The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC, has announced that it will be the premier sponsor of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. At the July event, to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, CUA will be the largest higher education sponsor and will even provide some engaging activities for attendees and priests.
In the announcement, made from the CUA website, President Peter Kilpatrick commented on the importance of both the Eucharist, as well as answering the call of the bishops for a National Eucharistic Revival:
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. It is the greatest expression of our communion as Catholics and is the wellspring from which all the Church’s works of charity flow,” said Peter Kilpatrick, president of Catholic University. “And it is my conviction that this University in particular–as the national University of the Catholic Church in the United States–ought to be foremost in answering the bishops’ call for a revival of Eucharistic awareness, communion, and devotion.”
Kilpatrick went on to reiterate the mission of the Catholic University of America: “to discover and impart the truth through excellence in teaching and research, all in service to the Church, the nation and the world." This mission is to be promoted through two programs of activities that CUA will develop for the National Eucharistic Congress.
One of these will be a program specifically designed for priests, while the other will create two spaces in which CUA can engage with attendees of the conference. While the announcement did not elaborate on the activities that will be offered, it did note that the activities will be interactive. CUA's presence at the National Eucharistic Congress suggests that they will educate on the Eucharistic Revival.
The heart of the Eucharistic Congress will be the desire for an encounter with Jesus through His Real Presence in the Eucharist, as such an encounter encourages the faithful to live in devotion and discipleship. In order to ready its student body for the conference, CUA has increased the opportunities students have to encounter Christ in the Eucharist. The website will provide details of such campus activities on its “Celebrate the Eucharist” page, which will be updated regularly until July.
President Kilpatrick added:
"It is my hope, then, that the Eucharistic Congress will inspire Catholics throughout the country to discover anew the sense of wonder and awe at the Lord's great gift of himself and to spend time with him in the celebration of the holy Mass and in personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament."
