PROSPECT HEIGHTS — When Tim Glemkowski was appointed to the role of executive director of the National Eucharistic Congress in spring 2022, he told The Tablet he envisioned the congress as a powerful moment of “unity and communion as a Church that leads to a renewed mission in a public witness.
“The dream and the hope is that coming out of that event, for all those in attendance, but also as a witness to the world, people have experienced that encounter with a person in such a way that it gives their lives a new horizon, and it’s a decisive direction,” Glemkowski said. “We want to send missionaries out into the world.”
The National Eucharistic Congress is now only about three months away, and the organizers have revealed most of what will take place during the five-day gathering, from July 17-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Each day there will be Mass, opportunities to pray the Rosary, confession, and Eucharistic adoration, as well as keynote speakers, musical guests, and smaller breakout sessions.
Organizers have said they expect the congress to draw 80,000 Catholics to Indianapolis. A spokesperson for the congress told The Tablet on April 11 that they have sold more than 30,000 five-day passes. The number of individual day passes sold has not been calculated.
On July 17, the congress will open with an evening procession that brings together the four branches of the National Eucharistc Pilgrimage to the final destination. The procession will culminate when Jesus enters the stadium, carried by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston in a massive monstrance created specifically for the congress.
Bishop Cozzens is the chair of the National Eucharistic Revival, and the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.
Following the opening procession, Bishop Cozzens, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Cardinal Christophe Pierre, and Sister for Life Sister Bethany Madonna will give keynote addresses in the first “revival session” of the congress, focusing on their vision for the event.
The next three days, July 18-20, follow schedules similar to the July 17 plan. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend morning and afternoon sessions with different themes before dinner and a revival session to close the day.
Some of the notable keynote speakers for the middle three days of the congress include Bible in a Year podcast host Father Mike Schmitz; Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota and renowned Catholic commentator Gloria Purvis.
The last day of the congress, July 21, begins with the event’s last revival session. The congress then concludes with a closing liturgy featuring a special papal delegate, with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra providing the music.
The closing liturgy will bring together all of the tens of thousands Catholic laity in attendance, as well as hundreds of bishops and clergy, for a final moment of worship before the attendees “will be sent out to joyfully proclaim the Gospel in every corner of our nation,” as stated by the congress’ website.
Tickets to the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress are available at eucharisticcongress.org. The congress offers a five day event pass, daily passes, and a weekend pass.