TRIP TO THE CONGRESS

A look inside a day at the Eucharistic Congress in Auriesville

The Monstrance is carried under a canopy as clergy and parishioners take part in the Eucharistic Procession during the Eucharistic Congress on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, N.Y. Cindy Schultz for The Evangelist (Courtesy photo of Cindy Schultz)

At 9 a.m., notebook in hand and morning fog floating across the dewy grass, I started my pilgrimage toward the destination that so many other Catholics would be heading today: the coffee station.

There is no gathering without the fuel of caffeine and Catholics make no exception. Families mill around the white snack tent, some carrying backpacks of gear, others discussing the day ahead. Only once the vital drink is secured, then the fun begins.

Over 11,000 attendees came together for the New York State Eucharistic Congress, held inside the grounds of the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville from Oct. 20-22. The three-day celebration and statewide gathering called Catholics to come together and celebrate the power of the Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ. The event was organized by the eight Catholic dioceses in New York and served as part of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic bishops.

“The Eucharistic Revival must be all about that encounter with Jesus,” Bishop Terry R. LaValley of the Diocese of Ogdensburg said during his homily Oct. 21. “An encounter with love that is Christ led and Christ fed.”

“When we’re at Mass we’re close to Jesus, as close as we can be this side of paradise,” said Cardinal Timothy N. Dolan in a video message to the Eucharistic Congress. “We’re close to our families and friends. We’re close to those who’ve gone before us, we’re close to the communion of saints, and so I thank God we have this opportunity to be united with you in prayer at this moment of Eucharistic Revival.”

I’ve been to music festivals before and walking around the grounds of the shrine felt oddly similar to visiting a field concert. Groups of friends and families could be seen exploring the grounds. Some milled around the various statues and stations, kicking through damp brown and red leaves that slicked the ground’s rocky pathways. Others visited the various chapels and prayer spots, many dotted with colorful mums that almost called guests to come and pray with them. And many were happy to sit inside the main shrine space and listen to keynote speakers or musical performances throughout the day.

And while the overcast sky kept the sun at bay on Saturday, it also held off the rain until the afternoon. But none of it deterred the pilgrims from coming.

Phil Castanares, 27, a parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Watervliet, felt called to the Congress in hopes of finding a place centered around Jesus.

“When I was still in college I was challenging my faith,” Castanares said. He recalled the 2019 Pew Research study that revealed how only a third of Catholics believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The gathering felt like a chance to learn more about the Eucharist and its impact.

“I thought maybe this was a good opportunity to see what all (these) things are about,” he said.

Sarah Keane, 23, came to the Congress with her Catholic ministry group from Columbia University. In her third year at the school, Keane said she didn’t practice much when she first went off to school but now wants to learn more about her faith.

“When I came back to college, I wanted to try and get back into religion,” she said.

Keane’s mom grew up in Ireland and joined the sisterhood before moving to the United States. After moving, she met her now husband and felt she was being called to family life. “They practice a lot,” Keane said. “I always grew up going to church and being an altar server and I was involved in high school. I am Catholic, and maybe even if I don’t believe in a rigid structure, I want to believe in something greater than myself, and so I am trying to just show up and listen.”

Michele Romano and her son, Frederick, 13, came up from St. Joseph’s Church in Millbrook. Michele was hoping to find “peace, tranquility and forgiveness,” while Frederick also had a mission for their trip: to get his cross blessed and attend confession.

“I really need to go,” he laughed.

“Especially now with what’s happening in the world, people need to be reminded … that you can see Jesus fully in the Eucharist,” Castanares added. “Maybe the world can be a better place if (people) see that, in the Catholic Church, there is a way to see God physically, not just spiritually.”