Indianapolis (USA). From 17 to 21 July 2024, thirteen Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Provinces of the United States and Canada – S. Joseph (SEC) and Mary Immaculate (SUO) – participated in the 10° National Eucharistic Congress at Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States of America.
This great Church event was the culmination of a three-year Eucharistic triennium initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the United States in 2022, with the aim of strengthening the love of Catholics for Jesus through the encounter with Him in the Eucharist.
The Congress began in the previous two months with a pilgrimage with the Eucharistic Jesus who “made His way” on four different routes, starting from California, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Texas. The pilgrimage involved many dioceses, gathering along the way numerous people for processions, Masses, and adoration, and rekindling the unity of the Church around the “source and culmination” of faith: Jesus really present in the Eucharist.
The opening session of the Congress on July 17, began with the arrival of permanent pilgrims who walked with Jesus for the past 60 days to the huge football stadium in Indianapolis. There, Jesus would be worshipped by over 50,000 people. In palpable silence, there was a sense of wonder and a desire for renewal… and this was just the beginning.
Every evening there were testimonies of those who have been transformed by the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, followed by interventions from speakers full of enthusiasm. Then the crowd joined to rekindle the fire in their hearts with the praise and adoration of the Eucharistic Jesus present in the monstrance.
In the morning, participants had the opportunity to gather as one body to celebrate Mass in different languages and rites. The number of seminarians, priests, bishops, religious men and women, young people, and families who participated in and received the body of Christ with such trust and devotion was impressive.
The days were then animated by various conferences led by Catholic speakers, theologians, experts, and musicians who shared their stories and encouraged the assembly, offering practical ways to revive the faith. Among the prominent speakers were: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the section for the first evangelization and the new local Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America; Msgr. Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester; Father Mike Schmitz, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota; Matt Maher, Christian Music Composer; Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, theologian and author; and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder and assistant mother of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth in the archdiocese of Boston.
Another significant moment was the Eucharistic procession through the streets of the vibrant downtown Indianapolis. The police blocked the main roads, while Jesus in the monstrance, surrounded by thousands of participants at the Congress, once again left the Church and broke into the daily life of passers-by, who interrupted shopping, walking or occupations, often kneeling in reverence and prayer at His passage. The smell of incense, the sound of joyful songs, the fervent voices in prayer, the sight of many children wearing their first communion clothes, the multitude of religious congregations and families, the vibrations of drums and dance steps of different cultural groups enveloped the streets, until a brief time of public adoration that concluded with Benediction from the steps of the Indiana World War Memorial.
At the Congress venue, a huge exhibition hall was dedicated to booths to make known and promote different religious congregations, universities, apostolate services and companies. The presence at the Salesian booth gave the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians the opportunity to meet many beautiful souls: former students, benefactors, families, and friends of the Sisters. Many of them have a great devotion to St. John Bosco and are happy to know Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarello and the Salesian Family.
Often, people reached our booth following the “perfume of Christ” of the encounter with an FMA or listening to her words. Many of them had listened to the mini-catechesis of Sister Elfie Del Rosario (SEC) so they could ask questions and know the charism, play or pray with the relics of the Salesian saints. The FMA also shared the dream of Don Bosco’s two columns and his great devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary Help of Christians.
