~ by Brian Fraga, National Catholic Reporter
No sooner had the 10th National Eucharistic Congress wrapped up July 21 here than Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, told 50,000 attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium that plans are underway for the next congress.
Cozzens, who served as the point man for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in organizing the July 17-21 congress, announced after the event’s closing Mass that the 11th National Eucharistic Congress could be held in 2033, which would mark the 2,000th anniversary of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Two thousand years of redemption. That’s worth celebrating right,” said Cozzens, who also hinted, however, that the next congress could be held sooner.
“We’ll keep discerning and we’ll let you know,” Cozzens said.
With those words, which included an announcement that the bishops are organizing another eucharistic pilgrimage in spring 2025 where pilgrims will walk from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, the five-day congress ended.
For almost a whole week, tens of thousands of people descended on downtown Indianapolis for a gathering that featured liturgies, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, musical and dramatic performances, panel discussions, a procession, and individual presentations on various topics related to the Eucharist.
In its speakers and breakout sessions, which included several presentations on controversial topics like abortion and gender dysphoria, the congress was flavored in large part by the kind of conservative American Catholicism associated with Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, and featured on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).
the event had crosscurrents of other Catholic sensibilities, as a handful of speakers, exhibitors and musical performers presented other viewpoints and distinct expressions of Catholicity. During a large procession through downtown Indianapolis on July 20, a Native American folkloric group performed traditional Indigenous music and dance.
The American church’s growing and vibrant Hispanic community was well-represented among congress-goers, many of whom proclaimed, “Viva Cristo Rey!” during the procession as a truck drove by transporting the exposed Eucharist in a monstrance.
While some observers of U.S. Catholicism expressed doubts that the bishops’ plan to promote a traditional and devotional form of the faith will attract new converts or appeal to fallen-away Catholics, several of those who participated in the congress’ evening revival sessions — which featured musical performances and testimonies along with eucharistic adoration — said they were personally moved by the proceedings.
“The beautiful presence of Jesus permeated the entire stadium so strongly and wonderfully and warmly,” said Briana Alece Jansky, who traveled to Indianapolis from her home in Tyler, Texas.