United in Christ: A National Eucharistic Congress Experience
I was blessed to be able to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis for the day on Friday July 19, 2024, and it was an incredibly moving experience to see so many Catholics gathered in one space. The Gospel over that weekend prompted deeper reflection on its significance with the image of the shepherd gathering his flock. In the crowd I felt as one among many united in Christ with all those around me.
The first time I felt this sense of belonging, where the people around me were genuinely interested in their faith and wanted to participate, was when I arrived on campus at Franciscan University. Despite being raised Catholic and attending mass and Catholic school, it felt like my peers were engaged in an empty ritual to appease their parents. None of them seemed personally invested or bothered to learn what it meant. Even when I participated in sacramental preparation through my parish, it felt like everyone was ticking the box, going through it because someone else asked it of them. I was used to feeling alone in my faith, even in my family. Most of my family members held onto threads of the faith on behalf of my grandmother. She was the only one I knew who seemed to understand it and I think she sometimes felt alone there too.
Before studying and practicing psychology, I worked a lot of random jobs. I studied multimedia communications at Franciscan and was a photographer. After graduating, I worked hard to build my own wedding photography business and I patched together a number of side hustles to make ends meet: walking dogs, pub trivia, yearbook/sports team/prom photography, managing a rock-climbing gym, bartending in a wine bar, and making lattes. When I was working as a barista, I always volunteered for the opening shifts. I loved setting out all the pastries and bustling around to ensure all was in place. There was something very beautiful about preparing for the arrival of the day’s visitors. As the sun’s light filtered in through the front doors, so too would our customers. I loved the slow progression of the morning, the quiet start and slow build of the day. What does all of this backstory have to do with my experience at the NEC? Well, old habits die hard; I still enjoy waking up just before the sun and it is still easy for me to feel alone in my faith.
The morning of the congress, I arrived rather early and got to experience the familiar cadence, the slow quiet buildup before dawn. It was very quiet when I arrived. Priests, religious, and pilgrims donning their orange lanyards were walking in small groups down the still city sidewalks, converging at the convention center. Vendors were opening the shutters to their booths, setting out their wares, and preparing for the arrival of a massive crowd. As the morning progressed, there was a buzz, an energy, and a sense of anticipation. I overheard conversations of the weeklong participants commenting on what a relief it was to have the reprieve from the crowd. I managed to go to Confession in the early hours and the line was short, but as I left, I noticed it had multiplied as more people began to gather.
For a large part of the day, I was observing. I had gone by myself and spent most of the day in silence amidst the crowd. I saw so many individuals and groups and felt a sense of awe at how many people were drawn to the Eucharist. Sometimes the Church can feel small, and this event was a pleasant reminder that it is not! I participated in Mass at the Lucas Oil Stadium, which was a huge venue packed with people. By midafternoon, the hallways of the convention center were shoulder-to-shoulder and getting around became challenging!
In the midst of the activity, the noise, the bustle, the chaos, I felt called into deeper reflection on what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. To know that the Lord calls us all to unite ourselves through Him. It was beautiful to see the preparations, the slow buildup, and the peak volume of pilgrims flowing through the halls of the Indiana Convention Center. All at once I was aware of my solitude and of my belonging. Naturally, being at Ruah Woods, Theology of the Body comes to mind. When God made man, “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen 2:18). It reminded me that the temptation to feel alone and withdraw into myself pulls me away from my very reason for being – to be in relationship. When I shift my focus to how I can be inviting to others and prepare my heart to receive them, I am filled with peace. In this experience, I felt an invitation to reflect on the wider Church, challenge the times when I can easily feel alone in my faith, and celebrate in the joy found in preparing for Christ’s arrival.
And so, I pass on this opportunity to reflect – are there times when you feel alone in your faith? When you feel like you don’t belong? When the Church feels small? How do you feel when you are preparing for the arrival of an important guest? Have you made space in your home and in your heart for those close to you? For the Lord?
