14th Eucharistic Congress draws thousands to Charlotte Convention Center
CHARLOTTE — The 14th Eucharistic Congress was the Diocese of Charlotte’s “beautiful Catholic answer” to the tumult in the Church in recent weeks.
Thousands of Catholics from across western North Carolina flooded into the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 7-8 for the annual gathering which celebrates our faith in the Eucharist as the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Unlike previous years, this congress was one of reparation and prayer for healing, Bishop Peter Jugis emphasized, in response to recent revelations of child sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and abuse of power by some Church leaders.
In what was an unprecedented move at the congress, the bishop led the thousands of faithful in a Holy Hour of Reparation, praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary while kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, praying for “God to have mercy on His holy Church.” REPARATION
Three times during the Eucharistic Congress Bishop Jugis addressed the abuse crisis that has provoked an outcry among Catholics in the U.S. since allegations arose of sexual misconduct by Church leaders, including a retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests.
“Throughout the congress,” the bishop said in opening remarks Friday night, “we want to offer prayers of reparation, because as we all know from the horrible revelations from last month, that the horrible sins of abuse and misconduct and the sins of abuse of power and position have reared their ugly heads in the Church, and for this we are saddened and outraged.”
He expanded on that message in his homily at the closing Mass of the congress Sept. 8. The congress, he said, was a time for the people of the diocese to come together “with one united voice” to pray for healing in the Church, even as Catholics have reacted with “shame, anger, disappointment, disgust and feelings of betrayal” to the allegations of abuse and cover-up.
“I share your sorrow and I am truly sorry for these crimes that have been perpetrated against the innocent,” he said.
“We come with the intention of offering prayers of reparation for the horrible sins of abuse and misconduct and the sins of the abuse of power and authority that have been committed within our beloved Church,” he said.
“This abuse imprints lifelong scars on its victims,” he said. “In addition, the entire Church has been very seriously wounded.”
“We need to pray for healing in the Church,” he said – for abuse victims, for the perpetrators and for the entire Church.
Bishop Jugis also reiterated his support for calls by the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, for an investigation into the allegations against retired Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, “an opening of new and confidential channels for reporting complaints against bishops,” and “better procedures” to resolve complaints made against bishops.
“To begin to repair and restore trust,” Bishop Jugis said, “I agree completely with the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that there must be a Vatican visitation and investigation, and the appointment of an independent, national, lay commission with the authority to follow all leads wherever the truth may lead.”
The U.S. bishops are expected to take up the cardinal’s proposals during their next meeting in November.
Meanwhile, Catholics must work to pursue “radical holiness in our own lives,” Bishop Jugis said.
“In this Eucharistic Congress, the whole family of the Diocese of Charlotte – clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful... – have come together, and with one united voice beseech the Most Holy Trinity to have mercy on the Church and grant the grace of cleansing and purification and renewal,” he said.
REVERENCE
The most dramatic moment of the congress came Saturday morning, when the bishop concluded a Holy Hour of Reparation by leading the faithful in praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.
Thousands of people knelt on the concrete floor of the convention center and joined him in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
The rosary of reparation was “offered for sins against purity,” he explained. “We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins committed against chastity. We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins committed against chaste Christian living. We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins of abuse of power and authority in the Church. We beg God to have mercy on His holy Church.”
“Let us ask Him to cleanse and purify the Church from this open wound,” he continued, “and to bring healing to victims, and ask Him to help us all to dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of holiness.”
Before each decade, the bishop voiced meditations he had written for the occasion, excerpted here:
The First Sorrowful Mystery, The Agony in the Garden: “After the Passover supper with His Apostles, Jesus went out to Gethsemane and He became very sad and sorrowful. He said to Peter and James and John, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Wait here and watch with Me.’ In that moment, the sins of the whole world from all time pressed upon Him, including sins that would be committed by the members of His Church.
The Second Sorrowful Mystery, The Scourging at the Pillar: “He was stripped of His garments, tied to a pillar, and His flesh lacerated from head to foot with cruel scourges until His body could bear no more. The Body of Jesus, the Church, has again been scourged by the sins of some of its members.”
The Third Sorrowful Mystery, The Crowning with Thorns: “The soldiers fashioned a crown of thorns and fastened it on His head, driving the thorns deeply into His head. They mocked His kingship, kneeling before Him crying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” Jesus, our true King, does not reign through violence, but through a love which suffers for us and with us. Jesus, You are now suffering with us, Your Body the Church, because of the sins of abuse, misconduct and abuse of power and position.”
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, Jesus Carries the Cross: “The weight of all of our sins presses upon Him. Jesus, Your Body the Church experiences the sufferings, the insults, the indignities of the way of the cross. Only Your grace and power can lift us up when we have fallen – once, twice, three times and many times. O suffering Savior, by Your passion cleanse and purify Your Church.”
