As 50,000 people join in a eucharistic procession—‘perhaps the largest in our country in decades’—questions of the heart are answered
People of all ages and backgrounds packed the sidewalks of downtown Indianapolis on July 20 to watch a eucharistic procession honoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament weave from the Indiana Convention Center to the Indiana War Memorial. (Submitted photo by Andrew Motyka)
By John Shaughnessy
For anyone whose life has been blessed by a great love, at least two questions must be considered:
How do I show the depth of my love and appreciation for this wondrous gift?
And how do I let the world know how much this person means to me?
On the sun-kissed afternoon of July 20, more than 50,000 Catholics from across the country answered
these questions of the heart by sharing their reverence, awe and love for Jesus Christ and his life-changing and world-changing gift of the Eucharist during an emotionally charged eucharistic procession through the streets of downtown Indianapolis.
Priests, religious sisters, bishops, seminarians, older people, young adults, teens, children, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics and whites came together as one family of faith, smiling, crying, rejoicing, praying, singing, processing and falling to their knees while universally standing up for and embracing the one who sacrificed his life to redeem the world.
Walking one mile from the Indiana Convention Center to the Indiana War Memorial, tens of thousands of people jammed the streets, leading and following the float that carried the Blessed Sacrament in a gleaming, gold monstrance, while thousands of others packed the sidewalks of downtown.
The procession marked the defining moment of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, the first in the United States since before America entered into World War II.
And if you needed just one description to capture the essence of the event, it came in the words of Patricia Butler of Belleville, Ill. As she sat along the route of the procession nearly three hours before it began, she said, “It’s worth it to show the world that Jesus is alive and he’s here with us. The Eucharist is not a symbol. It’s really the living body and blood of Christ.”
‘It’s in Christ that we heal’
The procession began with Archbishop Charles
C. Thompson carrying the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament from the convention center to a float where he handed it to Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
Holding the Blessed Sacrament for that part of the procession, the Indianapolis archbishop kept his focus on the congress’ overall goal of bringing the Eucharist “out into the world.”
“We want to give a witness to Christ-centered faith and Christ-centered lives,” Archbishop Thompson said. “We want to bring him to the world because he is the source of all hope. He is the source of all salvation. He is the way to salvation. With so much woundedness and brokenness and polarization, this is what heals. It’s in Christ that we heal, that we are reconciled, that we are united. Not in ourselves, but in him.
“As apostolic nuncio Cardinal Pierre said the first night of the congress, we have to go out of our comfort zones and be willing to listen to the Holy Spirit and go out to those in need. Not just those who agree with us, but those who may disagree with us. It’s Christ that we take to others. We’re just the instruments.”
‘I like how there are so many people here just for God’
Near the front of the procession, 8-year-old Clarise Kohles walked with a group of girls and boys who received their first Communion this year. Wearing her white Communion dress and veil, the little girl from Texas tossed white and red rose petals on the downtown streets, paving the way for the Blessed Sacrament as she walked with her dad, Bradley Kohles.
“We went to Italy last year, and she fell in love with St. Clare and Italy in general, and she’s been on fire ever since,” her dad said.
Passing by the crowds of people taking video and photos of the first Communicants, Clarise said, “I like how there are so many people here just for God.”
‘Christ is here in our midst today’
At the southwest corner of Merdian and Washington streets, Holly and Richard Maes of Green Bay, Wis., waited in their wheelchair and electric scooter respectively, determined to join in the procession once the float with the Eucharist passed. Married 44 years, Richard has struggled with multiple sclerosis for about
30 years while Holly had to have her left leg amputated, the result of being hit by a drunk driver when she was 19.
“With both of us having health problems, to spend days with the Lord with so many people is invigorating,” Holly said. “I was a convert to the faith. I always felt something was missing in my youth, and I found it in the Catholic Church in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. And Christ is here in our midst today.”
Richard added, “There’s a reason why we get the Eucharist every day. It gives me spiritual nourishment. And just being around so many Catholics has re-charged me. I’m ready to go back home and share everything we’ve heard here.”
Yet not before the float with the Eucharist passed and they rode down the access ramp at the corner and joined in the procession.
A dream fulfilled
As 15-year-old Brenner Jasper walked in the eucharistic procession with the 20 or so other youths from his parish—St. Francis Borgia in Washington, Mo.—he wanted to share the experience with more than his friends.
“I want to walk with Jesus because my entire life revolves around my faith,” Brenner said.
‘Everything I receive today, I want to bring back to my family’
Maria Cortez felt Christ’s love as she sat on the edge of Monument Circle when the Blessed Sacrament reached her.
“This is very important for me because I want to have an encounter with Jesus, with the Lord,” said Cortez, who came to the congress with her husband Avelino, both members of St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Niles, Ill. “I want to have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus so I can be filled with his knowledge, his strength. When you are filled with his love, you are able to share that with others.”
A mother and grandmother, Cortez added, “Everything I receive today, I want to bring back to my family and people at work and everyone else I encounter.”
‘The Eucharist means everything’
Chris Wilhelm never expected to drive the huge white pickup that pulled the float carrying the Blessed Sacrament from the convention center to the Indiana War Memorial. But when his son, Joseph, who was originally asked to drive the float, had his flight cancelled and he couldn’t make it to Indianapolis in time, he asked Chris to fill in for him.
“It’s an honor that they’ve put that kind of trust in me to drive the Eucharist through town,” Chris said. “The Eucharist means everything. It’s just a way of continuing to have God in your life.”
The power of the Holy Spirit
In the park facing the northside of the war memorial, Mary Huber joined the crowds that came for eucharistic adoration at the end of the journey of the Blessed Sacrament.
“It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It’s nice to be among so many like-minded people who are gathering together to honor the Lord,” said Huber, a member of St. John Paul II Parish in Miamisburg, Ohio. “The pilgrimage, the planning, the organization and the commitment from the city to make this happen show that the Holy Spirit is very much alive.”
‘We thank you, Jesus’
During eucharistic adoration at the Indiana War Memorial, Bishop Cozzens focused on the love that Christ has for all people—and the desire of the procession participants to show their love for him.
“Thank you, Jesus, for accompanying us every step,” he said. “Thank you for walking with us, each of us, in every dark moment and every light one. We thank you, Jesus, that you are always with us and that you are always here for us in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Jesus, we know the procession we made today is a signal, a sign of our earthly pilgrimage. And it is not over. And this procession—perhaps the largest in our country in decades—it was still too small. Millions of people in our own cities, our own dioceses, don’t yet know you.
“We know that you want all people, all nations, to join in this procession. We know you want all people to follow you. And Jesus, we will walk with them.”
Looking back on the procession and the first four days of the congress, Bishop Cozzens thanked God and asked for his continuing love and guidance.
“Jesus, we have experienced in these days together just a small taste of heaven. Show us, Lord, who we are. Let us be your body in the world. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Empower us to witness to you, to your love, to your goodness. Make us your missionaries to every corner of our land.”
It was all part of a day to remember.
All part of trying to show just how much it means to be blessed by the great gift of Christ’s love. †
(See all of our coverage of the National Eucharistic Congress at www.archindy.org/congress.)
