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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAs Shayla Elm marched down Indianapolis streets among 50,000 others who share her faith, she considered the abundance of prayer around her.
“I couldn’t help but think while we were processing that when we’re in heaven someday, all of these prayers will mesh beautifully,” she told IBJ.
The 25-year-old from North Dakota took a pilgrimage across the country to arrive to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress hosted in Indianapolis. From Brownville, Texas, she had traveled with two friends by foot—and occasionally car—for the last 60 days. Theirs was just one of four routes across the U.S. Other starting points were San Francisco; Lake Itasca, Minnesota; and New Haven, Connecticut.
Those journeys, which have all now reached central Indiana, have drawn more than a quarter-million people along their respective routes to offer encouragement and prayer, the church said.
It was nothing for Elm and her friends to tack on an extra mile or so with the procession, which began at the Indiana Convention Center and ended at American Legion Mall.
The National Eucharistic Congress, which elevates the Sacrament of Holy Communion, hasn’t been held since 1941 and is expected to be the largest formal gathering for the church since the International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia hosted more than 1.5 million people over a single week in 1976.
The procession is considered a sacred passage by event organizers because it displays a sacramental wafer, or host, that has been consecrated, which means it has been blessed in a manner that represents the presence of Christ. The monstrance, or decorative vessel that displays the host, was blessed by Pope Francis.
Priests, deacons, and nuns were followed by Catholics in plainclothes, all donning the orange lanyard associated with the five-day Congress. The 1.2-mile procession took a total of two hours, in which Holy leaders waved, smiled, and said “God bless you” to thick crowds gathered along curbs on Maryland and Meridian streets.
Julie Fessler, the communications director for Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Tallahassee, came with her two daughters. She was charged with promoting and planning the travel of her diocese, which hit a blip due to a global technology outage that occured Friday.
“With everything that happened with the airlines yesterday, our Bishop actually wasn’t able to make it up,” Fessler told IBJ.
Still, she said it was exciting to see it all come to fruition. Fessler and her daughters—along with her family members who had traveled from Detroit—watched the procession from a curb on North Meridian Street.
The procession ended with a Benediction at the Indiana War Memorial. Anticipating the warm weather, volunteers handed out water bottles sponsored by Catholic network Relevant Radio. By one estimate, the event had 43,200 water bottles across two box trucks and 25 pallets.
It was necessary as thousands kneeled in the lawn, facing the steps of the Indiana War Memorial for the Benediction. Speakers hoisted by cranes allowed rows and rows of worshippers to join in prayer and song.
After about a half hour, the crowd dispersed. Elm and her friends were headed to dinner reservations at Fogo de Chao.
Meanwhile, another group was much closer to home.
Martin Hanley, a congregant of St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church in Indianapolis, walked with his wife and children. The church, which sits across from the Indiana Convention Center, was the point of convergence for the four pilgrimage routes.
“It’s beautiful to be able to bring the Lord, bring the church to the city and what all that means,” Hanley said.
The first national gathering of Catholics in 80 years serves for Hanley as a reminder that the church is still alive, growing and youthful. He gestured towards his young children, walking and being pushed by his wife in a stroller: They are the future of the church.
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NGOs/ Catholic charities are paid by the Biden administration to fly in plane loads of illegals straight from their country to our country. No info is known. Another breach of our democracy.
Source, Please?
That’s a little bizarre. I think I can hear another “conservative” stirring up a new batch of cool aid.
I thought the Klan dropped hating Catholics in the 50/60s but like a lot of hateful garbage I guess it’s back…..
Sounds like something the KKK would’ve said in the 20s.
IBJ: side note, nuns are not members of the clergy. Clergy is a designation for those who have been ordained. While nuns take vows, they are not ordained.
Uh oh, they’re on to us. when they land, they are given big bottles of liquid fluoride, and sent out to dump it into the drinking water…they they go forth and wear seat belts and helmets while riding motorcycles, work as land scapers and roofers and siding installation construction crews, farm workers, harvesters, and myriad other things that no self respecting American would dream of doing…
Beautiful that this happened. Great for Indianapolis to host. St. John’s is a great location. We had good weather for it. Hope Indianapolis continues to serve as a gathering spot.
LOL. What is “their country”? What are the names of the Catholic charities buying the flights?
Lastly, if “no info is known” how do you know?
This is a transcendent moment for all who believe, God bless all who made this event happen and to all those who attended, and God bless America.
Could it be Douglas JT has confused the Roman Catholic Church with the DeSantis and Abbot Administrations in Florida and Texas? They are the ones flying planeloads of illegal immigrants around the country, or putting them on buses to ship them to other cities.
I wonder if Douglas J. T. is Donald John Trump’s cousin or long lost sibling or some such…outrageous claims backed by little or no factual support seem to be consistent with Trump’s approach to life and politics.
I hope Douglas and his ilk don’t find out we Catholics then register all these illegal immigrants to vote, and use them to stuff the ballot boxes. Next we’ll be raising the money to have them go buy all the guns and ammunition, to deprive the Douglases of this country their right to bear arms.
Wait until they discover the Indianapolis gathering was just a front to slip these immigrants into the general population. Bring 60,000 people together, and add another 20-30,000 illegal immigrants, and no one suspected a thing…darn, we’re good…
On a more serious note, my wife attended the Congress. She is a convert to Catholicism, and is certain beyond all doubt she has found her religous home. The glow on her face each evening was incredible as she described the speakers, and the Adorations, being with the people, the clergy and the laity, and being where she had no doubt Christ was present. Indy is not known for being a Catholic town, but it will forever be known as the city where Catholics came together to worship the Eucharist as the daily living symbol of the body and blood of Christ. Whatever may be the divisions in the Church as to the Pope’s social perspective and the conservative opposition, for a few days it didn’t matter…the Church, the people of Christ, were there together to worship and have their faith strengthened. Well done to the organizers. Well done to all who attended. Thank you, Father, for giving them the strength and wisdom to bring it together. Maybe we wont’ have to wait 80 years to do it again.