More than 50,000 Catholics from across the U.S are descending on Indianapolis, Ind., for the National Eucharistic Congress, part of the three-year Eucharistic Revival grassroots effort.
The five-day conference is being held July 17-21 in Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis and features well-known speakers such as Bishop Robert Baron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries; Fr. Mike Schmitz, famous for his Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts; and Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus in the blockbuster television series, The Chosen.
Two other notables who will be onstage during the event have ties to the Diocese of Phoenix: Sr. Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life, mission coordinator for the sisters in Phoenix; and mega star of the Christian music scene Matt Maher, who once served at St. Timothy Parish in Mesa.
A contingent of 26 St. Timothy parishioners, led by Fr. Frankie Cicero, traveled together and are staying at the same hotel. A group of eight parishioners and staff from St. Gabriel Parish in Cave Creek, led by their pastor, Fr. Chad King, is also participating in the congress.
Karen Tansill, a St. Timothy parishioner, is a native of Indiana and said she is looking forward to returning to her home state.
“I left when I was 20 so I’m going back years later,” Tansill said. “Just the excitement of so many Catholic Christians coming together. The first night is going to be just incredible. It’ll be five days of stirring up the Spirit.”
A delegation from the Diocesan Pastoral Center for the Diocese of Phoenix includes Ignacio Rodriguez, manager of Hispanic Ministry; Sr. Mary Jean Pierre Wilson, RSM, director of the Office of Buildings and Property; Michael Villanueva, coordinator of the St. John Paul II Center for Theology of the Body; and this reporter.
Arriving just in time for the congress are four small groups of young adults who hastened from the North, South, East and West of the U.S., carrying with them Jesus in the Eucharist. Their journey is the first-ever national eucharistic pilgrimage and one of the largest eucharistic processions in history.
The last National Eucharistic Congress was held in 1941 in St. Paul, Minn., just six months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Check back daily at catholicsun.org and the Diocese of Phoenix social media pages for updates to this story and an upcoming feature story on the congress.
