nostalgia; In my 1970s childhood, when I attended Catholic school, it was commonplace to see the religious habits identifying those who had chosen a religious vocation. My pastor back then — Father Casey, God rest his soul — would walk across the schoolyard at recess wearing a black cassock that swayed as he walked. To us children it appeared as if he was gliding like a supernatural being not touching the ground and floating through the air. My teachers were a religious order from Hawaii, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who wore white habits. I remember on windy days when their white veils blew, triggering childish thoughts about whether they were bald or if they had hair — it was so mysterious! 

We see you and the future!  

As I belong to a small contingent of Black Catholics in the United States, seeing us represented at this event filled me with such pride. Attending the Mass that Cardinal Wilton Gregory served as presider moved me to tears. After just reading the story of Venerable Augustus Tolton ordained the first Black priest in 1886, attending a Mass celebrated by the first Black Cardinal nearly 140 years later was historic. One of the emcees for the evening revival sessions was Father Josh Johnson, a young Black priest hailing from my father’s home state of Louisiana.

The other two emcees were young women: Sister Miriam James, a religious sister from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, and Montse Alvarado, a Latina and the president and COO of EWTN News. All three emcees appeared to be under 60 years old, filling me with such hope for the future of our Church with this new generation of leaders at the helm. I was also awed by the number of young families with kids in strollers who traveled to the Congress. Seeing these families make the investment in time and treasure to expose the next generation of Catholics truly touched my heart.  

Jesus was in this place  

The NEC featured beautiful pageantry around the presentation of the Eucharist. The monstrance was so large it could be seen from anywhere in the stadium. The adult altar servers with a single acolyte choreographed the movement through the space with such reverence. The bearers of our Lord changed each day exhibiting differing styles for devotion. Thursday night we heard in a capella style the traditional Latin hymns and Gregorian chant. On Friday, in silence, Father Boniface Hicks, OSB lead us in a beautiful spoken litany of forgiveness. On Saturday, the beautiful contemporary songs of Matt Maher stirred my soul in reflection and prayer during adoration.

We were on our knees in honor and respect for the presence of Jesus on the altar — in a stadium — and it was a sacrifice for those of a certain age or weight. Bearing the pain was part of the devotion to our Lord in this beautiful experience shared with tens of thousands gathered to pray before the presence of Jesus. The Masses were so engaging and inspiring, kindling a fire in all of our hearts.  

Not a Church of blah, But a Church of fire  

There were many powerful speakers calling us to be changed by this holy experience. The common theme was to think of this as a Pentecost and the Holy Spirit descending upon us with flames illuminating to us our gifts and how to use them to set the world on fire.  

If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire! (attributed to Saint Catherine of Siena) 

No one did this better for me than Fr. Mike Schmitz. He kindled a fire in all of us that spread like wildfire through the Lucas Oil Stadium, creating an inferno! I will never think in the same way when I see the priest lift up the blood and wine during Mass after his inspirational message.  

The moment when the priest holds the blood and body of Christ in his hands saying, "Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." That is the same as the moment when Jesus says on the cross, "Father I commend my spirit." When you see the Lord lifted up at Mass you are seeing calvary and you are participating in the restoration of the world. (Father Mike Schmitz) 

I was so excited that the torch was passed to the West Coast, with the next revival coming to my part of the country next June. If you would like to see Fr. Schmitz and all the other speakers, Masses and breakout sessions, EWTN has provided videos to watch.  

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Copyright 2024 Sherry Hayes-Peirce
Images: copyright 2024 Sherry Hayes-Peirce, all rights reserved.