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, The Crucifixion of Our Lord: “Through Your passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection, Jesus, You have brought us the gift of forgiveness of sins. Cleanse and purify the Church You love of the sins of abuse and misconduct which have seriously wounded the Church. Bring healing and love to victims. Help us all to rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of true holiness.”
REACTION
Responses were enthusiastic – not just from people attending the congress but from Catholics around the world who tuned in to the live broadcast of the Eucharistic Procession Saturday morning on Facebook.
The mile-long Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Charlotte “was our beautiful Catholic answer to the evil Judases in the church!” wrote Stacy Peterson.
The English live broadcast was played more than 20,000 times, and the Spanish live broadcast was played more than 7,500 times. People from as far away as Peru, the Philippines, India, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria watched.
“Beautiful amen x from Ireland,” wrote Charlotte Mary Prenter.
“I pray for more of this,” wrote Julia Spagnuolo from Ontario, Canada.
“We need more of this,” agreed Patty Harrington from Binghamton, N.Y.
“This is so good,” said Passy Agenonga from Kampala, Uganda.
Those who took part in the rosary of reparation on Saturday after the procession expressed similar feelings.
“As one of those thousands, it was beautiful and moving. I’m grateful to have participated,” MaryPaul Forsyth said.
“It was a beautiful heartbreaking moment – I am so glad it was a part of the Congress this year!” said Andrea Baum Walsh.
“So very grateful to our Bishop for addressing the situation with love and compassion,” said Debbie Shaw Flick.
The entire congress offered a moment of renewal in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, people also said.
Newly ordained Deacon Steffen Fohn of Holy Family Church in Clemmons said he found the congress enriching.
“It’s beautiful just to spend a day with fellow Catholics and focus on a day centered on the Eucharist – the source and summit of our faith,” Deacon Fohn said.
Jeannie Wray, a member of St. Anne Church in Rock Hill, S.C., said she enjoyed seeing “people who have joy in the Lord, people who celebrate our faith, people who believe that the Church is a wonderful thing. It gives me the gift of renewal.” “Seeing people coming to adore our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and also the love for the Church, even with all the problems going on, we can see that people love the Church,” said Father Ambrose Akinwande, a Missionaries of St. Paul priest who serves at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington. “What brings us together is the Eucharist. Each one of us – we are connected powerfully to the Eucharist.” — Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
14th Eucharistic Congress draws thousands to Charlotte Convention Center
CHARLOTTE — The 14th Eucharistic Congress was the Diocese of Charlotte’s “beautiful Catholic answer” to the tumult in the Church in recent weeks.
Thousands of Catholics from across western North Carolina flooded into the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 7-8 for the annual gathering which celebrates our faith in the Eucharist as the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Unlike previous years, this congress was one of reparation and prayer for healing, Bishop Peter Jugis emphasized, in response to recent revelations of child sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and abuse of power by some Church leaders.
In what was an unprecedented move at the congress, the bishop led the thousands of faithful in a Holy Hour of Reparation, praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary while kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, praying for “God to have mercy on His holy Church.” REPARATION
Three times during the Eucharistic Congress Bishop Jugis addressed the abuse crisis that has provoked an outcry among Catholics in the U.S. since allegations arose of sexual misconduct by Church leaders, including a retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests.
“Throughout the congress,” the bishop said in opening remarks Friday night, “we want to offer prayers of reparation, because as we all know from the horrible revelations from last month, that the horrible sins of abuse and misconduct and the sins of abuse of power and position have reared their ugly heads in the Church, and for this we are saddened and outraged.”
He expanded on that message in his homily at the closing Mass of the congress Sept. 8. The congress, he said, was a time for the people of the diocese to come together “with one united voice” to pray for healing in the Church, even as Catholics have reacted with “shame, anger, disappointment, disgust and feelings of betrayal” to the allegations of abuse and cover-up.
“I share your sorrow and I am truly sorry for these crimes that have been perpetrated against the innocent,” he said.
“We come with the intention of offering prayers of reparation for the horrible sins of abuse and misconduct and the sins of the abuse of power and authority that have been committed within our beloved Church,” he said.
“This abuse imprints lifelong scars on its victims,” he said. “In addition, the entire Church has been very seriously wounded.”
“We need to pray for healing in the Church,” he said – for abuse victims, for the perpetrators and for the entire Church.
Bishop Jugis also reiterated his support for calls by the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, for an investigation into the allegations against retired Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, “an opening of new and confidential channels for reporting complaints against bishops,” and “better procedures” to resolve complaints made against bishops.
“To begin to repair and restore trust,” Bishop Jugis said, “I agree completely with the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that there must be a Vatican visitation and investigation, and the appointment of an independent, national, lay commission with the authority to follow all leads wherever the truth may lead.”
The U.S. bishops are expected to take up the cardinal’s proposals during their next meeting in November.
