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Draft:History of National Eucharistic Congresses in the United States

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National Eucharistic Congress
StatusActive
GenreEucharistic Congress
Venue(various)
Location(s)(various)
CountryUnited States
InauguratedOctober 2, 1895; 129 years ago (1895-10-02) First National Eucharistic Congress
Most recentJuly 21, 2024; 4 months ago (2024-07-21) Tenth National Eucharistic Congress
Next eventTBD
Attendance
Organized byUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Filing statusNonprofit
Websitehttps://www.eucharisticcongress.org/

National Eucharistic Congresses, gatherings of Catholics in honor of the Eucharist, have been present in the United States since 1898 and have a history throughout the early 20th century and into the 21st century. Initially inspired by the movement of international congresses out of Lille, France, five National Eucharistic Congresses were held in the United States between 1898 and 1911. After the greatly successful 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago in 1926, four more national congresses were held around the United States from 1930 to 1941. Halted by the outbreak of World War II and stalled in its aftermath, there were no more congresses until the Tenth National Eucharistic Congress in 2024, which is hoped to have restarted the regular celebration of National Eucharistic Congresses in the United States.

Early History

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Main article: Eucharistic congress

The first International Eucharistic Congress owed its inspiration to Bishop Gaston de Ségur, and was held at Lille, France, on June 21, 1881. The initial inspiration behind the idea came from the laywoman Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier who lobbied clergy following the French Revolution in an effort to restore religiosity and Eucharistic devotion to France.[1] In 1879, Pope Leo XIII established a committee to plan the first international Eucharistic congress. In the wake of these international congresses, national congresses sprung up in the United States.

Clerical Congresses (1895–1911)

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Main article: 1st National Eucharistic Congress (United States)
The members of the First National Eucharistic Congress in 1895 in front of McMahon Hall at Catholic University of America

The first five conferences were small events with exclusively clergy in attendance, most of them members of Peter Julian Eymard's Priests' Eucharistic League. Some laity participated in processions surrounding the congress, but actual participation in the talks was kept to those in the clerical state.[2][3]

During a general convention of the Fr. Peter Julian Eymard's Priests' Eucharistic League in Notre Dame, Indiana held in 1894, it was proposed that a Eucharistic congress be held in the United States.[4]: 1  As a result of this proposal, the First National Eucharistic Congress was held October 2–3, 1895. It was held at St. Patrick's Church, the oldest Catholic church in Washington, DC, and at Catholic University, then only 8 years old. Twenty-five archbishops and bishops attended, most prominently James Cardinal Gibbon, the Archbishop of Baltimore along with some 250 priests, most from the Priests' Eucharistic League, and most from the Eastern United States.[5]

Some 15 bishops and 600 priests from the Priests' Eucharistic League attended the Second National Eucharistic Congress held at St. Francis Xavier, the college church for St. Louis University from October 8–10, 1901.[4]: 5–6  Archbishop John M. Farley of New York hosted the Third National Eucharistic Congress from September 27–29, 1904 at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[6] The fourth congress was held from October 15–17, 1907 in the Cathedral of St. Paul.[7] Archbishop Henry K. Moeller of Cincinnati hosted the Fifth National Eucharistic Congress from September 28–October 1, 1911.[8]

Interbellum Congresses (1930–1941)

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Main articles: 7th National Eucharistic Congress (United States), 8th National Eucharistic Congress (United States), and 9th National Eucharistic Congress (United States)
Cleveland Stadium with a human monstrance inside on the final day of the 1935 congress

In 1930, the Priests' Eucharistic League was planning to hold their 1930 national convention in Omaha. However, after deliberation and hoping to capitalize on the success of the greatly successful 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, it was decided that the gathering should not just be a convention of league members but a full Eucharistic congress.[9] The Omaha congress would be the first national Eucharistic congress in the United States since 1911. The Omaha congress would also be the first to which the laity were invited.[3]

Following the greatly successful Sixth National Congress in Omaha in 1930, the episcopate of the United States decided to set a planned schedule of Congresses and appointed Joseph Schrembs as the Promoter of National Eucharistic Congresses in the United States, as well as deciding on 1935 as the date of the next Congress.[10] Schrembs himself would go on to host the next congress in Cleveland, which was attended by 500,000 people.[11]

The Eighth National Eucharistic Congress would be held in 1938 in New Orleans. With gatherings of such immensity garnering national attention, Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt sent messages to be read at the sixth, seventh, and eighth congresses to be read by their representatives.[12][13][14]

