As Catholics gear up for Eucharistic Congress, here's how to get involved locally- Detroit Catholic

Catholics invited to take part in I AM HERE Lenten Challenge, participate in regional, national Eucharistic Congresses

DETROIT — Eighty thousand Catholics, raising hands to heaven and fervently praying for Christ’s Real Presence to be made manifest to the world, will set the scene for this summer’s National Eucharistic Congress, which will take place July 17-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The congress will be the culmination of a three-year National Eucharistic Revival spearheaded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, but before that takes place, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit and around the country are preparing their hearts and homes to welcome Christ in new and profound ways.

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As the third and final year of the revival gets under way, Catholics in southeast Michigan will have no shortage of opportunities to encounter Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Here’s what’s in store for 2024:

I AM HERE Lenten Challenge

During the Advent season, more than 3,800 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit took part in the I AM HERE Challenge, which, in partnership with the Hallow app, allowed participants to receive daily emails or text messages with prayers, meditations and invitations to special adoration events around Metro Detroit.

Building on this success, local Catholics will be invited to take part in a new Eucharistic challenge starting Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. The I AM HERE Lenten Challenge will feature daily trivia on the Mass and the Holy Eucharist, allowing Catholics to test their knowledge on some of the Church’s most important teachings.

Andreya Vo, a recent convert and college student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, adores Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel of the Gabriel Richard Newman Center in Dearborn in this image taken as part of the Archdiocese of Detroit's I AM HERE campaign.

“I pray the fruit of this effort will be a greater understanding of and appreciation for the unfathomable gift we have in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,” Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said in a message to the faithful introducing the challenge Dec. 13.

I AM HERE is an initiative of the Archdiocese of Detroit that seeks to collect, share and promote stories and testimonials of Eucharistic fervor in cooperation with the National Eucharistic Revival. Visit iamhere.org to learn more or to sign up for the challenge.

Local Eucharistic Congresses

To prepare for the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, the Archdiocese of Detroit will host four local Eucharistic Congresses this spring — one in each region of the archdiocese. The events will be geared toward those who cannot attend the national congress, but who nevertheless would like to participate in the events.

The events will take place April 6 (Northeast Region), April 27 (South Region), May 11 (Northwest Region) and June 1 (Central Region), with locations and schedules to be announced soon.

“These gatherings, one in each region of the archdiocese, are opportunities for those who cannot travel to the national event to come together in prayer and grow in understanding of the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” Archbishop Vigneron said.

National Eucharistic Congress

With Indianapolis only four and a half hours away, Detroiters are uniquely blessed with the opportunity to take part in the 10th National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21, the first such nationwide gathering in 83 years.

The once-in-a-lifetime event will feature lively Eucharistic testimonials, praise-and-worship, adoration, Masses, processions, speakers and a host of opportunities to grow deeper in faith and love of Jesus in the Eucharist along with tens of thousands of Catholics from around the country.

The congress will be preceded by a nationwide Eucharistic pilgrimage spanning 6,500 miles, 60 days and four routes converging on Indianapolis from all four corners of the country.

“This event will give attendees an opportunity to be renewed in their love of the Holy Eucharist, and for this transformation to flow out into our parish communities,” Archbishop Vigneron said.

Space is still available to take part in a special pilgrimage to Indianapolis sponsored by the Archdiocese of Detroit, which will include five days at the congress, four nights’ accommodations and roundtrip transportation. Discounts are available for families with children.

Parish-based Eucharistic events

Families of parishes across the Archdiocese of Detroit are ramping up for the revival with multiple local opportunities for adoration, worship, special prayers and speakers in the coming months. Below are some of the events shared with Detroit Catholic.

Disciples Unleashed Family of Parishes (St. Therese of Lisieux in Shelby Township, St. Isidore in Macomb, St. Francis of Assisi-St. Maximilian Kolbe in Ray Township, and Austin Academy in Chesterfield Township)

I AM HERE stories at St. Francis of Assisi-St. Maximilian Kolbe (March 3)
Eucharistic Revival Conference with Steve Ray at St. Therese of Lisieux (April 13)

Emmanuel Family of Parishes (St. William in Walled Lake, Holy Family in Novi, St. James in Novi, and St. Joseph in South Lyon)

Rotating Eucharistic adoration events (throughout March)

Livonia Area Family of Parishes (St. Michael the Archangel in Livonia, St. Aidan in Livonia, St. Priscilla in Livonia, and St. Gerald in Farmington)

“Jesus and the Eucharist” series at St. Michael the Archangel (Jan. 10 through Feb. 28)
“Why be Catholic?” with Fr. Ed Fride at St. Michael the Archangel (7 p.m. April 16)

Lumen Christi Family of Parishes (Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Temperance, St. Anthony of Padua in Temperance, and St. Joseph in Erie)

“Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist” (by Dr. Brant Pitre) video night and book study (Lent 2024)

Monroe Family of Parishes (St. Anne in Monroe, St. John the Baptist in Monroe, St. Mary in Monroe, St. Michael the Archangel in Monroe, and St. Charles Borromeo in Newport)

Lenten Eucharistic Adoration (Fridays during Lent, St. Michael)
Bishop Barron’s “The Mass” DVD series with small group discussions (Jan. 24, Feb. 10, March 9 at 6:15 p.m., St. Michael)

Quo Vadis Domine Family of Parishes (St. Frances Cabrini in Allen Park, St. Mary Magdalen in Melvindale, SS. Andrew and Benedict in Detroit, St. Andre Bessette in Ecorse, St. Alfred in Taylor, and Our Lady of the Angels in Taylor)