Moved to Action

The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year initiative sponsored by the Bishops of the United States to inspire and prepare the People of God to be formed, healed, converted, united, and sent out to a hurting and hungry world through a renewed encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist – the source and summit of our Catholic faith. The Revival officially launched in June 2022, and its milestone event will be a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN, from July 17-21, 2024. The National Eucharistic Revival and National Eucharistic Congress are a direct response to the Holy Father’s call for a “pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are” so that the Church in the United States might be “permanently in a state of mission” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 25).

This eucharistic movement seeks to bring together clergy, religious, laity, apostolates, movements, and parish and diocesan leaders to spur momentum, collaboration, and lasting impact for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the U.S. over the next three years. Each year will have a strategic focus for formation and missionary discipleship.

Year One (2022-2023): Year of Diocesan Revival
During the first year, the U.S. bishops will be inviting their presbyterates, diocesan teams, and parish leaders to a renewed love for Jesus in the Eucharist by hosting and highlighting diocesan-wide events such as eucharistic congresses and days of formation centered on the mystery of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

Year Two (2023-2024): Year of Parish Revival
During the Parish Year, pastors will invite their parishioners and staff to become even more truly and deeply eucharistic communities through small groups, increased exploration of the sacrifice of the Mass, eucharistic adoration, catechetical studies on the Real Presence of Christ, parish-sponsored processions, and other activities to enable deeper encounters with Our Lord in the Eucharist.

Year Three (2024-2025): Year of the National Eucharistic Congress and Missionary Sending
During the third year, the Church will gather for the first National Eucharistic Congress in almost fifty years, where approximately 80,000 Catholics are anticipated to draw close to Jesus in the Eucharist by way of a pilgrimage to Indianapolis from July 17-21, 2024. The intended fruit of the Congress is to prepare the faithful from around the country to go out to the peripheries of their communities as “eucharistic missionaries” filled with the flame of divine charity for those around them. Following the vote of the U.S. bishops at the November 2021 general assembly, a new corporation has been formed to plan and implement this milestone event.

We are excited to witness what God has in store for his Church in the U.S. through the National Eucharistic Revival! Our world is in desperate need of the love of God. Geopolitical crises, social unrest, increased polarization, and the need for recovery and renewal from the pandemic have created the opportunity to “open wide the doors to Christ” through Eucharistic Revival.

The difficulties and challenges over the last few years have shed lights on the Church’s need for healing, unity, formation, and conversion. More than 30 percent of Catholics have not returned to the pews post-pandemic, and recent data reveals that the majority of Mass-going Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The past decade has also seen the rise of the “nones” among the millennial generation, with more than 40 percent now self-identifying as “unaffiliated” with any religion. Many young Catholics find the faith to be irrelevant to the meaning of their lives and challenges.

In the midst of these challenging times, we must increase our ability to provide to those inside the Church and to the world a credible witness of the difference Jesus Christ makes in the life of every individual. As the people of God, we must be reminded that the Eucharist truly is the living God, Jesus, with us, “always, until the end of the age,” (Mt 28:20).

As we set out to meet the needs of the world and culture around us with the love of Christ, we must first take time to experience our own Eucharistic Revival with a renewed encounter and love for Jesus in the Eucharist, “for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).

Now is the time!

The goal of the National Eucharistic Revival is to engage every Catholic in the United States! This is a movement, not a program, and is meant to provide opportunities for the faithful to fall deeper in love with Jesus in the Eucharist and to be inspired and equipped to share that love with others.

The efforts of the Revival are being organized by a team of lay men and women, religious, priests, and bishops from across the United States. An advisory board of bishops is shepherding the whole Revival.

Everything about the National Eucharistic Revival is intended to “bear fruit that will last” (Jn 15:16). By building a consistent grassroots momentum beginning with dioceses and parishes, the intention is to bring together all facets of the Church – apostolates, movements, religious orders, universities, and ecclesial organizations  – all rooted in a shared love for the Eucharist that will create impact in the Church for generations to come.

The three-year National Eucharistic Revival flows out of the USCCB’s 2021-2024 strategic plan and, as such, is funded by the efforts of collaborating committees at the Conference as well as by grants and in-kind donations from partners and sponsors of the Revival.

Distinctly, for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, this worthy investment of promoting the source and summit of our Catholic faith will include several contributing factors to offset the cost of resources to bring this milestone event to life, similar to the financial structure of the World Meeting of Families held in Philadelphia in 2015. This includes committed donors who long to see eucharistic revival throughout our country, collaboration and resource sharing from Catholic entities throughout the Church in the US, and admission fees from those attending the National Eucharistic Congress.

The National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. was formed in early 2022 in order to bring such a large-scale event to fruition. It is led by a governing board of five bishops and four lay people, chaired by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the bishop of Crookston, MN.

A website will be launched soon at www.EucharisticCongress.org which will have information, resources, and an opportunity to register individuals, families, and groups for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress.