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CHARLOTTE — Thousands of people from across western North Carolina will gather in Charlotte Aug. 30-31 to experience powerful personal stories, prayer and worship during the 20th annual Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress.

The free event – the largest of its kind in the Southeast – has even more to offer this year including praise-and-worship concerts, unique dramas and a projection light show featuring Franciscan art in honor of the diocese’s new Bishop Michael Martin, among other features.

Organizers have packed in more programming and increased outreach – through billboards, social media and a personal invitation from Bishop Martin – to welcome more people of all ages and propel the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival.

This year’s theme “Remain in Me” is taken from Jesus’ words to His disciples in the Gospel of John (15:4).

In his invitation to the families of the diocese, Bishop Martin, OFM Conv., encourages people to attend to reconnect with their faith and with each other. As the new Bishop of Charlotte, he said he is looking forward to unexpected blessings at what will be his first diocesan Congress.

“Maybe you have never considered going, or you went once years ago, or you just think this might not be your thing,” he wrote. “Might you be willing to experience it with me anew…for what I know will be an unexpected blessing?”

Bishop Martin will headline Friday night’s opening event with a keynote address to young people and a Meet & Greet reception. On Saturday morning, he will lead the people of the diocese in a dramatic Eucharistic procession through the streets of Uptown Charlotte, and renowned for his preaching, he will serve as the principal celebrant and homilist for the closing Mass Saturday afternoon.

One lucky person who participates in the diocese’s feedback survey will win a special prize: Lunch with Bishop Martin, who will celebrate his three-month anniversary as bishop of the growing diocese on Aug. 30, the opening day of the Congress.

“Please join me,” the bishop said in his invitation, “to reconnect with what truly matters: Jesus and His Church.”

At GoEucharist.com: Find the full schedule of events, speaker profiles, Eucharistic procession instructions, and more.

20 years of the Eucharistic Congress

20 years of Eucharistic processions, 1 local priest. Noah Carter was an altar server in the first Eucharistic Congress procession in 2005 (pictured above, holding the canopy pole to the left of Bishop Peter Jugis). He grew up to become a priest – and today Father Carter helps lead that procession. He has attended every Congress and now serves as an assistant master of ceremonies. Read more (File | Catholic News Herald)20 fun facts about the Congress:

1. When Pope John Paul II declared the “Year of the Eucharist” in 2004, Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis was inspired to launch a Eucharistic Congress here in 2005, igniting the tradition – and passion – that continues today.

2. The inaugural Eucharistic Congress featured keynote speaker Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.”

3. More than 3,000 people took part in the first Eucharistic Congress procession through Charlotte. That first Congress was so well attended that Bishop Jugis looked out at the crowd and asked, “So, do you want to do this next year?” Their answer: a burst of applause.

4. An altar server in that first procession grew up to become a priest – who today helps lead the procession. Father Noah Carter has attended every Congress and now serves as an assistant master of ceremonies. Read his story online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

5. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” (CCC 1324)

6. The patron saint of Eucharistic congresses is St. Paschal Baylon (1540-1592). A shepherd and Franciscan lay brother, he was noted for his devotion to Adoration. His feast day is May 17.

7. Four cardinals have spoken at the Charlotte Eucharistic Congress: Cardinal John Foley of Philadelphia, Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

8. The 2010 Eucharistic Congress drew a record crowd of 11,000 – but then new records were set in 2012, 2013 and 2015. In 2017, organizers estimated the current record of nearly 20,000 people attended.

9. The Eucharistic procession from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center is nearly a mile long and takes about an hour to complete. Cardinal Dolan, who headlined the 2015 Congress, called it “quite a workout.”

10. The sacrament of confession is offered by dozens of priests during a period of more than four hours at each Eucharistic Congress. Confessions are heard in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean.

11. While different clergy deliver the Holy Hour homily at the Congress each year, the principal celebrant and homilist for Mass has always been the Bishop of Charlotte. Longtime Bishop Peter Jugis gave the homily each of the past 19 years. Now, with Bishop Jugis retired, Charlotte’s new Bishop Michael Martin will preside and give his first Congress homily.

12. The Blessed Sacrament, carried and worshiped in the Eucharistic procession, is typically brought into each of the program tracks at the Congress, so participants may spend time in Eucharistic Adoration.

13. The 10th annual Eucharistic Congress in 2014 had as its theme “Behold, I make all things new” from the Book of Revelation. In his homily for the closing Mass, Bishop Jugis urged people to make Mass a central focus of their weekly routine: “Why did Jesus give us the Eucharist? He wants the Eucharist to be a real part of our life – not just something we do once in a while.”

14. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented a large-scale in-person Eucharistic Congress in 2020 and 2021, but the Diocese of Charlotte reimagined them as virtual events with at-home guides, livestreamed Masses and limited parish events.

15. The Congress theme is different each year, yet always focuses on celebrating the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

16. In 2022, the Eucharistic Congress featured the diocese’s 50th anniversary theme: “Faith More Precious Than Gold.”

17. Parishes, schools, orders and other Catholic groups take part in the Eucharistic procession. Most carry large processional banners, and some spice things up with music and dancing.

18. The focal point of the procession is the bishop or priest carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance underneath a processional canopy (baldachin), with onlookers falling silent and to their knees as he passes.

19. Every year, children in the diocese who have received their first Holy Communion are invited by the bishop to join him in the Eucharistic procession.

