More than 50,000 Catholics congregated this past July for the five-day National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in Indianapolis. This incredible crowd of faithful called to mind the biblical days when followers of Jesus amassed to see, hear and, hopefully, touch the Messiah – or be touched by him. The experience moved, encouraged, and fed the souls of those present, including priests of the Diocese of Gary.
“My very first impression, gathering for the first revival session in Lucas Oil Stadium where tens of thousands of people were gathered around Jesus – who was present and exposed in the blessed Eucharist in the center of the stadium – was, ‘This is what it was like in the scriptures when it says that the crowds gathered around Jesus,’” said Father Benjamin Ross, pastor of St. Bridget in Hobart.
Since the start of the Eucharistic Revival, Father Ross had intensified his preaching and teaching on the Eucharist, providing more exposure for devotion to Eucharistic adoration. At his parish, he made changes to the Monday Mass schedule to begin at noon followed by an entire day of adoration that concluded with teaching and guided prayer held in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Also, by incorporating it into the religious education program, even the youngest members of the church could sit with God. This new structure will continue this year with a theme of praying with Scripture, a method called Lectio Divina, in which meditation will be focused on the upcoming Sundays’ Gospel readings.
The “positive, encouraging and amazing” experience at NEC reassured Father Ross in his ministry; he felt moved by the series of talks for priests to spiritually reflect more deeply.
“A theme which I perceived the Lord was encouraging me through the talks was vulnerability,” Father Ross said. “As I am growing older, and as a pastor, I am confronted more and more with my limitations, weaknesses and failures.” These personal aspects of his human nature, he contemplated further for himself. “I was greatly encouraged to offer all these vulnerabilities to Jesus and enter into his broken body,” he said “It's amazing that God, who is perfect spirit, chose to become like us – that is, limited – and was crushed out of love for us…. The path to true revival in the Catholic Church must begin with me, humbling myself before the Lord and seeking his mercy.”
“In a word, it was AWESOME!” said Father Ed Shea, OFM, who assists with the Gary parishes. “The recurring reflection that is in my heart is about the power of God to bring so many people together in one place, inviting us into his heart.”
Having 25 members of St. Joseph the Worker present among the “literal throng of people,” as Father Shea described, was moving and most powerful because they were “completely united with one another in this experience of love.”
“As I always say, Christianity is not a self-help program, and we experienced that together last Saturday,” Father Shea shared. “Jesus himself reached out to us and brought us together.”
All four Gary parishes that are assisted by the Franciscans – St. Joseph the Worker, St. Mary of the Lake, Ss. Monica and Luke, and Cathedral of the Holy Angels – will be involved in the three diocesan projects over the next three months as the summer of Eucharistic Revival continues. Those projects include the Diocesan Day of Service, Aug 17; Welcome Home Weekend, Sept 14-15; and Eucharistic Adoration Passport project, now until Oct. 11.
Associate Pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville, Father Robert Ross, found the Eucharistic Revival experience to be a profound time of self-reflection as well, and felt that he had been “hangry for the Lord.”
“What I was hungering for, what I was ‘hangry’ about, was that I wanted to hear other testimonies of people that love the Lord….souls who realize that we need Christ in the Eucharist, who know to go to Jesus, to pray and be with him, and who have had personal revelations or meditations and can share them – not just doctrinal statements that I know intellectually – I wanted the experiences of people who have spent time with our Lord through distractions, through tough moments. I wanted to hear that.”
One such speaker, Sr. Josephine Garrett, a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, provided that spiritual sustenance he craved. Her talk on repentance, he mentioned, was “phenomenal.”
“It was clear that she was speaking from the fruit of her prayer,” Father Robert Ross said. “It was very nourishing.” The Holy Spirit moved him to volunteer as one of the priests for confessions. He also felt called to witness the Eucharistic procession among the crowds that filled the downtown area, including many from St. Michael. He was in awe of the beautiful scene he beheld as the float with Jesus in the monstrance passed.
“Everyone just naturally and silently got down on their knees,” Father Robert Ross said. “It was moving, and something I wouldn’t have seen had I processed with my fellow priest. It was a thing of beauty to see people’s devotion.”
Another beautiful reflection Father Robert Ross shared of his experience before the Blessed Sacrament rests in the profound mystery of God’s presence. “God is not bound by distance, crowds, anything. When he was there in the monstrance, he radiated his love to everyone…Christ can have an intimate conversation with every single heart there.”
The experience of the first NEC in the United States in 83 years will be deeply and excitedly remembered.
Caption: On the park grass at Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Father Robert Ross reflects on the profound reaches of God’s grace during National Eucharistic Congress mid-July. “He's radiating his grace, and I felt that at the Congress his ‘UV index’ was higher….The Lord is doing something, and He just wants us to witness it, to absorb it and praise Him for it because this is all His work.” (Provided photo)