People kneel as a Eucharistic procession comes through downtown Indianapolis on July 20, as part of the National Eucharistic Congress, which drew more than 50,000 registrants. RILEY GREIF | WKC

BY ANDY TELLI, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist drew people from the four corners of the country, including the Diocese of Owensboro, to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21.

Now they’re coming home inspired to lift the Eucharist for their families, friends, and fellow parishioners.

While in Indianapolis, a group of parishioners at Precious Blood Parish in Owensboro met at a lunch organized by Bishop William F. Medley and discussed ways they could bring what they were learning at the Congress back to their parish. One option was to encourage more people to attend Eucharistic adoration.

“That’s something that’s definitely high on my priority list,” said Lisa Wimsatt, a member of the parish council at Precious Blood who attended the conference with her husband, Bob Wimsatt, and grandsons Ethan, Caleb and Hunter Wimsatt, and Hunter’s wife, Chaney.

Each of us have Jesus within us, given to us in Baptism, said Precious Blood pastor, Fr. Carl McCarthy. “That is strengthened in prayer… We need to come back to that prayerful posture and prayerful relationship with Jesus.”

But the relationship shouldn’t be a private one, Fr. McCarthy said. “We also need to recognize that Jesus is in my brother and in my sister… The fire that burns within me is the fire I can bring to those cold places of the world. The light that is within me, the light that is within you… is the light you can bring to the dark places in the world. We just keep bringing that fire, we keep bringing the light with that hope… We cannot lose our hope. If we lose our hope, then we die.”

When Catholics receive the Eucharist at Mass, “we’re renewing our faith so we can go back out,” Fr. McCarthy said.

“I’ve got to take Jesus out to the world,” he added. “I’ve got to be that disciple of the Eucharist myself.”

As the National Eucharistic Revival moves from the Congress into the next year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is encouraging parishes to join its Walk With One initiative, helping Catholics reach out to others as missionary disciples.

During a diocesan lunch on July 19, Fr. Carl McCarthy, pastor of Precious Blood Parish in Owensboro, speaks with a fellow Diocese of Owensboro pilgrim to the July 17-21 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. RILEY GREIF | WKC

The initiative struck Angela Mills, a Precious Blood parishioner who attended the Congress with her daughter Mary Clare. “If all of us there would walk with one person, we could change the world.”

“Everything of our faith stems from the Eucharist,” said Mike Joyce, who is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Precious Blood and is involved in a ministry to take Communion to shut-ins. “This is a gift from God that we receive, and we are healed by it and loved, and we are called to pass it on.”

“It really resonated,” Joyce added. “The Holy Spirit really wants us to do that. That’s what being a Chrisitan is all about. To me it’s an incredible exhilaration to feel called to do this.”

Ethan Wimsatt also found inspiration at the Congress. He was struck that along the four pilgrimage routes which brought the Eucharist to the Congress, more than 100,000 people had walked a portion of one of the routes. “I’m inspired and actually want to do something like that,” said Ethan, a senior at Owensboro Catholic High School.

Each day of the Congress, more than 55,000 people gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium, “a stadium that’s built for football games and concerts, the Taylor Swifts of the world,” noted Fr. McCarthy, who attended the first three days of the Congress before returning home to celebrate weekend Masses.

“We weren’t there for Taylor Swift. We weren’t there for a Colts game,” Fr. McCarthy said. “They all came for Jesus. From the north to the south from the east to the west, they all came for Jesus.”

“It certainly is inspirational when you get that many people together who are so committed to a single purpose,” said Bob Wimsatt.

“I think the Church is recognizing it needs to focus a little more on the Eucharist,” Wimsatt said. “It’s a highlight of the Church. It’s a unique thing about the Church.”

The Congress “was so overwhelmingly beautiful. I’m trying to take it all in,” said Mills. “It was absolutely beautiful. It was an amazing experience.”

“It was so amazing words seem inadequate,” she added.

Joyce listened to talks from the Congress as he drove from Owensboro to Indianapolis.

“Seventy miles away I remember saying to myself, ‘I’ve already heard enough to make this worthwhile.’”

“This was literally heaven on earth for four days for me,” Joyce added.

Lisa Wimsatt echoed the others’ reaction. “It was definitely an amazing experience for sure. Being in there with the music and the speakers and all the things that were happening, there’s something about being there in person that made it extra special.”

Andy Telli writes for The Western Kentucky Catholic from Owensboro.

Walk With One

We are all called to evangelize, and thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are well-equipped for this mission. In this Year of Mission, Catholics across the U.S. are saying “yes” to a special form of heart-to-heart accompaniment called the Walk With One initiative. To learn more, visit www.eucharisticrevival.org/walk-with-one.

Originally printed in the September 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.