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At the conclusion of the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), recently held in Quito, Ecuador, the Church was quick to announce that the next iteration of the Catholic gathering will be held in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia, in 2028. With just four years to prepare, the archdiocese is already making plans and Australia’s bishops have expressed their excitement.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher, of Sydney, told The Pillar that the archdiocese is thrilled to host the week of Eucharistic-themed events. He noted that some Australian dioceses only see around one in 10 Catholics attend weekly Mass, a trend he hopes the International Eucharistic Congress can turn around.
“So a big part of it for us is this: What can we do to really help people to encounter Christ in the Eucharist, to discover what a treasure it is, how much it matters to their lives, what it can do for their lives?” Archbishop Fisher pondered.
When asked how he would draw lapsed Catholics to the events when they would not come to church, the archbishop revealed that organizers have a much larger scope in mind. He said he envisions the entire affair to be a decade-long effort at the very least. This includes the three-year preparation phase that will focus on “evangelization and catechesis,” the International Eucharistic Congress, and a long “follow-up” period afterwards that could extend for a decade:
“I mean, the events have a power of their own. There's no doubt. People, sometimes, are drawn along. They don't even know why they're there. Something wonderful happens for them there. That's God's grace at work.” Archbishop Fisher continued, “But we can cooperate with that grace by really preparing well and doing good follow up afterwards. And so I see this as at least a 10 or 15-year long pastoral project.”
Archbishop Fisher went on to express his confidence that Catholics of Australia will respond well to the events of and leading up to the Congress. He pointed to Sydney’s Corpus Chrisi procession – expected to draw 20,000 in 2025 – and suggested that Australian Catholics would enjoy a pilgrimage similar to the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage held this summer in the US.
The archbishop also encouraged Catholics the world over to visit Sydney for the 2028 events. His sentiments were shared by Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Danny Meagher, who recently spoke with CNA on the matter:
“We want the entire process to involve people, with good training and elements that touch the heart, so that the entire community participates and recognizes that we are brothers and sisters,” Bishop Meagher said.
He too noting the concern with the dwindling Mass attendance of the Church in Australia, but he considers the IEC a “unique opportunity” for an encounter with the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist that will touch hearts and “open minds to the richness of the Eucharist.”
“We need life in the Sydney Church to flourish. We hope that it will be a great occasion of grace for all those attending, so that they return home with a true sense of grace, formed and transformed by what they have learned,” Meagher said.
