CHARLOTTE — The large-scale Eucharistic Congress at the Charlotte Convention Center may be off, but several smaller events featuring Bishop Peter Jugis at St. Patrick Cathedral are being offered for the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte:
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- • Eucharistic Procession and Holy Hour of Reparation: At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, Bishop Jugis led a candlelight Eucharistic Procession around the cathedral grounds. A Holy Hour of Reparation followed from 8 to 9 p.m. inside the cathedral. Nocturnal Adoration began at 9 p.m. and end at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.
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• Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist: Bishop Jugis celebrated a votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, and again at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at St. Patrick Cathedral, located at 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte. The 5:30 p.m. Saturday Mass was livestreamed to the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel, and the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass was livestreamed on the cathedral's website.
All events are open to the public. The cathedral asks attendees to wear a face covering and practice safe social distancing.
In his homily for Mass Sept. 6, Bishop Jugis encouraged people to find ways to celebrate during the weekend of the Eucharistic Congress, Sept. 11-13, to foster unity and devotion to the Eucharist.
“Jesus is really and truly and substantially present” in the Eucharist, he emphasized. “Jesus the Good Shepherd is really present in the Eucharist, and He’s bringing His flock together around Himself.”
The diocese’s annual congress is meant to bring “the whole diocese together as one family in Christ. Though we are separated in 92 parishes and missions, when we come together for the Eucharistic Congress we are celebrating our unity in Christ.”
Baptism unites us to Christ and to each other, he said, and “the Holy Eucharist serves to make our union with Jesus and make our union with our brothers and sisters even stronger. It’s strengthening that bond which begins at baptism. The Eucharist deepens it, renews it, and makes it even stronger.”
Through the various Eucharistic-themed parish celebrations across the diocese this weekend, he said, “it will be the Eucharist uniting us, even across the miles, as one Body in Christ.”
He encouraged people to celebrate our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist – to deepen our devotion and closeness to Jesus, to give thanks for “this beautiful gift Jesus has given us,” and to “keep alive our desire to live holy lives so that we worthily receive the Body of Christ in Communion.”
For more information about Eucharistic Congress events at St. Patrick Cathedral, go to www.stpatricks.org.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter