By OLIVIA CASTLEN, Record Staff Writer
and MARIA WIERING, OSV News
At the close of the National Eucharistic Congress July 21, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., asked the crowd of 60,000 gathered in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium if they would take their love of the Eucharist and the Church and identify one person in their life to intentionally evangelize.
“Brothers and sisters, we believe that God desires to renew his church, and that this renewal will happen through you. And then, in renewing his church, he will renew the world,” said Bishop Cozzens during the final Mass of the congress, held July 17-21.
“What would happen if each of you thought of one person you know who’s currently away from the faith; and you decided to pray for them and befriend them and then invite them to take one step closer to Jesus and his Church?” said Bishop Cozzens, board chairman of National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
“What would happen if 70 million Catholics did that?” he asked, referring to an estimated number of Catholics in the United States. “And so my question is: Will you do it? Will you do it?”
As the congregation cheered, Bishop Cozzens referred them to the U.S. bishops’ new “Walk with One” initiative, which provides resources to help Catholics engage in spiritual companionship.
The congress and this new initiative are part of the U.S. bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival, which began in 2022. “Walk with One” is a key component of the revival’s final year — the Year of Mission. It has four components, according to eucharisticrevival.org.
- Identify. “Ask God whom he wants you to accompany on their journey home to the Church.”
- Intercede. “Begin to pray for them.”
- Connect. “Look for ways to build a deeper relationship with this person.”
- Invite. “When the time is right, invite your friend to take a concrete next step in fostering a personal relationship with Jesus and the Church.”
In the weeks following the congress, local participants are reflecting on how they can answer the bishops’ call to become missionaries during the Year of Mission.
“The whole point of this is what will result from it,” said Dr. Holly Smith-Brooks, director of liturgy and music at St. Margaret Mary Church.
The revival will continue through individuals who become “eucharistic missionaries,” she said, adding that a speaker at the congress told the crowd, “ ‘We are called to be tabernacles with feet.’ ”
“This year we’ve invited you to ‘walk’ with one person. What would happen if each of you thought of one person you know who’s currently away from the faith; and you decided to pray for them and befriend them and then invite them to take one step closer to Jesus and his church?”
Bishop Cozzens, board chairman of National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
Since then, she said, she has begun to ask herself the question, “How can we share this?”
Debbie Minton, the director of religious formation at St. Athanasius Church, said she had similar thoughts.
Reflecting on the “Walk With One” initiative, she said, “We are all called to be eucharistic missionaries this year.”
“We all have family members” who are no longer active Catholics, she noted. “I don’t know where to begin to bring them back.”
But Minton already had some ideas, she said.
A week after the congress, Minton said that she was sharing photos of her time in Indianapolis with her parish. In a recent interview, she said she has many hopes, including bringing an exhibit about eucharistic miracles to her parish and hosting a Bible study on the Eucharist.
She hopes this will lay the groundwork for parishioners, whether they attended the congress or not, to “Walk with One.”
“The Eucharistic Revival is something that needs to be ongoing,” said Minton.
Flynn Mudd, a parishioner of Our Lady and St. John, director of liturgical ministries for Ascension Church and a teacher at Immaculata Classical Academy, attended the congress with his wife and in-laws. In a recent interview, Mudd said he was struck by the “reverence given to the eucharistic Lord,” which gave “a true witness of our belief in the Eucharist.”
He said that he is grateful for the “Walk with One” initiative “because we all know somebody who needs Jesus, and that’s what Bishop Cozzens was getting at. Sometimes as Catholics, we’re really good at participating in our faith, but not necessarily sharing our faith.”
Mudd said that his reflection on the initiative has led him to prioritize two things. First, he said it is helpful to build up a local community within a small group.
“I have a group of friends, and we are invested in each other’s lives and share in our struggle to evangelize,” he said, noting that the group can bounce ideas off of each other and build each other up to evangelize to “fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.”
As a young person, Mudd said, he’s aware of several young adult groups in the Louisville area.
“For those who are wanting to start up more social groups,” he said, “reach out to your local pastors and they will know who to point you to.”
Second, he said, one of his biggest takeaways from the congress was the reminder to maintain a relationship with Jesus.
“If we want to tell other people about the Lord, we need to spend time with the Lord,” said Mudd. “That’s where the graces come to evangelize.”
St. Raphael Church is offering an opportunity for both fellowship and prayer, which will allow participants in the congress to pray about how they can move forward into the Year of Mission.
Congress participants are invited to gather on Aug. 16 for adoration followed by discussion at St. Raphael’s campus at 2141 Lancashire Ave.
