[LIVE from Indy]: The energy in this room could change the country

With the National Eucharistic Congress wrapping up, we all look toward the future, "the new chapter" that begins today!

Find all our articles from the Congress and leading-up to the Congress here.

"Go!"

That was the final message of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in today’s homily. And that is what these pilgrims, many with their orange knapsacks on their back, will do. No doubt tired, but also strengthened and enriched in their faith, and more aware now of the diverse and universal nature of the Church, they will travel by car, bus, and plane back to their homes and parishes to share the experience of these days and to proclaim Christ present to the world.

After a relatively short thank you speech (considering the logistical triumph achieved), the "sending out" that has been spoken of throughout the Congress and the Pilgrimages that led up to it, finally took shape.

Bishop Cozzens announced a "Walk With One" idea:

And when is the next National Eucharistic Congress, the 11th?

The good bishop says it will be part of the celebrations of 2,000 years of our Redemption: Stay tuned for NEC 2033!

Mother Adela Galindo, foundress of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, gave the closing address of the Congress:

“It’s time to begin a new chapter in the life of the Church.”

It was yet another powerful address at this congress from a religious Sister.

“What we have freely received we must freely give.”

“The time has come to become Marian missionaries of the Eucharist. [...] Like Our Lady we must go out and conquer many hearts for the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist.”

“Brothers and Sisters, do we understand? Jesus is with us!”

Good morning from Indianapolis! There has been perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament here at St. John’s Church all through the National Eucharistic Congress. The church is right beside the stadium where the Congress has taken place.

As our gathering winds down, folks have come here to adore, ask for blessings, and reflect.

I want to thank you for following this “diary” of the Congress on Aleteia. I hope it gave you a bit on insight on what it was like here. In the coming days, I will share my own thoughts on what has transpired here. Have a blessed Sunday!

It has been 12 hours since my last entry — but that is because the organizers kept all 50,000 of us here very busy!

I was, thankfully, able to spend a couple of hours in the impressive Shroud of Turin exhibit. I found the exhibit fascinating, not just in its content, but in how the question of the Shroud’s authenticity is dealt with. Nora Creech, who helped create the exhibit, explained to me that she and the other curators did not want to force visitors toward a single conclusion, but leave them in their freedom with a question: Who is the man on the Shroud?

It reminds me very much of the method of Christ himself, who asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

Following this method, the exhibit begins with the fact of the cloth itself and the physical image, then moves on to science, history, and, finally, to how the image on the Shroud parallels the Gospels' accounts of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. I can't wait to write more about it and the exhibit’s creators next month.

I had so many fascinating encounters today, starting with an incredible conversation with Fr. David Michael Moses. I hope you caught the article sharing the part of our conversation that focused on young people. Look for more of our conversation in the coming days — I promise you it will be worth it!

The afternoon was devoted to the procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Indianapolis. In a way, it was a culmination of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the most dramatic way possible.

And as you can see in the video, there are a lot of flavors of nuns here! (Scroll down to see who coined that term!)

Arriving at the city’s monumental War Memorial, the Holy Eucharist ascended to a place of honor that resembled a massive throne. The effect was very dramatic, which was, of course, intentional. (Look carefully to see Jesus on the "throne" in the photo below.)

The bishops wanted to make a statement to the entire United States and the world about the Church’s devotion to Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist — but also, clearly, to society at large that the time that the Catholic Church was willing to sit quietly on the sidelines is over.

Bishop Cozzen’s said it was the largest such procession in many, many decades, “yet it still isn’t enough.” That was one of the themes that continued in the evening, especially in Bishop Barron’s address — about which, more later.

On a lighter note, I finally found some Sisters whose habits I did recognize when I ran into these Dominican nuns at a Subway restaurant.

But my nun encounters took on more surprising dimensions. As when I came upon Sister Mary Martha who was advertising the availability of Penance.

Then there was Sister Stephanie who was working crowd control (with great good humor) as if she were an air traffic controller or a cat herder. 

Finally, and most wonderfully, as I entered the stadium there was Sister Elfie and her bubble machine.  I should explain the Sister is a Salesian nun and that according to her, she was imitating St. John Boscoe. The bubbles were fragrant, you see, and she was telling young people that they had to be the beautiful fragrance that would make Christ evident and transform the world.

