CHARLOTTE — For the first time in its 14-year history, the Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress will feature programming specifically designed for children and adults with special needs.
The 2018 Eucharistic Congress will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8, at the Charlotte Convention Center. It will feature Catholic speakers, music, vendors, a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of uptown Charlotte, Eucharistic Adoration and Mass with Bishop Peter Jugis.
The new Special Needs track will be offered from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, for people aged 5 to adulthood.
The congress also features English and Spanish tracks, as well as tracks for children, middle school and high school youth.
The 2018 theme, “I am the living bread,” comes from the Gospel book of John (6:51) and is a part of the discourse on the bread of life in which Christ repeatedly explains to His followers that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood to attain eternal life.
The Special Needs Track can accommodate up to 30 participants. A parent or chaperone must remain with each participant during the track, which will be held in a room on the upper level of the Charlotte Convention Center.
A highlight of the Special Needs Track will be a brief period of guided Eucharistic Adoration.
Registration is required. To register, go to the Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress website, www.goeucharist.com, and click on “Special Needs Track.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter