Inspired by the Eucharist: Locals Are Ready to Share Jesus’ Love
Catholics from the Archdiocese of Newark returned from the National Eucharistic Congress with hearts filled to the brim with Jesus’ love.
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress, held July 17-21 in Indianapolis, was a profound moment for the whole Church in the United States as Catholics united in prayer and the Eucharist. Throughout the five days, attendees joined liturgies, talks, adoration, confession, exhibits, music, and revival sessions. The event culminated with a sizeable Eucharistic procession through the streets of Indianapolis and a closing Mass with hundreds of bishops and priests. Countless Catholics from across the nation also joined via daily livestreams. It coincided with the third year of the Eucharistic Revival.
According to organizers, the 60,000 who attended received a fresh outpouring of grace with “Jesus setting all ablaze with Eucharistic love.” Throughout the congress, they said Jesus showed he desires to reveal Himself more deeply in the Eucharist.
Genevieve Emanuel, director of religious formation and family ministry at the Church of the Little Flower in Berkeley Heights, said participating in an event where so many people were laser-focused on a single topic like the Blessed Sacrament was a “beautiful, powerful, inspirational, and fun experience.”
Emanuel said she was most moved by the quietness and stillness of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
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“It was so powerful and spiritually moving to see 60,000 people on their knees worshiping and adoring our Lord in song and silence,” said Emanuel, who attended the congress with her pastor, Father J.C. Merino. “In the silence and stillness of the room, I could tell our Lord was present in every moment. I encountered our Lord during prayer and song at this time and heard Him speak to me.”
Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart parishioner Karen Granados said she enjoyed the religious congregations’ stations, where she could talk to some of the sisters and brothers about their roles.
Granados said the nightly revival sessions were moving and concluded with the most amazing and beautiful moment of the day: the Eucharistic adoration and procession.
“Every session was very inspiring and truly beautiful,” Granados said. “Sister Olga gave an inspiring session, sharing with us how impactful her experiences are with people who have faced truly hurtful moments in their lives. She reminded us that God uses people in different ways to remind us that even in the darkest moments like death, grief, and addiction, He is there.” She said she was brought to tears when Father Mike Schmitz told the crowd, “It’s not that you don’t know, the fact is that you don’t care.”
“That really felt like a bucket of ice-cold water. ‘Do I really not care?’ I asked myself. ‘Do I really not want to put all my heart into really living the Living God in the Eucharist?’” Granados said. “He then started to say the words I have heard a million times during the Mass. ‘In the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty Father, forever and ever.’ In that exact moment, tears started to appear in my eyes. And it’s when every word started to have a new meaning to me.”
Paula Carbaca, also a Cathedral Basilica parishioner, went with Granados. She said the morning rosary and the petitions from the public really touched her heart. She was also moved by the adoration.
“The presence of God was there, and you could almost palpate it,” Carbaca said. “Him (the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance and carried by a priest) passing through the hallways at 3 p.m. and seeing the people bowing to His presence was unique. Lastly, the adoration in the night. I call it ‘Jesus in the dark.’ The Eucharist is with no doubt the best gift we were given.”
Both were excited to hear Jonathan Roumie from the television series “The Chosen” speak. He shared that the Eucharist is “his heart within him,” which resonated with them. Later they were able to take a selfie with Roumie when he joined the audience.
Twelve people from St. Antoninus Church in Newark attended the Eucharistic Revival. Parishioner May Jennifer Amolat-Apiado said it was obvious to all that “Heaven” had hosted the event, which made it so easy for all “to just receive.”
“What sweet mystery that 60,000 people were in one place, and there was so much order, even at Communion time when we went out quietly by rows to receive the Eucharist from among the 1,500 priests who were stationed in the hall,” Amolat-Apiado said. “We were one heart.”
Music minister Rizza Ruaya enjoyed how the music heightened the experience throughout the conference, including the choir, Worship with Matt Maher, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the closing Mass, and performances throughout the conference from Liveloud Worship, Josh Blakesley Band, Giancarlo Bernini, and The Vigil Project. Dave and Lauren Moore, a Texan husband-and-wife team and founders of Catholic Music Initiative, spent a year and a half planning the music, Ruaya said.
The congress also featured award-winning music from dioceses across the country, the result of a contest held by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis.
“The choir was amazing, and the violin! They sang so high. All the music was so spot on, but it varied throughout the congress,” Ruaya said. “From the praise and worship songs that welcomed us on the first evening, to the Gregorian chants, to the Gospel revival music in the second mass with Cardinal Gregory (Wilton) and the whole Indiana Concert Chorale and Symphony for the closing Mass of Cardinal (Luis Antonio) Tagle — Dave and Lauren Moore, they are anointed.”
Parishioner Eric Apiado said he was inspired by speakers “like Mother Olga, who placed the Eucharist in the bodies of the young and healed them. Or Deacon Harold Burke-Silver, who spoke of the similarities of hunger in the secular world and us, who are satisfied by the Eucharist. Also, Sister Josephine Garrett prophetically called out the bishops to live fervently as if when they were first in love with Jesus. They were ‘wow’ moments for me.”
