NORTH PALM BEACH | “This is a little piece of heaven.”
That is how one pilgrim in a group from St. Paul of the Cross Parish in North Palm Beach described the scene as clergy and laypeople filed in with the Real Presence of Jesus during the National Eucharistic Congress from July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis. Their journey to Indiana with more than 60,000 other Catholics was full of blessed moments like that.
Four from the group of nine pilgrims who went to the congress spoke Aug. 10, with the Florida Catholic about their experiences, reporting on the joys and challenges they encountered on the trip. Three of their original group of 12 were unable to go because of illness, but most aspects of the Eucharistic event exceeded their hopes.
“I think it was beyond our expectation,” said John Ozog, who went with his wife, Cindy. “At least for me personally, my expectation was pretty moderate. And I think overall, the experience was overwhelming in a positive way, to have that many people together and not have any negative situations. The Spirit was flowing through the whole place the whole time. People were really considerate of each other, considering you were in that small space with that many people.”
Besides a long wait to register on the first day, few glitches were noticeable, said Kate Devine, the parish’s director of religious education, who planned the trip and led the pilgrims. The main events and breakout sessions adhered to the schedule and there were no sound or video issues.
“There were a lot of us, but it was all very peaceful. Even in the mass herds, filing into places,” she said, adding that there was little “dead” time when attendees had nothing to do, making for a very busy five days.
“It was all timed, and that’s one thing I liked about the speakers,” said Reina White, the oldest member of the group. “They had a certain amount of time, and it was just very succinct.”
Their favorite speakers included Father Mike Schmitz, Mari Pablo, Msgr. James Shea, Sister Bethany Madonna, Sister Josephine Garrett, Sister Miriam James Heidland, Danielle Brown, Chris Stefanick, Bishop Robert Barron and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart. (Many of their talks can be viewed on YouTube.) Each presenter gave his/her perspective of the reality of Jesus present in the Eucharist, the pilgrims said, and the consistency of their message was one of the impressive aspects of the congress.
“The message was there, and no one veered off the message. That, in itself, I thought was something to behold because it still was about our belief. If you’re a Catholic, you believe this,” White said.
Each pilgrim signed up for a certain track, depending on their interests, that featured a variety of speakers. Devine said everyone went in different directions during the morning and afternoon sessions, but they reunited for the evening talks. “That was great because, at the end of the day, we all came back with the same message, but we had all heard it in very different ways,” she said.
With such a tight schedule, they said, it was difficult to find time to eat and enjoy some of the offerings at the congress, such as veneration of saints’ relics, exhibits on Eucharistic miracles and the Shroud of Turin, and even the sacrament of reconciliation, which all had long wait times. “I think I could have been there for two weeks and still not done everything,” Devine said.
For all the pilgrims, the greatest moments were during Eucharistic adoration and experiencing the variety of Catholic liturgy and music at the congress, from Roman to Eastern, classical to chant to contemporary Christian.
“I’m a big music person,” Cindy Ozog said, “but the adoration just brings me to tears to think that a whole stadium full of people focused on Jesus and the Eucharist and that host and that monstrance. It was just breathtaking and unbelievable, honestly. It was so quiet. How silent it was, except for the babies. Every once in a while, you’d hear ‘WAAAA!,’ and parents were pacing with their babies.”
Thanks to an Airbnb house with three bathrooms and a large Ford van that Devine reserved early on, the St. Paul of the Cross group had a comfortable place to sleep and reliable transportation. Cindy said it felt special having breakfast together and getting ready at their house every morning.
The pilgrims, who were to tell fellow parishioners “What We Learned at the NEC” on Aug. 29, voiced pleasure at being able to attend the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, and they’re looking ahead to the next congress in 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection.
“I think that, between the speakers and the spiritual movement and the adoration, and then just the collective body of Catholics that were so on fire for their faith, was more than what we ever expected,” John said.
Recalling the insights she gained, White said, “People need to understand the Catholic Church, they need to understand their religion. That’s very vital, and then really live it. I think that we have something that no one else has. ... It is absolutely motivational and wonderful that your whole life you surrender to the Lord.”
Cindy spoke of how glad she is to have attended the national event. “Just an overall blessing, bigger than being in church or going to some event or some retreat or some day conference or something,” she said. “You can be inspired that way, but to have it in your face for five days, whether you like it or not, whether you’re tired or not, whether you’re hungry or not. You just went because you wanted more of it.”
Devine remembered a talk by author-speaker Curtis Martin about St. Augustine, St. Monica and St. Ambrose. Martin said that St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, cried, prayed and fasted a lot for her wayward son, and she was good to the poor. St. Ambrose, St. Augustine’s spiritual father, led a life of adoration and leading people to Christ through his actions, Martin said.
Devine recalled that, while Martin encouraged everyone to sit more in Eucharistic adoration, “he said, ‘You’ve got to be a Monica to everyone.’ Like, when you’re in adoration, you need to do those things. I don’t know about crying, but you need to pray. You need to fast. You need to love the poor, but you have to be ready to be the Ambrose. You’ve got to be leading your life, going to Mass, sitting in adoration and being ready by your actions to have people follow.”
The National Eucharistic Revival has entered a phase called the Year of Mission, in which Catholics are called to be God’s instruments in the life of another person. Learn more about it at www.eucharisticrevival.org/walk-with-one. Connect with St. Paul of the Cross Parish at https://paulcross.org/ or on Facebook and Instagram.
