The Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress is an event like no other. Part worship experience, part diocesan “family reunion,” the annual Eucharistic Congress is an opportunity to deepen our faith and be inspired by Christ’s love for us.
Bishop Peter Jugis will open the 2023 Eucharistic Congress at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, at the Charlotte Convention Center. Solemn vespers will follow at 7 p.m., led by the men of St. Joseph College Seminary.
A special note: Bishop Jugis, who founded the Eucharistic Congress in 2005, will celebrate his 20th anniversary as bishop next month.
Also this year, the diocese is partnering with the U.S. bishop’s National Eucharistic Revival. Kris Frank, its senior director of strategy and outreach, will emcee and give the keynote talk at 8 p.m. Friday.
After the opening ceremonies, spend time in Adoration at St. Peter Church (507 S. Tryon St., across the block from the convention center). Adoration will be held from 9:30 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
Begin Saturday’s events by joining in a dramatic Eucharistic Procession from St. Peter Church to the convention center. It culminates with a Holy Hour and homily by Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary.
There will be programs in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, as well as tracks for special needs families, and high school and college students.
Another highlight of this year’s congress is a new Family Track. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, take a tour through exhibits on sacramentals, enjoy craft activities, and more. Pre-registration online is encouraged to ensure your preferred time slot.
The concluding Mass will be offered by Bishop Jugis at 4:15 p.m.
Get more info
At www.goeucharist.com: Get more information about the 2023 Eucharistic Congress and register for the family, high school and special needs tracks.
Know before you go
The Charlotte Convention Center prohibits outside food from being brought inside. The prohibition includes coolers and other containers of food. Food service options are available in the building, and many restaurants are located around the Convention Center.
Over 80 commercial and informational vendors will be on hand inside the Charlotte Convention Center, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday night, Sept. 8, and on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a list of vendors, go to www.goeucharist.com/vendors.
Eucharistic Congress Schedule
Friday, Sept. 8
6:45 p.m. – Welcome, Prayer and Introductions by Bishop Peter J. Jugis
7 p.m. – Solemn Vespers by St. Joseph College seminarians
8 p.m. – Kris Frank of the National Eucharistic Revival, “The Necessity of Intimacy”
9 p.m. – Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to St. Peter Church (507 S. Tryon St.)
9 – 11 p.m. College Track: Sr. Angela de Fatima Coelho, MD, ASM, “Fatima – A Light for the World” (Richardson Ballroom B)
9:30 p.m. – 7 a.m. – Nocturnal Adoration at St. Peter Church
Saturday, Sept. 9
8 a.m. – Priests’ Holy Hour (St. Peter Church)
9 a.m. – Outdoor Eucharistic Procession begins from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center
10:15 a.m. – Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Hour homily by Father Matthew Kauth (Hall A)
10:45 a.m. – Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Hall A)
10:50 a.m. – Welcome, collection, announcements (Hall A)
11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Adoration in the Chapel (Hall B)
11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Confessions in English and Spanish (Hall B and Hall C)
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Family Track Room 219: “To Jesus Through the Family: A Close-Up Encounter with Our Church for Families”
12:30 – 3:30 p.m.:
English Track – Hall A
Spanish Track – Hall C
Vietnamese Track – Richardson Ballroom B
High School Track – Room 220
1 – 3 p.m. – Special Needs Track – Room 216: “S.T.A.R. – See, Teach, Adore, Reflect”
4:15 p.m. – Closing Mass with Bishop Peter J. Jugis, principal celebrant and homilist (Hall A)
Eucharistic Procession
9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
The Eucharistic Procession, in which Bishop Peter Jugis carries a monstrance containing a consecrated host – the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – is a highlight of the two-day Eucharistic Congress.
Join the Eucharistic Procession through uptown Charlotte to the Charlotte Convention Center, where the Eucharistic Congress will be held. It will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at St. Peter Church at 507 S. Tryon St.
Line up along the procession route by 8:30 a.m. as noted at left.
Parishioners, please gather anywhere along the purple procession route to join in behind your parish’s banner as it passes by.
The Eucharistic Procession will culminate inside Hall A of the convention center, where a Holy Hour will be celebrated starting at 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
Holy Hour Homily
Father Matthew Kauth
10:15 a.m. Saturday: On the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35
Father Matthew Kauth was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte in 2000. He has served in diocesan parish ministry and as a high school chaplain, delivered popular lectures on scripture and theology, and taught theology at Belmont Abbey College. In 2014 he spearheaded a commission to determine the feasibility of establishing a college seminary in the Charlotte diocese in cooperation with Belmont Abbey. As a result, St. Joseph College Seminary was founded in 2016. Father Kauth became its first rector, where he continues to serve today.
English Track
Dr. John Bergsma
12:30 p.m. Saturday: ‘Mass Conversion: How I Discovered the Eucharist & the Catholic Church’
Dr. John Bergsma is a professor of theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. The former Protestant pastor speaks regularly on Catholic radio and at conferences and parishes nationally and internationally, and he has written more than a dozen books on Scripture and the Catholic faith.
Sister Angela de Fatima Coelho, MD, ASM
1:30 p.m. Saturday: ‘Sr. Lucia – A Eucharistic Woman’
Sister Angela de Fatima Coelho is a world renowned expert and speaker on the Messages of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. In 2009, she was named vice postulator for the cause of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the Fatima visionaries. In 2012, she became postulator of their cause, and two years later, she was also appointed vice postulator for the cause of Servant of God Sr. Lucia, the third and last surviving Fatima seer.
Deacon Omar Gutierrez
2:30 p.m. Saturday: ‘Always With Us: Christ’s Presence in the Poor’
Deacon Omar Gutierrez is president and co-founder of the Evangelium Institute, a non-profit dedicated to providing dynamic catechetical and spiritual formation to adults and Catholic organizations. He is a nationally recognized expert on Catholic Social Teaching.
Holy Mass
4:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
Join Bishop Peter Jugis and priests of the Diocese of Charlotte for the celebration of Holy Mass at the conclusion of the 2023 Eucharistic Congress, starting at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, inside the Charlotte Convention Center. (This vigil Mass fulfills your Sunday obligation.)
NOTE: First Communicants are invited to join the entrance procession for the closing Mass of the Eucharistic Congress at 4 p.m. Saturday. Parents should bring their children to Room 218 in the convention center by 3:45 p.m.