INDIANAPOLIS – Unity was a key theme of the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress.

The Congress brought together thousands of individuals from 17 countries and 43 languages. All 50 U.S. states were represented.

More than 60,000 individuals attended the event, which was held July 17-21.

The gathering of Catholics from various backgrounds and walks of life in a national congress centered on the Eucharist was no accident. Uniting Catholics together as one body was the plan from the beginning.

“The Church needs a national moment of unity,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the chair of the National Eucharistic Congress, said in a press conference on July 19.

“That was the heaviest lift of this whole project: to convince the bishops that we should do this. It was so strong in our listening and our prayer together.”

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, joined by Julianne Stanz (left) and other members of a panel, speaks during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

Bishop Cozzens, who serves as the bishop of Crookston, Minnesota, said leaders from dioceses and parishes gathered in the summer of 2021. They formed an executive team, which headed the Church’s National Eucharistic Revival.

Three years later, the National Eucharistic Congress delivered.

For pilgrims from Columbus such as Joe Scarpitti, a parishioner at Columbus St. Peter-Powell St. Joan of Arc parish, the congress brought a sense of unity. Being surrounded and enriched by thousands of Catholics differed from a sense of isolation in the faith, which, he said, can be experienced back home.

“I’ve sat with people from California, from local here in Indiana, people from Illinois – Chicago – people from back home, people from far out east,” he said.

“The willingness to just talk and share with people you sat down next to randomly – it’s amazing. It’s just all the Church. That’s what it means to me: It’s just all the Church.”

Scarpitti said he enjoyed having Catholics who he listens to on the radio or whose books he has read present at the congress. He also appreciated getting to hear “rock stars” such as Father Mike Schmitz, a priest of the diocese of Duluth, Minnesota and host of the Bible in a Year podcast, speak live.

National Eucharistic Congress attendees enjoy some of the inspirational music in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

Worshipping God alongside tens of thousands of Catholics was a highlight for Scarpitti.

“Praise and worship and the liturgical music in general has been the most moving for me because music moves me, and so, when it’s done well, you’ve got a whole arena singing along, that’s just amazing,” he said.

The gathering of Catholics present to worship and adore the Lord Jesus Christ alive in the Eucharist also brought hope.

“Here we are, 2,000 years later, packing a stadium of 50,000 people, and the Church has been kicked around a lot,” Archbishop Nelson Perez, the archbishop of Philadelphia, said in a July 19 press conference. “This is a sign of hope and a moment of healing for the Church in the United States.”

Thousands of clergy and consecrated religious were present for the congress – the first to take place in 83 years. More than 200 bishops and cardinals attended, as well as approximately 1,200 priests.

“A lot of priests, but only a thousand, and a lot of bishops, but only 200. Lay people outnumber us by far, and there lies the fruit and the hope,” Archbishop Perez said in the press conference.

Sister Marie, CSJ (Congregation of St. John), the director of religious education at Columbus St. Christopher Church, was one of 1,300 consecrated religious sisters who attended the National Eucharistic Congress.

The number of consecrated religious averaged 1,300. More than 700 seminarians and 600 deacons also attended.

Archbishop Perez noted that the vitality of Christ and His bride, the Church, is palpable in the thousands of faithful who were present at the congress.

“What this says to me is that Christ in the Church – the mystical body – is alive,” he said.

The congress was also a sign of hope for seminarian Anthony Whalen, who is studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Columbus.

More than 20 seminarians from Columbus traveled to Indiana’s capital city for the congress. Several offered a daily Holy Hour at St. John the Evangelist Church. The church, located across the street from the Indiana Convention Center, served as a chapel with 24-hour Adoration for the duration of the congress.

“It was wonderful to see a church packed with so many people. The number of young religious sisters in habit was refreshing and gives hope for the future,” Whalen said.

“Since I transferred from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, I was able to reconnect with many of the seminarians I studied with and some of the priests as well. It has also been a good time of getting to know my Columbus seminarian brothers better since coming back to Ohio.”

Seminarians Anthony Whalen (right) and Parker Grove stop for a photo in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

For Whalen, the National Eucharistic Congress was his first time attending “this large of a gathering of the faithful.” He was “overwhelmed” by the 40,000+ people who gathered in the stadium for the opening night and said it was a “great experience” for him.

Adoration was offered each evening during the congress in Lucas Oil Stadium. Benediction after exposition of the Blessed Sacrament also took place daily.

“It was great hearing 50,000 people singing ‘O Salutaris’ and ‘Tantum Ergo’ together in a chorus to Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity,” Whalen said.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was also offered in Lucas Oil Stadium each day of the congress. Masses, celebrated by various bishops and cardinals, were offered daily in several languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, as well as in the Eastern Rite.

Deacon Kevin Girardi, a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus who is anticipated to be ordained to the priesthood next spring, served in the Mass on July 18 with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.

