2024 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS: The Best of the Body of Christ

By Jennifer Miele
Chief Communications Officer
Managing Director of Evangelization 
The Catholic Accent

INDIANAPOLIS – Nearly 60,000 Catholics converged on Indianapolis, Ind., in July for the first National Eucharistic Congress since 1941. About 100 of the attendees were from the Diocese of Greensburg.

The pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress was organized by Vincent Reilly, Managing Director of Faith, Family and Discipleship, and Kate Parkinson from the Office of the Bishop.

“This group came from all four corners of our Diocese, and it’s wonderful to see them get to know each other,” Parkinson said. “Our seminarians got to meet their future parishioners, and our permanent deacons spent time with college students from our area. It has been a blessing to form that community — really the best of the body of Christ.”

There is much hope that those individuals in attendance, who were so energized by the Congress, will spread their love for the Eucharist in their own parishes.
“This Eucharistic Congress enables us to become missionary disciples, sent out to share the good news of the Gospel with others,” Reilly said.

Bishop Larry J. Kulick said it was wonderful to see the Church of the United States represented in such a diverse way.

“I was impressed at how many young people and families were there to be re-energized and to see the Eucharist as the source and summit of their lives,” Bishop Kulick said.

“One of the beautiful hallmarks was how prayer was situated in this multi-day celebration. At the heart of it was daily Mass. It was magnificent to see the huge number of priests and deacons, and also the number of consecrated men and women religious,” he continued.

“To be in Lucas Oil Stadium with 60,000 other Catholics and be able to hear a pin drop when the Blessed Sacrament was brought into the stadium, was a powerful experience,” Reilly said. “It was a reminder that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.”

Attendees could select from hundreds of breakout sessions including presentations from famous faces of our faith, priest, author and podcaster Father Mike Schmitz and Word on Fire founder Bishop Robert Barron.

“The entire event had a wonderful sense of collaboration. Many are bringing new evangelization to different multimedia platforms, and each provides a great opportunity for engagement,” Bishop Kulick said.

There were also many immersive evangelical experiences at the Congress including the Shroud of Turin exhibit. The accompanying presentation explained the scientific investigations of this linen burial cloth that bears a faint image of Jesus after his crucifixion.

Artist Matt Collins studied the Shroud of Turin. Using a combination of bronze and resin, he created what he believes to be an anatomically accurate sculpture of Jesus.

“I like people to see the sculpture I created. And I love to watch the reactions. A lot of people are moved by seeing an image of Jesus that is pretty accurate,” he said.
“There’s a little debate over whether he was 5’10” or 5’11” because his legs are bent from rigor mortis and his toes are pointed. But clearly he was a very tall man for his era. And it’s believed he would have been about 170-180 pounds, which was pretty stout for a man 2,000 years ago. People probably have the same reaction today as they did 2,000 years ago because he was just such a handsome, striking man,” he said.

From the engaging displays to the Catholic exhibit hall, the conference brought the American Catholic Church together for prayer, learning and reflection. Many left feeling inspired. It was the perfect way to mark the beginning of the third year of Eucharistic Revival, called the Year of Mission.

Look for ways to connect with the Diocese of Greensburg during the Year of Mission!