I had a number of other encounters that I hope to share later, but when I was in the Subway restaurant where I met the Dominican nuns, I also had a fascinating encounter with a scientific researcher. The story of his journey to the Catholic faith was so interesting that it needed its own article. We'll share the link here when it's ready.

[Update: Here it is!]

Finally, there was the last revival evening at Lucas Oil stadium, with rousing hymns, an appearance by Jonathan Roumie (straight off the set of The Chosen, where he had just finished filming scenes of the Last Supper!), and an address by Bishop Robert Barron. 

Again, you can view the event on YouTube, but I think it’s appropriate to end with this provocation from Bishop Barron:

That’s if for now. Tomorrow will be the closing session of what has been a very eventful Congress. Will it also be an impactful one in the way Bishop Barron and others dare to hope? That is the question of tomorrow and the months, days, and years ahead ….

Good morning from Indianapolis!

This is Victoria Hathaway. I stopped to asked her if she was advertising for her diocese, but it turns out that there is a bus of pilgrims coming from Gary, Indiana, for the day and she is there to greet them.

When asked if it isn’t too overwhelming to have 50,000 people from all over the country and the world descending on her state, she told me that she loved it, and that:

Friends, I am about to head off for a very special surprise interview just for Aleteia readers. I’ll post the link to the interview here when it’s ready and you'll see it on our web site. I think you'll recognize it without me telling you who it is.

[Update, here it is.]

Then I will be heading over to the Shroud of Turin exhibit, where the curators will tell us about the exhibits and share their insights on the famed relic or work of forgery, depending on who you ask. Having been obsessed with the Shroud of Turin since the age of 14, I confess that I come down squarely in the “authentic” camp. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to our exhibit visit.

In the meantime, I leave you with this photo of a happy group of women from the Diocese of Peoria. They are members of the Cursillo movement and send you their greetings!

The evening revival session stared with a concert. It was heart warming to watch hundreds of young people rush down from the upper levels and run across the stadium to join the celebration in front of the stage as the band sang songs of praise.

Once again, the evening’s keynote presentations are available online, but may I just say how much I have come to admire and appreciate Sister Josephine Garrett? Earlier she spoke to Aleteia about being pilgrims, but tonight she spoke about us being “repentant pilgrims.” Repentance, she emphasized, echoing Fr. Mike Schmitz’s point of last night, is the “other leg” needed for a true Eucharistic Revival. Her message was simple, but profound: “Repent in hope.”

She ended by addressing the Church in those present, starting with the bishops, then priests, religious, familes, and single people. Sr. Josephine speaks not just with conviction, but authority. Please, please watch her presentation. These words are something each and every one of us needs to here.

Then came the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and those present — in person and virtually — were invited to present their wounded hearts to the Lord. There was a eucharistic procession around the floor of the stadium. 

Tomorrow morning I have a pair of interviews scheduled which are sure to be of great interest to our readers. I may not post any updates here until later in the day.

We are in the homestretch of the National Eucharist Congress!

There is a beautiful Eucharistic Miracles exhibit that culminates in an exhibition of relics. Patrick Brueggen, who helped organize the exhibit, spoke to Aleteia about how it arrived in Indianapolis and of his affection for Blessed Carlo Acutis, who he feels particularly close to.

As I left the exhibit, I ran into Carmen Valenzeula Olvera and her son Anthony, age 11. They came here from Kentucky. Carmen saw a news story about the Congress on EWTN and decided that she had to come, although it meant having to ask time off from her job working in a school cafeteria.

She says it was worth the sacrifice. “I’m really excited to be here,” she tells me. She came here to ask for healing in renewal. The message Carmen has taken from these days so far?

Carmen was born in Guatemala, but when she was young her family moved to Mexico. There was a stong faith community there. “We prayed the rosary there, we sang one Psalm for each of the mysteries.”

When she moved to Shelbyville, Kentucky, in 1995, there were a few Spanish-speakers regularly coming to Mass, but the dedication and support of certain priests and nuns helped a community to form. There are now 400 people who regularly attend the Spanish-language Mass at her parish.