Bishop Michael A. Saporito who attended with Bishop Elias Richard Lorenzo, O.S.B, both auxiliary bishops with the Archdiocese of Newark, said the Congress was “a real boost to my faith in Christ personally,” and that Bishops need to be fed as much as anyone else.
“The experience of Church as a body was unforgettable,” Bishop Saporito said. “The singing, joy, and desire to learn, grow and heal was palpable even in the large setting. The Masses were joyful and full of life and reminded me of what could be if we all brought our very best and even our hurts to the table of the Lord. It was also heartwarming to see a sizable youth population taking part in all of the activities.”
Highlights
Bishop Lorenzo said it was the “unbridled zeal and devotion of 60,000-plus pilgrims throughout the Eucharistic Congress” that moved him the most.
“Amidst a society of divisions and despair, the congress was a powerful witness to the unity and hope among faithful disciples of Christ,” Bishop Lorenzo said. “The Lucas Oil Stadium was filled with faithful Catholics, young and old alike, who truly believe in Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. In addition, the unbounded joy during the sessions of prayer and throughout the congress was both uplifting and challenging. They challenged me to explore and examine the depth and fervor of my own belief as well as the consequential joy of Christ as my own personal and Eucharistic Lord.
“Let us pray and work to end divisions and violence anywhere in our own lives and in our world,” Bishop Lorenzo added.
For Father Joseph Meagher, pastor of St. Antoninus Church, a highlight was the liturgy in the Eastern rite (Syro Malabar) celebrated by the Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, which recently opened a branch in Chicago.
“The Holy Spirit touched me in a different way during this Mass,” Father Meagher said. “We forget that this rite is older than the other rites and is also beautiful, with the words interspersed with the Aramaic. ‘Ruah’ was used in the invocation of the Trinity as in ‘Father, Son, and Ruah.’”
What’s next?
Many of the attendees told Jersey Catholic they left with a mission to spread the word on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is present in every tabernacle and at every Mass.
Bishop Saporito said: “The challenge remains to bring not only the spirit of the Congress but the call for all of us to be co-responsible for sharing our love of the Lord, not just in words and ritual but by living lives of true witness.”
Bishop Lorenzo said at the end of the Congress, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, challenged every pilgrim to find one person who does not know faith and walk with them until Christ transforms their lives.
“If 70 mission Catholics did that in the United States, we could change the world,” Bishop Lorenzo said.
Father J.C. Merino, the Church of the Little Flower’s pastor, was also excited about the Church’s future following the congress’ closing.
“Why a National Eucharistic Congress? The practical answer to that was to bring our Catholic family together to experience a profound, personal renewal through the power of Christ’s love,” Father Merino said. “Like a new Pentecost, this transformation will flow out from Indianapolis to bring revival in our communities as the Church returns to her first love — the source and summit of our faith — the Holy Eucharist. Did the congress do what it was supposed to accomplish? The faithful’s response is a resounding ‘YES!’”
Bishop Lorenzo’s top 10 Eucharistic Congress quotes from speakers at the event:
- “Knowledge can make one great, but only love can make you a saint… You can never have a revival without repentance.” — Father Mike Schmitz
- “The love of God has been poured into our hearts, and it’s the kindness of God that leads us to life-giving repentance.” — Sister Bethany Madonna
- “Your Christianity is not for you. Christianity is not a self-help program, something designed just to make us feel better about ourselves. Your Christianity is for the world.” — Bishop Robert Barron
- “The Eucharist, for me, is healing. The Eucharist, for me, is peace. The Eucharist, for me, is my grounding. The Eucharist, for me, is His heart within me.” — Jonathan Roumie
- “The Lord is not overwhelmed by you. He loves you, and He sees you, and He’s not deterred by anything.” — Sister Miriam James Heidland
- “It’s time for faithful Catholics to stop trying to live for God. Instead, we should start living from Him. The body and blood of the Lord are the source of our life, our energy, and our joy. So, let’s eat and drink here and every day to our heart’s content, and then let’s rush out into a starving world and tell everybody we meet, ‘Starving people, listen! We found where the food is!’” — Monsignor James Shea
- “We need a new Pentecost. We need to be filled with boldness. We need to be filled with intrepidity. We need to be filled with love, with generosity to be able to sacrifice everything for the sake of the kingdom.” — Mother Adela Galindo
- “He who made the promise is true, and so we can be people who repent with courage and joy. What a contradiction to be people who say, ‘I’m broken and I’m sinful, and I’m joyful and I’m hopeful.’ What would the world do with a pilgrim people like that?” — Sister Josephine Garrett
- “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus … Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.” — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
- “Brothers and sisters, we believe that God desires to renew His Church and that this renewal will happen through you. And that in renewing His Church, He will renew the world.” — Bishop Andrew Cozzens
Featured image: St.Antoninus parish in Newark is one of about a dozen churches from the Archdiocese of Newark that attended the Eucharistic Congress. (St. Antoninus)
