Gulf Pine Catholic

8 Gulf Pine Catholic • August 16, 2024 ‘Jesus, I trust in you’: National Eucharistic Congress opens with a powerful holy hour BY OSV NEWS INDIANAPOLIS ( OSV News ) -- Absolute silence filled Lucas Oil Stadium as tens of thousands of people dropped to their knees to adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament as the long-antici- pated National Eucharistic Congress officially got underway on the evening of July 17 in Indianapolis. More than 100 spotlights trained on a large, golden monstrance on an altar in the center of the stadium as a powerful holy hour -- which took place before any talks, music or greeting by the evening’s three emcees -- began the congress’s first revival night filled with prayer, powerful speakers and praise-and- worship music. Just before Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota -- the driving episcopal force behind the congress -- walked onto the floor carry- ing the monstrance, the 30 perpetual pilgrims who had walked the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes entered the stadium. Carrying icons of each route’s respective patron saints -- St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St. Junipero Serra, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Blessed Virgin Mary -- the pil- grims took the final steps that officially completed their eight-week journey from points north, south, east and west across the U.S. to the July 17-21 con- gress in Indiana’s capital city. After a time of silent prayer and praise and wor- ship, Bishop Cozzens knelt for a second time in front of the monstrance. “Lord, we wanted to give you the first words of our National Eucharistic Congress,” he said. Kneeling before Jesus in the Eucharist, Bishop Cozzens recounted how the National Eucharistic Revival -- launched in 2022 -- has led Catholics to gather to study, teach and pray with the Eucharist, spending countless hours in adoration and small groups, and in parish and diocesan initiatives. “Lord, wemade aNational Eucharistic Pilgrimage for you,” he prayed. “For the last 65 days we brought your living presence across this land, across the East, West, North and South. We visited large churches and small churches. We had large proces- sions in cities and small processions in prisons. We visited nursing homes and homeless shelters. Lord, we tried to share with everyone we met along the way your unspeakable love.” He said the pilgrimage prayed for the country and the church and brought those prayers to the con- gress. He thanked Jesus for the miracles the pilgrims saw along the way: conversion, people return to the faith, physical and spiritual healings. “We hope to see more,” he said. SEE NEC24 DAY 1 OPENING REVIVAL, PAGE 9 Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., blesses pilgrims during adoration at the opening revival night of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis July 17. OSV News photo/Bob Roller