Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
– MT 24:42A, 44
You likely have heard of the National Eucharistic Congress event taking place in Indianapolis this summer. The Congress is actually a carefully orchestrated part of the Eucharistic Revival, first announced in 2021. My conversation with Scott Richert, OSV Publisher, is an excellent review of the Eucharistic Revival and the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress. As part of the executive planning team for this national revitalization, Scott provides us with an expert review of the purpose and intent of the revival and the expected outcomes of the congress event in July.
The headline of a 2019 report from Pew Research captured the attention of US Catholic Bishops: “Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ.” The printed report confirmed that many active Catholics were “unclear” about the concept of the Eucharist and, therefore, were not experiencing the power of the Eucharist in their life. The Eucharistic Revival is a response to this lack of connection, a call to reactivate our apostolic mission as a Church.
A leadership team was formed in 2021, and the National Eucharistic Revival was announced on the feast of Corpus Christi 2022, to be activated in phases: 2022 was the year of Diocesan action, consisting of diocesan-wide Eucharistic processions, prayer, and other activities, 2023 was a focus on experiencing the Eucharist at our parishes, through processions, prayer, and adoration at the local parish, and in 2024 the US Catholic Church approaches the National Eucharistic Congress, the “capstone” event of the multi-year Eucharistic revival.
The intent of this revival is no less than a visible, active transformation of the US Catholic Church, restoring the vitality of our faith through the Holy Spirit. Richert says: “The Congress is intended to activate faithful Catholics to evangelization as Eucharistic missionaries. The expectation is that attendees will take the experience and introduce it to other people when they return home from the event.”
There is also a plan for a year of learning following the congress, with training to help the faithful in one-to-one personal interactions.
Listen to the illuminating conversation to learn more!
About Terry Poplava
Terry Poplava serves as General Manager, ACST Catholic. As a cradle Catholic, his faith was lukewarm until he was confronted by the intense challenge and commitment he heard in the message about Stewardship. “What do I own and what owns me?” which led him to executive roles at Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic Leadership Institute before his current focus on serving the Catholic Church at ACS Technologies. Terry has extensive experience working with churches across the U.S., supporting their planning, stewardship, and engagement efforts