Meanwhile, Catholics must work to pursue “radical holiness in our own lives,” Bishop Jugis said.
“In this Eucharistic Congress, the whole family of the Diocese of Charlotte – clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful... – have come together, and with one united voice beseech the Most Holy Trinity to have mercy on the Church and grant the grace of cleansing and purification and renewal,” he said.
REVERENCE
The most dramatic moment of the congress came Saturday morning, when the bishop concluded a Holy Hour of Reparation by leading the faithful in praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.
Thousands of people knelt on the concrete floor of the convention center and joined him in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
The rosary of reparation was “offered for sins against purity,” he explained. “We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins committed against chastity. We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins committed against chaste Christian living. We offer the holy rosary of reparation for sins of abuse of power and authority in the Church. We beg God to have mercy on His holy Church.”
“Let us ask Him to cleanse and purify the Church from this open wound,” he continued, “and to bring healing to victims, and ask Him to help us all to dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of holiness.”
Before each decade, the bishop voiced meditations he had written for the occasion, excerpted here:
The First Sorrowful Mystery, The Agony in the Garden: “After the Passover supper with His Apostles, Jesus went out to Gethsemane and He became very sad and sorrowful. He said to Peter and James and John, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Wait here and watch with Me.’ In that moment, the sins of the whole world from all time pressed upon Him, including sins that would be committed by the members of His Church.
The Second Sorrowful Mystery, The Scourging at the Pillar: “He was stripped of His garments, tied to a pillar, and His flesh lacerated from head to foot with cruel scourges until His body could bear no more. The Body of Jesus, the Church, has again been scourged by the sins of some of its members.”
The Third Sorrowful Mystery, The Crowning with Thorns: “The soldiers fashioned a crown of thorns and fastened it on His head, driving the thorns deeply into His head. They mocked His kingship, kneeling before Him crying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” Jesus, our true King, does not reign through violence, but through a love which suffers for us and with us. Jesus, You are now suffering with us, Your Body the Church, because of the sins of abuse, misconduct and abuse of power and position.”
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, Jesus Carries the Cross: “The weight of all of our sins presses upon Him. Jesus, Your Body the Church experiences the sufferings, the insults, the indignities of the way of the cross. Only Your grace and power can lift us up when we have fallen – once, twice, three times and many times. O suffering Savior, by Your passion cleanse and purify Your Church.”
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, The Crucifixion of Our Lord: “Through Your passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection, Jesus, You have brought us the gift of forgiveness of sins. Cleanse and purify the Church You love of the sins of abuse and misconduct which have seriously wounded the Church. Bring healing and love to victims. Help us all to rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of true holiness.”
REACTION
Responses were enthusiastic – not just from people attending the congress but from Catholics around the world who tuned in to the live broadcast of the Eucharistic Procession Saturday morning on Facebook.
The mile-long Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Charlotte “was our beautiful Catholic answer to the evil Judases in the church!” wrote Stacy Peterson.
The English live broadcast was played more than 20,000 times, and the Spanish live broadcast was played more than 7,500 times. People from as far away as Peru, the Philippines, India, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria watched.
“Beautiful amen x from Ireland,” wrote Charlotte Mary Prenter.
“I pray for more of this,” wrote Julia Spagnuolo from Ontario, Canada.
“We need more of this,” agreed Patty Harrington from Binghamton, N.Y.
“This is so good,” said Passy Agenonga from Kampala, Uganda.
Those who took part in the rosary of reparation on Saturday after the procession expressed similar feelings.
“As one of those thousands, it was beautiful and moving. I’m grateful to have participated,” MaryPaul Forsyth said.
“It was a beautiful heartbreaking moment – I am so glad it was a part of the Congress this year!” said Andrea Baum Walsh.
“So very grateful to our Bishop for addressing the situation with love and compassion,” said Debbie Shaw Flick.
The entire congress offered a moment of renewal in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, people also said.
Newly ordained Deacon Steffen Fohn of Holy Family Church in Clemmons said he found the congress enriching.
“It’s beautiful just to spend a day with fellow Catholics and focus on a day centered on the Eucharist – the source and summit of our faith,” Deacon Fohn said.
Jeannie Wray, a member of St. Anne Church in Rock Hill, S.C., said she enjoyed seeing “people who have joy in the Lord, people who celebrate our faith, people who believe that the Church is a wonderful thing. It gives me the gift of renewal.” “Seeing people coming to adore our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and also the love for the Church, even with all the problems going on, we can see that people love the Church,” said Father Ambrose Akinwande, a Missionaries of St. Paul priest who serves at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington. “What brings us together is the Eucharist. Each one of us – we are connected powerfully to the Eucharist.” — Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
CHARLOTTE — The 14th Eucharistic Congress was the Diocese of Charlotte’s “beautiful Catholic answer” to the tumult in the Church in recent weeks.