The last congress to be held before the outbreak of World War II was the Ninth National Eucharistic Congress in St. Paul, Minnesota, held from June 23 to 26, 1941 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. With the outbreak of the war, celebrations of congresses were put on hold. Bishop Joseph Schrembs, Promoter of National Eucharistic Congresses, died two months after the close of the war. While Archbishop Richard Cushing succeeded Schrembs in the role and established a committee for national Eucharistic congresses in 1946, no plans came to fruition and the celebration of congresses fell dormant.[2] There was an international congress in Philadelphia in 1976.[2]

Modern History (2024–present)

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Main article: 10th National Eucharistic Congress (United States)
Eucharistic adoration in Lucas Oil Stadium on the opening night of the Tenth Congress

In 2019, a controversial Pew Research study stated that belief among U.S. Catholics in the dogma of the Real Presence (Transubstantiation) was as low as 33%, alarming many of the nation's bishops.[15] Bishop Robert Barron, then an auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, raised the issue at a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) doctrine committee. An advisory committee was later formed to brainstorm a response.[16]

In April 2021, it was reported that US bishops were considering asking President Joe Biden to stop receiving Communion due to his public support of abortion.[17] However, as a result of pushback, and in combination with the response to the Pew survey, by the second half of 2021 the focus had shifted to an overall call to "enter more deeply by faith and love into this great Mystery of Mysteries".[18] The bishops released a heavily modified Eucharistic teaching document in 2021.[19] As a result of this, the USCCB officially launched the National Eucharistic Revival on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2022.[20] The three-year program, led by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, was launched to "inspire, educate, and unite the faithful in a more intimate relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist", culminating in the Tenth National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Indianapolis in 2024.[20] Some 50,000 people attended from across the country.[21]

Bishop Andrew Cozzens announced that there were preliminary plans for the next congress being in 2033—2,000 years since Jesus' crucifixion—but that it was possible it could be sooner.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "History of National and International Eucharistic Congresses". Eucharistic Revival Indy. Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Archived from the original on Feb 7, 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Newsletter: Committee on Divine Worship" (PDF). United States Conference of Catholic Bishop. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Catholics at Last Invite Laity to Omaha Eucharistic Congress". New Britain Herald. Jul 22, 1930. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b Third Eucharistic Congress, ed. (1904). "The Eucharistic Movement and the Third Eucharistic Congress of the United States". Third Eucharistic Congress of the United States. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  5. ^ First National Eucharistic Congress (1896). Eucharistic conferences; the papers presented at the first American eucharistic congress, Washington, D. C., October, 1895. The Catholic Book Exchange. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Third Eucharistic Congress (1904). Third Eucharistic Congress of the United States. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Reverend A.A. Lambing, LL.D. (October 3, 1907). "The Pittsburgh Catholic". Vol. 64. Diocese of Pittsburgh. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "Chimes". Cincinnati Enquirer. September 28, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "Eucharist to Be Honored In Omaha". Lake Shore Visitor. N.C.W.C. News Service. Feb 21, 1930.
  10. ^ National Eucharistic Congress (7th : 1935 : Cleveland) (1936). Official record. Internet Archive. Cleveland : [The Ward & Shaw Co.]{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "SEVENTH NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University". case.edu. 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  12. ^ "Farley Speaks to Churchmen". The Boston Globe. October 18, 1938. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  13. ^ "President Sends Message To Eucharistic Congress". Catholic Union and Times. No. Sep 26, 1935. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Envoy Leads Thousands to Worship". The Omaha Evening Bee-News. Sep 25, 1930. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  15. ^ Smith, Gregory A. (2019-08-05). "Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  16. ^ "Eucharistic Revival: USCCB Official Discusses Efforts to Deepen Devotion to the Real Presence". NCR. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  17. ^ Crary, David (28 April 2021). "US Catholic bishops may press Biden to stop taking Communion". AP News. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  18. ^ "USCCB Eucharist draft document focuses on real presence, not Communion denial". The Pillar. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  19. ^ "The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  20. ^ a b Pinedo, Peter. "Updated: Here's what you need to know about the National Eucharistic Revival". Catholic News Agency. Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  21. ^ "'To love and serve the Lord' - The Eucharistic Congress concludes". The Pillar. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  22. ^ Mares, Courtney (21 July 2024). "National Eucharistic Congress ends with prayer for 'new Pentecost'". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.


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