May 4, 2023 at 12:05 a.m.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT!
The New York State Eucharistic Congress in October is going to be a big deal.
Thousands of Catholics from all across New York State are planning to come together at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville on Oct. 20-22 to celebrate the real presence of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The three-day event will feature inspiring talks, Mass, Eucharistic adoration, opportunities for confessions, motivating music and more.
That is why it is so important to head to https://nyseucharisticcongress.org to register; you can find a registration link in the bottom left corner of the home page. With likely 10,000 people attending, it is paramount that anyone attending from the Diocese of Albany — including priests, religious, even organizers of the event — register now.
Some parishes from around the state are planning to bring groups of parishioners. If you would like to do the same, it’s a good idea to start organizing and registering those people as soon as possible. As of last week, more than 1,000 people had already registered.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Kathy Barrans, communications director, at (518) 801-2771 or [email protected].
SCHEDULE
According to the website, “The Eucharistic Congress will take place officially over 40 hours, beginning Friday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., and lasting through Sunday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m. Eucharistic Adoration will take place each night from 10 p.m. through 7 a.m. The principal Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Eucharistic Congress will conclude with an 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Oct. 22, celebrated by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of Albany. There will be a Eucharistic Procession on Saturday afternoon.”
The schedule is not finalized yet but to give you an idea of what to expect, let’s look at Saturday’s tentative schedule: 6:45 a.m. — Breakfast available; 7:30 a.m. — Morning prayer; Bringing of the Monstrance to the 40-Hour Chapel; musical break; 8 a.m. — Fourth talk; 8:45 a.m. — Musical break; 9 a.m. — Fifth talk; 9:45 a.m. — Musical break; 10 a.m. — Sixth talk; 10:45 a.m. — Musical break; 11 a.m. — Mass, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, principal celebrant; 12:30 p.m. — Praise and Worship Holy Hour in the Coliseum; lunch available; 1:45 p.m. — Seventh talk; 2:30 p.m. — Musical break; 2:45 p.m. — Eighth talk; 3:30 p.m. — Return of the Monstrance to Coliseum; Eucharistic Adoration in preparation for procession; 3:45 p.m. — Beginning of Eucharistic Procession; 4:45 p.m. — Conclusion of procession in the Coliseum; 5 p.m. — Eucharistic Adoration in the Coliseum; dinner; 6 p.m. — Evening prayer; 6:15 p.m. — Return of the Monstrance to 40-Hour Chapel; musical interlude; 6:30 p.m. — Ninth talk; 7:15 p.m. — Break and musical interlude; 7:30 p.m. — 10th talk; 8:15 p.m. — Break; 8:30 p.m. — Return of the Monstrance to the Coliseum; 10 p.m. — Adoration and confessions through the night.
SPEAKERS
Here’s a short list of some confirmed attendees and speakers:
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Saturday Mass principal, celebrant and homilist
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 23, 2009. A native of Ballwin, Mo., he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976. He received a doctorate in American church history at The Catholic University of America. He was rector of the Pontifical North American College from 1994-2001, served as an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis for a year, and from 2002-09, served as Archbishop of Milwaukee. He was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2011-13 and was appointed a cardinal on Jan. 6, 2012.
Father Dave Dwyer, CSP, speaker on “Understanding What We Are Doing: Toward a More Active and Prayerful Participation in the Mass”
Father Dwyer serves as the first consultor on the presidential board of the Paulist Fathers. He also is executive director of their media ministry Busted Halo and hosts “The Busted Halo Show,” a radio talk show on The Catholic Channel (Ch. 129) on SiriusXM. He co-hosts the weekly program “Conversation with Cardinal Dolan” heard on The Catholic Channel and seen on multiple Catholic television stations. A native of Long Island, Father Dwyer earned his bachelor’s in communication from Syracuse University. After college, he worked at HBO, MTV and Comedy Central, producing and directing television programs. Father Dwyer’s vocation to the priesthood was stirred at World Youth Day in 1993 in Denver, Colo. He entered the Paulists in 1994 and earned his master of divinity degree from The Catholic University of America. He was ordained a priest on May 27, 2000. From 2000-04, he was a Catholic campus minister at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Father Dwyer lives at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York.
Bishop Joseph Espaillat II, speaker
Bishop Espaillat, an auxiliary bishop of New York, is currently the episcopal vicar of the Bronx and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church. Before being ordained a bishop on March 1, 2022, he was the director of the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Center and the spiritual director of the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal of the Archdiocese of New York. In 2012, Cardinal Dolan asked him to found the Office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of New York. Prior to priestly ordination, he obtained a Master of divinity degree in theology and a master of arts degree in theology (specializing in church history) from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. After God, his passion has been working with young people for the past 30 years and helping them encounter Christ. He is also the founder of the ministry, Messengers of Christ.
Father Richard Fragomeni, Ph.D., speaker
A priest of the Diocese of Albany, Father Fragomeni has taught at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago since 1990 where he is associate professor of liturgy and preaching and chairperson of the Department of Word and Worship. He is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Religious Studies at DePaul University and has also served as the rector of The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, an Italian-American spiritual center in Chicago’s historic Little Italy. In addition to his teaching duties, he is a preacher of parish missions and gives presentations nationally and internationally on liturgical, sacramental and catechetical topics. He completed his S.T.B in theology and M.A. in religious studies at the University of Louvain in Belgium. He earned a second M.A., a M.M. in vocal performance, and a Ph.D. in sacramental theology at The Catholic University of America. He is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy and the Catholic Theological Society of America.
Dr. Peter Kreeft, speaker
Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and author of almost 100 books. His many bestsellers cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology and philosophy. They include “Making Sense of Suffering,” “Because God Is Real,” “Angels and Demons,” “Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing,” “Summa of the Summa,” “Christianity for Modern Pagans,” and “How to Destroy Western Civilization.” He loves his five grandchildren, four children, one wife, one cat and one God. He earned a bachelor’s from Calvin College (1959), a master’s in philosophy (1961) and a doctorate in philosophy (1965) from Fordham University. He has also done post-graduate studies in philosophy at Yale University. He and his wife reside in the Archdiocese of Boston. His personal website, containing many free audio recordings and articles, is www.peterkreeft.com
Sister Mary Grace Langrell, SV, speaker
Sister Mary Grace, SV, grew up on the shores of Sydney, Australia, and graduated from the University of Notre Dame Australia with a degree in theology. Captivated by the beauty of every human life and feeling compelled to lay down her life to protect it, she directed campus ministry before entering the Sisters of Life in 2013. Sister Mary Grace made her first vows in 2018 and final vows in 2023. She has spent three years in Canada, serving vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children, inviting those wounded by abortion into the healing mercy of Jesus, and offering retreats. She currently resides in a convent in the Bronx, serving as director of the Evangelization Mission, which coordinates the sharing of the charism of life and fostering a culture of life throughout the U.S. and the world. She is also co-host of Let Love: A podcast with the Sisters of Life.
Lisa Lickona, speaker on “Learning from the Love of Women Saints for the Eucharist”
Lickona, STL, is assistant professor of systematic theology at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry. She served for eight years as editor for Saints at Magnificat, where she researched and wrote daily on the lives of the saints. She has written and spoken widely on issues in theological anthropology and culture from the perspective afforded by Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body and his “new feminism.” Lickona earned her bachelor’s at the University of Notre Dame and holds a master’s in theological studies and licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. She has lived with her family in upstate New York for 15 years, where for several years she operated a micro-organic farm and organized a local farmers’ market.
Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR, speaker
Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR, is the General Servant (Superior) of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal and is the author of the popular book “Discerning Religious Life” as well as the new children’s book series “Little Convent in the Big City.” Mother Clare has been a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal since 1998. The two-fold apostolic mission of the community is hands-on work with the poor and evangelization. She became general servant in 2018. Mother Clare lives at Our Lady Queen of Angels Convent in East Harlem. The CFR Sisters currently have three convents in New York City, missions in Leeds, England; Drogheda, Ireland; and Atlantic City, N.J., as well as sisters serving the Holy Father at the Vatican Secretariat of State. She also helps to spearhead bringing religious sisters to young Catholic students in a program called The Little Convent.
Katie Prejean McGrady, speaker on “Fostering Eucharistic Love Within the Family”
McGrady is a speaker, award winning author, and host of The Katie McGrady Show on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM. McGrady hosts three podcasts: Ave Explores, from Ave Maria Press, Like a Mother, with Our Sunday Visitor, and Family Mass Prep, on Hallow. She’s an op-ed columnist for La Croix International, a regular writer for Our Sunday Visitor, Aleteia and Blessed is She. McGrady represented the USCCB at the Pre-Synod gathering of youth and young adults in the spring of 2018 and serves as a member of the working group on youth and young adult ministry for the USCCB. McGrady has hosted the National Catholic Youth Conference, Steubenville Conferences, spoken in 43 states and seven countries, and her podcasts and radio shows have been listened to by millions. McGrady lives in Lake Charles, La., with her husband and daughters. Her website is www.katieprejeanmcgrady.com.
Mari Pablo, speaker
Pablo grew up in a devout, supportive, boisterous Hispanic family in South Florida. She graduated from Franciscan University with a double major in theology and psychology and also holds a master of theology from the Augustine Institute. She has worked in youth ministry for over 15 years, including being a youth minister in New Orleans and a high-school theology teacher in Miami. She is currently serving parishes and universities across the country with The Evangelical Catholic. Pablo is a presenter for Ascension Press in numerous projects including the YOU (Theology of the Body program for teens), The 99 (an evangelization mission series), Connected: Catholic Social Teaching for this Generation, Bible Timeline, Chosen (Confirmation) and Ascension Presents. Pablo is well known for her dynamic presentations at the annual Steubenville Youth Conferences, NCYC, NET, Life Teen events, FOCUS conference, diocesan events and more. Her website is maripablo.com.
Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, Sunday Mass Principal Celebrant and Homilist
The Most Rev. Edward B. Scharfenberger was appointed by Pope Francis the Bishop of Albany on Feb. 11, 2014. He is a native of Brooklyn, and was ordained a priest on July 2, 1973. He earned a licentiate in sacred theology from the Academy of St. Alphonsus in 1977, a licentiate in Canon Law from catholic university of America in 1980, a juris doctor of law degree from Fordham University in 1990, and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1991. In the Diocese of Brooklyn, among other assignments, he served as pastor and judicial vicar. He presently serves as a Consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews as well as on the following committees and councils of the USCCB: National Advisory Council, Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Administrative Committee, Committee on Priorities and Plans, and Subcommittee on the Church Africa.
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