CHARLOTTE — The Eucharistic Procession, in which Bishop Peter Jugis carries a monstrance containing a consecrated host – the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – is a highlight of the two-day Eucharistic Congress.
The Eucharistic Procession journeys through uptown Charlotte to the Charlotte Convention Center, where the Eucharistic Congress is held.
"I haven't missed any years of Eucharistic Congress since it started in 2007," said Chris Ostrom, parishioner at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. "I love the community here. I'm a teacher at Saint Mark Catholic School where I teach 6th- and 8th-grade religion, and I'm the religion coordinator for school. It’s great to see some of our past priests here, and we have some of our former students who are now seminarians, so we see them too.
"We have a routine each year: We come on Friday night, we go out to dinner, and then we come down here and listen to the speaker. Then, we do a Holy Hour of Adoration on Saturday morning, join the procession, and stay until the closing Mass. It’s just like a Catholic reunion, meeting friends from other parishes. Our parish is the second largest in the diocese, so sometimes we don't see people because they go to different Masses, but we see them here."
— Photos by James Sarkis, Patrick Schneider Photography, Amy Burger and Liz Chandler
