US National Eucharistic Congress Ends with Prayer for a “New Pentecost” for the Church in America

“His presence is palpable and pervasive. The Lord is here,” White added.

Father Aquinas Guilbeau, OP, predicted that the legacy of the National Eucharistic Congress will be similar to that of the 1993 World Youth Day, held in Denver for the Church in the United States.

“Its grace will shape the Church for the next 50 years,” Guilbeau said.

According to organizers, nearly 60,000 tickets were sold for the National Eucharistic Congress, including day passes sold after the event began.

Tagle began his sermon by greeting the crowd in more than five languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, French and Italian.

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“The Holy Father prays, as we all do, that the Congress may bear fruit, much fruit, for the renewal of the Church and society in the United States of America,” Tagle said.

In his homily, the cardinal noted that “where there is a lack or a weakening of missionary zeal, this is perhaps partly due to a weakening of the appreciation of gifts and talents.”

“If our horizon is only that of achievement, success and profit, there is no room to see and receive free gifts. There is no room for gratitude and self-giving,” he added. “There will only be a relentless search for self-affirmation that eventually becomes oppressive and exhausting, leading to more self-absorption or individualism.

Tagle stressed that the Eucharist “is a privileged moment to experience Jesus’ mission as a gift of oneself.”

At the end of the Mass, Bishop Andrew Cozzens announced to loud applause that the American bishops plan to hold another National Eucharistic Congress in 2033, the Year of Redemption, marking the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ crucifixion.

The Bishop of Crookston, Minnesota, who has led the revival of the Eucharist, also announced that a Eucharistic pilgrimage from Indianapolis to Los Angeles will take place again in 2025.

“What do you say when you are at the end of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress?” Cozzens said. “It is my experience and I hope yours that we have had an experience of heaven. Of course the Eucharist is a foretaste of heaven.”