Local pilgrims connect during National Eucharistic Congress

More than 70 pilgrims from parishes across the Diocese of Charlotte joined Bishop Michael Martin for lunch during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — “I had no idea there were this many Catholics!”

A young boy exclaimed as he walked the through shoulder-to-shoulder crowded hallways of the Indiana Conference Center during the 10th National Eucharistic Congress – the first event of its kind in 70 years.

The National Eucharistic Congress, like its Charlotte counterpart, is a massive gathering of Catholics to celebrate faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Among the thousands of people in Indianapolis this week have been Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., and hundreds of pilgrims from the Diocese of Charlotte.

As a bishop for only a few months, Bishop Martin was greeted with smiles and hugs at every turn from the North Carolina pilgrims as well as clergy he’s known in his decades in ministry all over the country – everyone stopping to say hi and congratulate him.

Bishop Martin said there was a moment entering Lucas Oil Stadium to celebrate Mass with Cardinal Timothy Dolan when he just looked around and was struck by the realization, “I’m a bishop!”

That’s just one in a series of memorable moments Bishop Martin said he’s experienced at the National Eucharistic Congress. During a lunch with 70 pilgrims and clergy from the diocese, Bishop Martin pushed them to get out of their comfort zones and join in the Eucharistic revival.

“The road to conversion, the road to revival is made real every single day in your parish, in your home,” Bishop Martin told the pilgrims. “Let us remember the challenge ahead. We need to find ways to make connection, which is the heart of the Eucharist. It’s the communion that we share.”

About a hundred pilgrims from more than 15 parishes across the diocese are spending five days with Jesus and 50,000 Catholics in communion and fellowship – seeking to deepen their faith. Belmont Abbey College was also represented among an array of Catholic colleges and vendors.

“It feels like the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte but on a much, much grander scale,” said Chris Beal, who as the diocese’s faith formation director helps organize the local Congress each fall. “The number of Catholics from across the country, that’s powerful enough in itself. But they’re here for one reason: for the love of the Eucharist.”

Among the pilgrims are a group of permanent deacon candidates who are hoping to be ordained in 2025.

“The power of seeing that many people come together in our faith is overwhelming. It lights your heart on fire,” said one candidate, Tracy Neumann from St. Therese Parish in Mooresville.

Perpetual adoration at St. John the Evangelist Church across the street from the Indiana Convention Center was a highlight for Belmont Abbey College student Hannah Martin.

“It’s a very beautiful moment to just rest in the peace of Christ,” she said.

The National Eucharistic Congress centers around the Eucharist and includes live music, engaging speakers for clergy and pilgrims, daily inside the football stadium as well as smaller youth-oriented and Spanish-language Masses.

Beal said when he returns to his home parish of Sacred Heart in Salisbury, he plans to bring the lesson he took away from a breakout session with Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota.

“Bishop Cozzens talked about the power of inviting just one person to come to Mass. If everyone invited one person to return to the faith, we can change the culture one person at time,” Beal said.

— Kimberly Bender. Photos by Kimberly Bender and provided by Aidan Creter