Faith on Fire

Sept. 1, 2024

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress strengthens Knights and others in missionary discipleship

By Maria Wiering

Sept. 1, 2024

Tens of thousands of Catholics fill downtown Indianapolis July 20 for a Eucharistic procession. — Tens of thousands of Catholics fill downtown Indianapolis July 20 for a Eucharistic procession from the Indianapolis Convention Center to the Indiana War Memorial during the National Eucharistic Congress. (Photo by Jeffrey Bruno)

“Just awe-inspiring.”

That’s how Patrick Glavin, a Fourth Degree master from Indiana, described the scene in downtown Indianapolis on July 20, as the Eucharist, held in a gleaming 4-foot-tall monstrance, was brought in procession from the Indiana Convention Center to the Indiana War Memorial for prayer and Benediction. An estimated 60,000 Catholics participated, kneeling along the streets as the Eucharist passed and then joining the masses who walked behind. Among them were many members of the Knights of Columbus and their families, including an honor guard of nearly 60 Fourth Degree Knights who marched just behind the flowery float carrying the monstrance.

The 1-mile procession — described by organizers as the largest in the United States in decades — was a high point of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, itself a high point of the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival. This three-year initiative of the U.S. bishops launched in 2022, with the Knights of Columbus as a major sponsor.

For five days, from July 17 to 21, people from around the country packed the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium and adjacent sites for liturgies, talks, performances and exhibits focused on the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Catholic faith.

But it all began with a time of quiet adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota — the revival’s longtime torchbearer — processed into the opening ceremony with the Eucharist, illumined by a spotlight in an otherwise darkened stadium. He placed the monstrance on the altar and, with the crowd of more than 50,000, knelt in silent prayer for 20 minutes before praying aloud: “We are here for you, Lord. We’re in awe before the gift of your life for us and for the world. … Lord, we wanted to give you the first words of our National Eucharistic Congress. So, let’s just take a moment of silence, and in our hearts, let’s tell the Lord how grateful we are that he is here.”

That prayer set the intention for the following days — and, organizers hope, well beyond.

Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the TV series The Chosen, speaks at the congress on July 20.

A family participates in Eucharistic adoration July 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, raises the monstrance in benediction outside the Indiana War Memorial.

Lay faithful and religious join in Eucharistic adoration at the conclusion of the procession.

THE GOAL: LIVES TRANSFORMED

In November 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted in favor of launching the three-year National Eucharistic Revival the following June, with the congress as its crowning public event. The 41st International Eucharistic Congress was hosted in Philadelphia in 1976, and the Knights of Columbus has organized several smaller Eucharistic congresses since, but this would be the first National Eucharistic Congress in more than 80 years.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly offers introductory remarks during the congress’ revival session. — Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly offers introductory remarks during the congress’ revival session July 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Photo by Zach Dobson)

“Our goal is to lead people to a deeper encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist so that their lives can be transformed,” Bishop Cozzens, then chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said at the time.

Initially proposed by Bishop Cozzens’ predecessor as chairman, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, the revival was prompted by a 2019 Pew Research Center study that found only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe the Church’s teaching that the Eucharist is Jesus’ actual body and blood. Its first two years, leading up to the congress, focused on fostering Eucharistic faith in dioceses and parishes.

Plans for the National Eucharistic Congress ultimately expanded to include the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, an eight-week journey made by 30 young adults from four corners of the country, converging in Indianapolis for the congress.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly shared his experience of the pilgrimage when he spoke at the congress July 18. Before introducing Father Mike Schmitz — host of the chart-topping “The Bible in a Year” podcast — he described walking through Manhattan with pilgrims on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s Seton Route.

“Waiters came out of restaurants and crossed themselves, and random groups of people broke out into spontaneous applause,” the supreme knight said. “And it all goes to show even in the heart of New York City, Jesus is alive; he’s real, and he’s changing hearts. Countless Knights of Columbus around the country joined processions just like that one. And the reason is simple. The Knights exist to serve Christ and his Church.”

During a revival session each evening, Catholic leaders shared their love for the Eucharistic Lord and the Church, with calls for “missionary sending” and a “new Pentecost.”

The headlining speakers included Bishop Barron, known for his Word on Fire ministry; Sister Bethany Madonna, a Sister of Life serving in Phoenix; and actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the popular TV series The Chosen and who joined the Knights in 2022.

“Receiving the Eucharist, going to daily Mass, for me has changed my life,” Roumie said. “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.”

Using the accented voice of Jesus in The Chosen, Roumie went on give a dramatic reading of the Bread of Life Discourse from John 6, in which the Lord commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life — a highlight for many attendees.

A crowd of more than 50,000 people listens as Father Mike Schmitz delivers a keynote address. (Photo by Zach Dobson)

The evening revival session emcees included Father Joshua Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge and a member of the Knights, and Sister Miriam James Heidland, a former Division I athlete whose radical conversion led her to join the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity in 1998.

