Bishop Alfred Schlert joined sixteen delegates from the Diocese of Allentown at the National Eucharistic Congress from Wednesday, July 17th to Sunday, July 21st.
Nearly 55,000 bishops, priests, religious, and lay people attended the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The last National Eucharistic Congress was held 83 years ago in 1941 at Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
In a panel discussion with other organizers of the National Eucharistic Congress on Thursday, July 18th, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the Congress's board chairman and Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, explained that the inspiration for this 10th Eucharistic Revival and Congress came after the 2019 Pew Research Study revealed that nearly 70% of Catholics did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
He told the crowd that after this study, Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, began to call for a Eucharistic Revival, and other bishops and lay people followed suit in their call and desire for renewal as they saw the realistic need for another Eucharistic Congress.
In the Diocese of Allentown, the "Year of the Real Presence" from 2021 to 2022 "came out of similar sentiment," said Maggie Riggins, Executive Director of Evangelization and Formation.
Riggins noted that the Pew study and struggles following the COVID-19 lockdowns led to a need to "[refocus] people on the truth of our Faith."
Days into the Eucharistic Congress, which was filled with Adoration, exhibits of Eucharistic miracles and the Shroud of Turin, dozens and dozens of national speakers, including Bishop Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Chris Stefanik, etc., and an expo hall displaying Catholic organizations, Riggins reflected on "what's next" for the Diocese before returning home from this retreat-like experience in Indianapolis.
"[Through the Eucharistic Revival], the hope is that people will fall more deeply in love with the Eucharist, which will then inspire them to share this experience with others."
She discussed a variety of resources that the USCCB created in an initiative called "Invite One Back."
"It's a way that individuals or a parish can have the confidence to talk to people about inviting people back to Mass, inviting someone back to the Church, [and] inviting someone back to have a relationship with Jesus. I think that's the practical piece of ["what's next"]. So, not only [is this an opportunity for] personal and spiritual enrichment—something that is always wonderful for us—but what are the practical implications of having this experience moving forward?"
Before the closing Mass, Bishop Alfred Schlert joyfully expressed, "It's been a wonderful experience here in Indianapolis. Seeing 55,000 Catholics come together to worship, adore, and deepen their love for the Eucharist demonstrates the power of a pilgrimage, the gathering of Catholic people, and the tremendous grace that can flow from it.”
“I've been praying for each and every one of you throughout these grace-filled days. And I'm so happy for us, as a diocesan community, to be the light of Christ and to be a Eucharistic-centered people of faith.”
Bishop Schlert’s hope is that those who come back from the Congress will bring the “joy” received from the experience and enter into a “missionary spirit."
The next National Eucharistic Congress will be in 2033.
To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, Congress, and Pilgrimage, please follow the National Eucharistic Revival on social media or visit www.eucharisticcongress.org.
