Nat’l Eucharistic Congress Draws Black Catholic Pilgrims of Faith and Prayer

INDIANAPOLIS — Deanna Johnston had planned to arrive at the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) on Wednesday night, in time for the Four Corners Revival at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, when it was time to board her flight, she discovered that her trip to Indianapolis had been canceled.

Johnston, a wife and mother of four, serves the Tyler diocese as director of family life at St. Philip Institute. She ended up streaming the first night of the NEC from her hotel room computer. But even though she was far from the action, she still felt God’s providence as he revealed himself to her in her silence.

“I think this was the first time I felt God say, ‘You are exactly where I want you to be,’” she said.

“If I had gone to the convention that day, I would have missed many things that I should have heard at specific times. I certainly would have missed a number of speeches if I had not been sitting quietly on a chair and a table.”

Now that her children live in Memphis and her husband is back home in Tyler, Texas, Johnston didn’t know what to expect when she traveled to Indianapolis for the NEC.

“I thought about my kids in Memphis and my husband in Tyler and I needed something to awaken that pain inside me and to have time to think about it,” she said.

“It awakened that desire in me that I needed. I was exhausted by many things, in ministry, by the liturgy wars and the constant divisions within the Church. The Lord gave me the opportunity to give me what I needed to rest in Him.”

Johnston finally arrived at the NEC on Friday morning and immediately felt that God was at work.

“Another clear moment where I felt God’s providence was when I arrived at the stadium for the evening session,” she said.

“I was praying to God to lead me to where He wanted me to be, and right then I got a text from someone from the Diocese of Tyler who had an extra chair and was sitting right on the floor where I was walking.”

Like Johnston, tens of thousands of Catholics from across the United States are attending the NEC, which runs through July 21. Many have experienced similar moments of seeing God present in the Blessed Sacrament, in the small moments of encounter with others, and even in the quiet moments spent alone with Christ in their hearts.

“God is raising up a generation of saints, and this is just the beginning, not the end, of the revival within the Church,” Johnston said.

Couple Agnes and Sylvester Owolabi shared how their participation in the conference brought them closer together.

“We want to take these moments of revival in our hearts to our parish and to our children,” Agnes said BCM.

“When we receive the body and blood of Christ, it really transforms us. It changes the way we perceive things. It changes the way we think. By being with each other and others, we really saw that and we became even closer to each other.”

The Owolabis, originally from Nigeria, said they came to Indianapolis from Atlanta to pray for their children who have strayed from their faith. They also came to the convention for refreshment and encouragement.

“We never stop praying for them,” Sylvester said. “We pray the Rosary for them every day.”

Jesse Enriquez of Bay City, Texas, has been reflecting on how he met Jesus through other people in the early days of the NEC.

“The people here have really come alive. You can see in their eyes that they are here for love, and for Jesus Christ,” he said.

“It feels different than when you walk down the street at home. When people look at you here, you see Christ in them.”

Among other things, the NEC has sparked a cultural debate within the American Catholic Church over whether it is appropriate to show emotion during worship services, whether Congress is reverent enough, and whether people truly experience the fruit of Christ in their work.

The testimonies of individual attendees suggest that this is indeed the case.

Briana Jansky is a freelancer authorauthor, blogger and host of the Geeks for Jesus podcasting.

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