I also stopped to say hello to Michael Soice, who was working at one of the guest services table. A native of Indiana, Michael now lives in Florida. He came here to volunteer at the Congress. With tens of thousands of people to help, Michael has been kept busy. In fact, he has not been able to participate in a single event — he has, however, met many wonderful people and that has been his way of experiencing the presence of Jesus.

I have had a busy afternoon! Now I am sitting with Monina from Los Angeles, who calls the experience here like “a small ecosystem of the entire Catholic Church.” It’s true. There are so many people and so many things that you can do that you would be crushed if you tried to do everything — or even a good chunk of it.

I decided to go to the live podcast stage — but on the way, I ran into three remarkable women who belong to the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace. This small community prays for Church unity and promotes love for Mary through their work with parishes.

The community was “reborn” in 2010 when they were brought into full union with the Catholic Church. The Sisters spoke to me about what a joyful experience that was for them. Between them, Sisters Maria Inviolata, Phillippa, and Clare have 140 total years of living a vocation dedicated to the Lord. Amazing! 

It is clear that my mission to find out what communities all the religious Sisters here belong to is doomed to failure. A little girl here told her mom, “There are so many flavors of nuns here!” And it’s true. 

That little girl, by the way, is named Rose and she is the daughter of the author Katie Prejean McGrady. Katie was a guest on an episode of a Godsplaining podcast being recorded live at the Congress. Hosted by a former editor of Aleteia, Fr. Patrick Briscoe, and Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, the trio addressed the question, “How to set things on fire?”

Another way of putting the question: How can the enthusiasm generated by this National Eucharistic Congress be kindled and spread after these days end?

Katie acknowledged that after the dramatic events of the Congress, the people here are naturally going to experience a “crash,” so for her the real question is: How can we kindle small fires at home, with our families and in our parishes?

Fr. Joseph-Anthony pointed out that in life, the wood that really catches fire best is wood that is dry — and it can be the same in our spiritual life. Moments of grace are often preceded by moments of dryness and difficulty. Fr. Patrick agreed, saying, “Once that has all been amassed, then God will spark something.”

In the meantime, Fr. Patrick recommends not seeking out crosses on your own, but following what attracts you. 

Of course, all these very true and helpful points were made in between a lot of jokes and plenty of laughter. The two priests have a wonderful rapport and I highly recommend giving Godsplaining a try.

I then headed over to the exhibit hall and had a fascinating conversation with the sculptor Timothy Paul Schmaltz, who is creating a sculpture of Blessed (soon-to-be Saint) Carlo Acutis right in the middle of the hall!

You can find our conversation at the link below. Here's a small picture as a teaser but click the link to see several more and a brief video.

One of the things I am most impressed with are all the young priests here.

We are in a convention center full of Catholics, so you might not think there would be much opportunity for “mission” here, but walking to the Congress this morning, I saw a young priest who had stopped to sit next to a homeless woman in the street. They were deep in conversation.

And inside the convention center I saw a couple of other young priests speaking and praying with one of the center’s staff.

Yesterday Fr. Mike Schmitz mentioned that we have to become models for our young people — and I see that the priests here are truly models for the sort of mission that the Eucharistic Congress is meant to inspire, after these days have ended.

It was another moving revival evening, which many of you probably watched — and if you did not, I particularly recommend viewing the talks by Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart and Fr. Mike Schmitz.

Mother Olga spoke of Eucharistic miracles in peoples’ lives, some of which ended in healings, but others in which a healing was not received in this life, “but on the other side, in Heaven.”

[You can also find an Aleteia interview with Mother Olga here.]

Fr. Mike received a superstar welcome and spoke with energy — the poor camerman had a hard time keeping up with him. Appropriately for someone who just released a video called “The Bible in 10 Minutes,” he spoke about salvation history. His ultimate point was that to recognize that Jesus is present in the Eucharist isn’t enough; we must also accept the call to repentence. His talk ended in the prayer, “Jesus, teach us how to love.”

The most powerful part of the evening was, again, the time spent in adoration. It is impossible to convey in words the spirit of what transpired in the stadium. I took a few snapshots and a little video and those will have to speak for me. 

1 - When Sister Josephine Garret, answering another journalist’s question about the problem of division in our country and the Church, said, “We love to distract ourselves with these divisions because they take us away from the cross.” I had never thought about it that way before, but it rings very true. Food for thought.