20. The closing Mass of the Eucharistic Congress draws thousands of people. Organizers typically make sure that 10,000 communion hosts are stocked and ready for consecration during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic Congress has something for everyone:

Worship

Eucharistic Procession

The Eucharistic Procession, in which Bishop Michael Martin carries a monstrance containing the Eucharist through Uptown Charlotte, is a highlight of the two-day Eucharistic Congress and one of the largest events of its kind in the U.S.

It will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, outside St. Peter Church at 507 S. Tryon St., and end inside the Charlotte Convention Center.

Line up anywhere along the purple procession route by 8:30 a.m. to join in behind your parish’s banner as it passes by.

Holy Hour

The Holy Hour will begin at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31. Not able to take part in the outdoor Eucharistic Procession? No problem – just go directly to Hall A inside the Charlotte Convention Center. The homily on the Gospel of John (15:1-8) – “Remain in Me” – will be given by Father Juan Miguel Sanchez.

Mass

Join Bishop Michael Martin and priests of the Diocese of Charlotte for Mass at the conclusion of the 2024 Eucharistic Congress, starting at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, inside the Charlotte Convention Center. (This vigil Mass fulfills your Sunday obligation.) Bishop Martin will give the homily.

Entertainment

4:30 p.m. Friday: Doors open!

Food and beverages will be available for sale, including beer and wine. Vendors also open for shoppers.

Kickoff Concert with the Sarah Kroger Band

After wowing the crowds during the recent National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Sarah Kroger, a GMA Dove Award®-nominated artist and songwriter, will open the 2024 Charlotte Eucharistic Congress at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Kroger just released her sixth album, “A New Reality.” Read her latest interview.

Opening, Keynote Address and reception with Bishop Martin

After the 6:30 p.m. welcome from emcee Pete Burak on Friday evening, don’t miss a special appearance by “Adoration Run Club” ultramarathon runner Jimmy Coleman and fellow runners. Read how you can join in.

The Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey will then lead Evening Prayer (Vespers).

At 7:15 p.m. Friday, Bishop Michael Martin will give a Keynote Address to Young People. This is the first Charlotte Eucharistic Congress for Bishop Martin, who was ordained for the Charlotte diocese in May.

After his talk, meet Bishop Martin and all the 2024 guest speakers during a special reception.

Drama, testimony and music

Starting at 8:30 p.m., enjoy a Spanish-language program of music, drama and testimony: “A Live Presentation of the Life of Carlos Acutis” and “Concierto: Prayer and Praise Concert with Evan Lemoine.”

Sacred Art Light Display

Throughout the two-day Congress, enjoy an immersive exhibition of illuminated sacred art featuring images of St. Francis of Assisi, produced exclusively by Highland Mediaworks as a gift to honor Bishop Martin.

‘Triumph of the Heart’

Catch a new movie about St. Maximilian Kolbe on Friday at 8:30 p.m. and hear from its writer/director Anthony D’Ambrosio. Most stories of St. Kolbe end with him volunteering to enter the cell at Auschwitz on behalf of another prisoner. But this story starts there, as he forges a rebellion of hope with nine other prisoners in the darkest place on earth.

Talks

Saturday’s English Track promises inspiring talks with practical advice on how to make the Eucharist the center of our lives:

- 12:30 p.m. – Father Robert Spitzer, a blind Jesuit priest renowned for his work explaining the connection between science and faith, will give a talk entitled “The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.”

- 1:30 p.m. – Father Chase Hilgenbrinck, a former soccer pro who became a priest, will discuss “Living a Eucharistic Life.”

- 2:30 p.m. – Pete Burak, an advocate for evangelization and discipleship, will encourage listeners with his talk, “The Eucharist: Fuel for the Mission.”

Vietnamese Track

On Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., Father Tri Truong, pastor of the Diocese of Charlotte’s largest Vietnamese congregation, will give two talks on the themes of “Remain in My Love” and “Stay with Us, Lord,” and he will hear confessions in Vietnamese.

Other Tracks

The Family Track will feature presentations at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday by Conor Gallagher on “Well-Ordered Family: The Family Management System,” as well as a 12:30 p.m. showing of the Eucharist-themed documentary “Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity.”

A special Saturday afternoon program just for middle and high school students (rising sixth-graders to 12th-graders) will feature guest speakers creative director Marcellino D’Ambrosio and ultramarathon runner Jimmy Coleman, who will share their stories of conversion. Teens will also enjoy trivia, music provided by Belmont Abbey College students, a talk by newly ordained Father Matthew Harrison, breakout sessions, adoration, and confessions.

In the Special Needs Track, participants will spend their time exploring what it means to remain in Jesus through movement, games, crafts and stories.
NOTE: Registration is still open for the Middle/High School Track and the Special Needs Track!
Go to https://goeucharist.com/schedule for details and registration info.

Plan your visit:

- Parking decks are located at The Green (adjacent to St. Peter Church) and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Surface parking lots are also available. Better yet: take the light rail line or ride share.

- The Charlotte Convention Center prohibits outside food from being brought in, including coolers. Concessions are available inside, and many restaurants are located nearby.

- Browse 80-plus commercial and informational vendors from 4:30 p.m. to closing on Friday, Aug. 30, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31.

 - Find more info and answers to common questions on the About and FAQs pages of GoEucharist.com.