Eucharistic Congress

The Archdiocese of Saint Louis is hosting a Eucharistic Congress, June 24-26, 2011.

I attended my first Eucharistic Congress in St. Louis in 2001. As a junior in college, I was amazed at the thousands of Catholics who came to study and celebrate the Eucharist. I still have vivid memories of Archbishop (now Cardinal) Rigali processing with the Blessed Sacrament down to the riverfront for benediction. The group my parish walked with sang and danced for more than a mile in procession. At the time, I do not think I was aware of the purpose of this gathering, but I do recall feeling as if I belonged to a great and inspired community. I certainly do not recall much about the workshops I attended, but the ritual moments are still vivid in my mind.

What is the purpose of a Eucharistic Congress? In The Rites vol. 1, the section Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass sheds some light on the purpose of this gathering. The section on Eucharistic Congresses starts at paragraph 109.

After reading this brief instruction, I would offer these words for reflection. It seems that the goal of a Eucharistic Congress is to gather the Church – whether local, regional, or national – for catechesis, devotions, and worship, which culminates in the celebration of Eucharist. Eucharisticum Mysterium 67 emphasizes solemn processions with the Blessed Sacrament as a particular devotion the faithful should experience.

This type of gathering has the potential to invite us to reflect on:

  1. How does the Eucharist challenge us to proclaim the Gospel faithfully?
  2. How does the celebration of Eucharist deeply move communities to serve the poor and marginalized?
  3. How does our sharing in Eucharist invite us into reconciliation?
  4. How do we feed those with hungry hearts and those who struggle to keep bread on the table?
  5. How do we prepare for and execute our worship?
  6. How do we model God’s love and mercy?
  7. How do parishes live and model a life of thanksgiving?
  8. How does our adoration move us to action and back to contemplation?
  9. How can we renew our sense of the sacred? (I think of this today because there was a young woman eating a cupcake before Mass this morning in our worship space).
  10. How do we journey with those who do not know or accept the love of Christ?

TAJ

Timothy Johnston

Timothy Johnston is a native of Old Mines, Missouri. Timothy’s love for music and liturgy was nourished by his family and parish community of St. Joachim. After completing a degree in music education at Quincy University, where he also served as Director of the Office of Worship and Prayer, Timothy spent three years as a Canon of the Order of Prémontré (Norbertines) in De Pere, Wisconsin. While there, he worked closely with the Diocesan Office of Liturgy (Green Bay) training liturgical ministers and giving workshops on liturgical theology. Timothy spent three years teaching religion both during and after his time in religious life. As a high school religion teacher, Timothy served as a campus minister, coordinating the student liturgy committee and the student liturgical choir. In 2008, Timothy completed an MA in Liturgical Studies at Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. After completing his MA, Timothy served as the Director of the Office of Liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah and on the board of directors for the Southwest Liturgical Conference for three years. Currently, Timothy is the Director of Liturgical Programs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.

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Comments

3 responses to “Eucharistic Congress”

  1. Fr. Michael J. kavanaugh

    Several years ago I discovered Fr. Eugene LaVerdiere’s “Dining in the Kingdom of God” which offers responses to several of the reflection questions posed by Timothy. I have used the text a number of times in teaching about how to make the connection between what we believe about the Eucharist and our daily lives. Fr. LaVerdiere followed “Dining” with “The Breaking of the Bead” which I have found equally valuable in understanding the transformative nature of the eucharist.

    Reply
    1. Fr. Allan J. McDonald

      Excellent comment and the beauty of your church is stunning. Who is responsible for its wonderful restoration? It looks like a great space to experience what LaVerdiere wrote about. He is an excellent author and teacher.

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth Westhoff

    The St. Louis Eucharistic Congress site is live as of this afternoon! Check it out at http://www.Archstl.org/Eucharist. Watch the amazing video, register online, view events and special guests. Share this with your friends, family, colleagues, fellow parishioners… Time to come together as Catholics and show our love for the heart of our faith–the Eucharist!!!

    Reply

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