2 - I was sitting in the ginormous vendor hall when a group of Hispanic kids from Indianapolis came up on the stage there and danced this tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I loved it and recorded a brief clip for you.

3 - But my absolute favorite moment happened when I left Lucas Oil Stadium and was heading to my car. I spotted a group of priests sitting on the curb eating burgers outside a White Castle and asked if I could take a picture.

It turned out they were from Opus Dei. There is a large contingent of members at the Congress. When they found out I was from Aleteia they told me they were big fans and even gave me a couple of burgers!

Like I said earlier, the Congress is ultimately about encounters with the Lord in the Eucharist, but also with Him in the community of believers.

Okay, time to rest up for day three….

My new quest to identify as many religious sisters’ habits as I can continued this afternoon.

Sister Placxedece Mugore and Sister Marita Sithole belong to the Sisters of the Child Jesus, an institute founded in the Diocese of Gweru in Zimbabwe. However these two Sisters have been sent from Africa on mission - to West Virginia. 

After speaking with the Sisters, I’m convinced they will have a striking impact on the young people fortunate enough to meet them.

Sister Placxedece had such an encounter herself when she met the Sisters as they were working with the families in her village. She was 13 when she discovered her vocation. Sister Marita has a similar experience, but she was much older — 15!

More than anything, the National Eucharistic Congress is a place of encounter. This morning we were told that there were people here from all 50 states and at least 17 different countries. I believe it. This afternoon alone I had conversations with folks from California to Pennsylvannia. 

This afternoon in the Eucharistic Village next to St. John’s Church, I met a young family that are representative of all the many families with young kids here. Daniel and Angele Baczmaga are here with Young Catholic Professionals, a social network for young adults of faith. They are also participating in the various events, including last night’s opening event.

Daniel is enthusiastic about the Congress because of the opportunity for young people to see “the fullness of the faith.”

In his work with Young Catholic Professionals, Daniel sees evidence of the need for that message every day.

In this sense, gestures like the National Eucharistic Congress can have an impact not just on the Church, but society as a whole. 

“You can feel the Spirit moving,” Angele says as she cradles their baby Lukasz. 

As day two of the Congress got underway, I found myself in the media center, which is (thankfully) much more tranquil than the joyfully packed Convention Center. In addition to asking questions of Fr. Mike Schmitz, and hearing his thoughts on keeping youth in the Church, I asked Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, if the success of the pilgrimage and Congress were a sign of peoples’ desire for physical community and connection in our post-Covid world. His response:

“I definitely think that part of the enthusiasm we're experiencing this week is: We get to be together again, right? - in big numbers. And so I definitely think that's contributing to what we're doing. 

I think you're right though. I think it's deeper than just being physically connected. It's connected to our whole sacramental worldview. You can’t do sacraments virtually.”

Bishop Cozzens pointed out that was part of the urgency of getting churches back open safely during the pandemic because “you can't really do the life of the Church virtually.”

Of course, people can follow the Congress online, but he acknowledged it can’t replicate the experience of “actually being here or being in a Eucharistic procession.” He encouraged people to attend Mass in the morning if possible before watching the NEC online.

Really, however, the entire point of the Eucharistic Congress is to change culture.

"And the pilgrimage was about creating a culture that lifts up the Lord, and honors the Lord. I think that's why it was so successful. It’s really simple. 

"You know, we bring the Lord out in the street and we walk along and we sing songs of love. So simple, so beautiful, so consoling to the heart, such a great witness to the world, just because we hold up the Lord and we say that we love him.

"And people see that we really treat him as if we love him. So I think that kind of cultural change is really what we're trying to promote in the Church and for the sake of the world.”

I was also able to speak to Sr. Josephine Garrett, who gave a very profound answer to my question about what it means to be a pilgrim.

And now, I brace myself for the massive, fun, frenzied, blessed crowds at the Convention Center. All for you, our devoted Aleteia readers! :)

Lucas Oil Stadium is amazing. I must confess that I was already starting to feel a little overwhelmed at this point. According to the organizers, the NEC is completely sold out -- and I believe it.

The ground floor and lower levels were packed by the time the events got underway and the mid-tier and upper levels continued filling up as the evening continued.