All congress attendees were invited to participate in a Eucharistic procession held in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, July 20. Tens of thousands of clergy, consecrated religious, seminarians and laity processed through the city streets.

Bishop Earl Fernandes waves to the thousands of individuals who packed Indianapolis’ sidewalks on July 20 for a mile-long Eucharistic procession downtown.

Thousands more faithful packed the sidewalks to watch and welcome the Eucharistic Lord during the procession. The mile-long route began at the Indiana Convention Center and concluded at the Indiana War Memorial and American Legion Mall.

Debbie Crecelius, a parishioner at Delaware St. Mary Church, was struck by the number of clergy in the procession.

“It was just so wonderful – we were calling them our warriors,” she said of the clergy. “We’re just so grateful for their leadership, and it was so wonderful to see them all together.

“And then, at Mass, to see all those priests and deacons and seminarians and then all those bishops – usually we see only one at a time – it’s such a joy to see them all together and the paternity of them. I think they must be enjoying that time together.”

Crecelius, who serves as a core team member for the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference, traveled to the congress with others on the core team. She was impressed by what she experienced.

“It’s totally awesome,” Crecelius said of the congress. “It’s actually far exceeded what I expected.”

Seminarians Brandt Boyden (left) and Ray Duffy traveled with more than 20 seminarians from the Diocese of Columbus for the congress.

Although many miles from home, she said the National Eucharistic Congress was a great way to meet people from the Diocese of Columbus. Crecelius enjoyed sitting with many Columbus pilgrims, who often congregated for the various sessions offered at the congress. Approximately 450 individuals from Columbus were present.

The Eucharistic procession downtown was a highlight for Amanda Mahle, who serves as the administrative assistant at Johnstown Church of the Ascension. Her son, Sam, will begin seminary for the Diocese of Columbus this fall.

It was comforting, she said, as a Catholic, to know the faith is “alive” and “growing."

“It’s all the things we know to be true,” she said. “It just solidified and confirmed it.”

Mahle, who traveled with a group from her home parish, Sunbury St. John Neumann, spoke with attendees from across the United States. She said the congress showed that “we are one body in Christ.”

Father Jonathan Wilson (center), the pastor of Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church, walked in the Eucharistic procession on July 20 in downtown Indianapolis.

A group of parishioners from St. John Neumann traveled by bus with pilgrims from other diocesan parishes. They were accompanied by Father Jonathan Wilson, the pastor of Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church, as Father Daniel Dury, pastor of St. John Neumann, is currently away on sabbatical.

Mahle appreciated Father Wilson’s presence on the bus. She said he helped prepare the pilgrims for the Eucharistic congress.

“You do have to wrap your brain around the fact that it’s going to be a firehose of information all at once and just take it in and take it home,” she said.

“I really feel like they did an amazing job of helping us understand that we need to take this back, that we’re responsible as a Church to take this back and spread the joy. 

“I thought it was so well done. I was surprised at how easy it’s been to find my way around.”

The congress was also a noteworthy experience for Mahle as a convert to Catholicism. She was baptized and initiated into the Catholic Church a couple of decades ago.

“My husband chose this for us 20 years ago, and I have not regretted a minute of it,” she said.

The National Eucharistic Congress included a lineup of well-known speakers during evening “revival sessions.” Speakers represented clergy, consecrated religious and laity. 

The lineup included actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays the role of Jesus in the television series The Chosen, which portrays the life of Christ.

Bishop Robert Barron processes downtown with approximately 200 bishops who attended the National Eucharistic Congress. 

Bishop Robert Barron, the bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, was also a featured speaker.

“The energy in this room could change this country,” the bishop said addressing the audience of more than 60,000 individuals.

Matt Maher, a critically acclaimed Catholic musician, performed live during a revival session and time of Adoration in Lucas Oil Stadium on July 20.

The congress also included a Shroud of Turin exhibit, as well as an exhibit on Eucharistic miracles compiled by Blessed Carlo Acutis.

A relic chapel was open for prayer and veneration during the congress. The chapel contained relics of the patron saints of the National Eucharistic Revival – Blessed Carlo Acutis, Ss. Manuel Gonzalez and Paschal Baylon – and patrons of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: Ss. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Juan Diego, Junipero Serra and the Veil of Our Lady.

Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is processed through Lucas Oil Stadium for an evening of Adoration followed by Benediction.

During the closing of the congress on Sunday, July 21, in his final remarks, Bishop Cozzens announced a national pilgrimage will take place again in 2025. The single route will take pilgrims from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. 

A national gathering for the feast of Corpus Christi, which celebrates the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, is set for June 2025 in Los Angeles.

The 11th National Eucharistic Congress was announced for 2033 – the Year of Redemption – marking the 2,000th year since Christ’s death and resurrection. Bishop Cozzens said the possibility of a national Eucharistic congress before that date will be discerned.