By John Rohlf
The Message assistant editor
Clergy and parishioners throughout the diocese recently traveled to Indianapolis to take part in the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.
More than 50,000 people gathered at the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years from July 17-21. The congress was an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, designed to renew the Catholic Church in the United States through an encounter with the Eucharist.
Debbie Hair, a parishioner at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, attended the congress from July 18-21. She said being in Lucas Oil Stadium with so many people kneeling in front of the Blessed Sacrament was something she had not experienced in her life.
She said she will never take the Eucharist the same way after attending the congress.
“I have a new revival for the Eucharist,” Hair said. “I’ve always known that it was the Body and Blood of Christ. I always was reverent. I’m a Eucharistic minister. I understand that. But now when I pick up the Body of Christ, it gets me so emotional.”
A parishioner at Sts. Mary and John Parish in Evansville, Kody Johnson attended multiple days of the congress. Johnson said one of the things he was looking forward to was the sense of community and being with others who believe Christ is present in the Eucharist. He said it was a great time and a great experience.
A parishioner at Precious Blood in Jasper, Margaret Baugh traveled with the group from St. Joseph Parish in Jasper and attended the congress on July 20. She also watched the other days of the congress. She said she loved all of the congress, from the speakers to adoration. She also referenced the different types of praise and worship music at the congress.
Father John Brosmer, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Jasper, attended the congress July 20. He found the talks from the main speakers that day to be “very enlightening.”
“The adoration and the amount of people on Saturday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium will be always remembered as a national encounter with the Lord. I am glad I said yes to attend.”
Bryan Macke and Elizabeth Steckler both attended the congress for the entire five days as part of the St. Maria Goretti Youth Group. The St. Maria Goretti Youth group is comprised of St. James Parish and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, both in Haubstadt; Holy Cross Parish in Fort Branch; and St. Bernard Parish in Snake Run.
The St. Maria Goretti youth group director, Macke said the congress was very unique. While he is used to going to youth conferences where the attendance is mainly high school youth with some adults, the congress was “the whole gamut of our universal church in a sense.”
An incoming senior and parishioner at Sts. Peter and Paul in Haubstadt, Steckler “thought it was really cool” to see the attendance at the congress. She said it was inspirational to see how many other Catholics believe not only in the faith but also in the Eucharist.
“I would say for me, seeing how many people there were, it kind of helps you remember that you’re not alone,” Steckler said. “So when you’re trying to go out in the world and be a disciple, it definitely gives you more confidence to do that because you know there’s more people like you.”
Janice Thayer, parishioner at Divine Mercy Parish in St. Anthony, attended multiple days of the Congress. She said her favorite part of the congress was the Eastern Mass on the Saturday morning of the congress.
“It was just amazing to me the number of people that were there. How quiet the church was even with the young babies and little kids and everything,” Thayer said. “It was so quiet in that stadium when the Mass was going on.”
Melinda Sloan, a parishioner at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, also attended the Diocese of Evansville Eucharistic Congress Jan. 13 at the Old National Events Plaza in Evansville. After attending the local congress, she decided she wanted to be a part of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
One of Sloan’s takeaways from the congress was one of hope.
“There’s hope because you’re surrounded by the young, the old, the families,” Sloan said. “People who had six kids in line going through this. And I just thought what hope it brings to see that.”
Johnson hopes everyone who attended the congress takes their experiences back to their home parish and “just be energized for the Eucharist.”
“I feel like that’s lost right now, that real belief,” Johnson said. “So we really need that energized feeling.”