Mark Hublar, 59, a member of Cardinal Ritter Council 1221 in New Albany, Indiana, was one of only four people chosen to share their testimonies via video during the evening sessions. A motivational speaker with Down syndrome, Hublar believes his life’s purpose is to advocate for and encourage others with disabilities to live well and do God’s work.

“I’ve been helping God, and I always will help God,” he said. “I know God’s busy in heaven, but I can help him down here.”

‘JESUS ALL AROUND US’

The congress drew registrants from all 50 states, including more than 1,000 priests and 200 bishops and cardinals. Around 8,000 attendees were under 25, with 5,000 under 18. Many came as families, bringing along babies and toddlers. It was common to see attendees sporting the K of C emblem on hats, shirts and other gear.

Supreme Knight Kelly spent some time meeting Knights at the K of C booth in the exhibit hall, where visitors could learn about the Order, post prayer intentions and venerate relics of Blessed Michael McGivney and six Knights of Columbus priests canonized among the Mexican Martyrs in 2000. Thousands of intentions were collected to be brought to Father McGivney’s tomb at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, or the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

A separate K of C booth in Lucas Oil Stadium promoted vocations to the diocesan priesthood. The Knights also sponsored a breakout session about Our Lady of Guadalupe led by Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, a longtime Knight.

An honor guard of nearly 60 Fourth Degree Knights participates in the Eucharistic procession through downtown Indianapolis. — An honor guard of nearly 60 Fourth Degree Knights participates in the Eucharistic procession through downtown Indianapolis on July 20. (Photo by Zach Dobson)

For many Knights at the congress, seeing other Catholics ardently practicing their faith edified their own. Tony Rizzuto, a member of Father Francis J. Diamond Council 6292 in Fairfax, Virginia, attended with his wife and three children. He hoped his kids would come away from the event knowing that “they’re not alone in the faith.”

“It’s sometimes isolating, when we live as a family different from the way the rest of the world does,” said Rizzuto, 42, who works at the Pentagon for the U.S. Space Force.

The congress, he added, allowed them “to see other families, and people of all ages, with the same excitement we hope to instill in them as they grow up. Having that witness from the thousands of people who are here is really special.”

Glavin, the Fourth Degree master who helped coordinate the Eucharistic procession, said the congress deepened his appreciation for his life and family, as well as his desire to share his faith.

“Hopefully, I can evangelize my friends and family a little more,” said Glavin, who belongs to Marquette Council 3631 in Griffith, Indiana.

Phil Stackowicz, a K of C general agent serving Indiana, was one of many insurance agents at the congress. He was impressed by the number of Knights working behind the scenes, noting that their work was rooted in the Eucharist and the call to evangelization.

“We’re all over the place,” Stackowicz said of the Knights at the congress. “I think that attendees can see us truly being the right hand of the Catholic Church through what we do.”

A member of Father Stephen T. Badin Council 4263 in Granger, Indiana, Stackowicz pointed to the prayer wall in the Knights’ main exhibit, plastered with more than 3,000 handwritten prayer intentions.

“You can’t miss Jesus all around us,” he said. “You can’t miss that faith on fire.”

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle elevates the Eucharist during Mass on July 21. — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the papal special envoy to the congress, elevates the Eucharist during the final commissioning Mass on July 21. (Photo by Rachel Moore, in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress)

The goal of the third and final year of the National Eucharistic Revival that has now begun — the Year of Mission — is to spread that fire. A key component is the Walk with One initiative, which encourages Catholics to reach out in conversation and friendship to one person whom they can help better know Jesus and his Church.

The congress concluded July 21 with a commissioning Mass celebrated by papal special envoy Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a member of Imus (Luzon North) Council 5896. In his homily, Cardinal Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila and a pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, encouraged congress-goers to share what they had received over the previous days.

“A Eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people,” the cardinal said. “Let us proclaim Jesus joyfully and zealously for the life of the world!”

Asked by Bishop Cozzens at the end of Mass if they would also like to see an 11th National Eucharistic Congress, the crowd roared. Bishop Cozzens, chair of the congress’ board, noted that organizers had been planning for 2033 — the Year of Redemption, 2,000 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection — but feedback from supporters, organizers and attendees had prompted them to consider holding another much sooner.

The bishop also announced a Eucharistic pilgrimage from Indianapolis to Los Angeles next year, arriving on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22, 2025.

For more information, visit eucharisticrevival.org and kofc.org/eucharist.

*****

MARIA WIERING, senior writer for OSV News, lives in St. Paul, Minn., with her husband and their four children.

Students and staff members of Holy Innocents School stand before custom-printed fencing screens donated by Msgr. John Cawley
Council 3629 in Lakewood, Calif., in 2022. The screens provide much-needed privacy to the playground of the school, which is
located in a busy urban neighborhood in Long Beach.

Faith on Fire

THE GOAL: LIVES TRANSFORMED

‘JESUS ALL AROUND US’

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