If you watched on TV, you know there were a lot of video effects, smoke, flashing lights and loud music at the beginning of the night, as the pilgrims entered the stadium like celebrities. But they certainly deserved the big welcome after the weeks and weeks of walking hundreds of miles, speaking to parishes, etc. 

I was a bit afraid that the entire evening would be filled with that level of sensory overload, but once the Blessed Sacrament entered the stadium a profound hush fell over the crowd and people fell to their knees. I honestly have never experienced such a deep silence — magnified by the fact that there were tens of thousands of people present. Of course there were a few coughs and a toddler occasionally yapping, but those sounds only served to make the silence feel deeper. 

Bishop Andrew Cozzens then prayed aloud  before the Blessed Sacrament. He expressed the hopes, desires, regrets, gratitude, and love of all those present. 

After the Eucharistic Adoration, Cardinal Cristophe Pierre came onstage as the Pope’s representative to the US and addressed those gathered. You can read his remarks elsewhere, so I will just say that I found it moving how concerned Cardinal Pierre was to make sure those present took time to think about the meaning of what they were doing. (Photo above shows Cardinal Pierre on the big screens.)

He asked the crowd what they thought the terms “Eucharistic Revival” and “adoration” meant. He invited people to see the Eucharist as an invitation to go out and encounter others. Jesus is present, and recognizing that, we cannot help but to look for him everywhere and in everyone. 

Then it was time for Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life to speak. Again you can read or watch her address elsewhere — but I will just say it’s great there are so many religious sisters taking prominent roles at the Congress.

Sr. Bethany had the whole stadium captivated, laughing, and thinking. She will be a “hard act to follow” indeed.

As I left the stadium, I passed a mom and dad with two young kids. I asked the little girl if she had had fun and she gave me an enthusiastic yes. More tomorrow!

There are so many different habits here and I realized to my chagrin that I do not know what orders or institutes most of these religious sisters come from.

Entering the main lobby of the convention center, for instance, I saw the two Sisters above. Do you know what community they come from? I certainly did not. Gathering my courage, I went up to them, introduced myself, and confessed my ignorance.

It turns out that Sister Mary Martha (left) and Sister Marie Elizabeth (right) belong to The Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a religious institute founded in the Archdiocese of Miami in 1990 by Mother Adele Galindo. She will be a keynote speaker at the Congress, it turns out.

Sister Mary Martha told me that years ago she was in grad school in Chicago, when the Servants were giving a retreat. She was deeply moved and discovered her vocation. 

The Sisters invited me to visit their table in the vocations area later this week. When I joked that they would have a lot of competition, they rightly told me that they just want the young people here to find the place that Jesus has prepared for them.

Their radiant smiles made it very clear that they are both truly grateful for their own vocations.

Well, I made it. And let’s just say the lines are … longer than I expected. But people seem to be in pretty good spirits. I already met folks from Illinois, Arkansas,  New York, Missouri, and Texas. All very friendly people — and very patient! Some of them had been waiting for almost three hours to pick up their entrance passes. 

 A special shout out to Jennifer at Guest Services who told me she loves Aleteia and regularly features our articles in her parish bulletin!

You can tell you have arrived in Indianapolis by the race cars displayed in the airport (think the Indy 500!). But what is more surprising is that the National Eucharistic Congress also has a presence here at the airport — at least for the next few days.

Heading for the baggage carousel, I was surprised to find a table staffed by volunteers to greet NEC attendees. They are from the Diocese of Indianapolis, and their job is to greet new arrivals and help them get situated.

They will have plenty of work. My plane from Newark was packed with priests, nuns, and friars. It seemed like 90 percent of the passengers were heading for the Congress. A Dominican priest, Fr. Ignatius, sat next to me on my flight and commented on how surprising it was to have so many encounters with other believers before he had even stepped off the plane.

The Eucharistic Pilgrims have all arrived in Indianapolis too, from the four corners of the nation.

This short video gives just a tiny taste of what they've experienced the last two months:

And surely no one is surprised to learn that Knights of Columbus were instrumental in the Pilgrimage, literally from the first idea, to the smooth running of it across the country.

Find reports leading up to the Congress at our "Eucharistic Revival" tag.