LOCAL NEWS

INDIANAPOLIS - - A five-day, epic gathering of Catholics at the National Eucharistic Congress ended July 21, but the mission continues. “Let us go and proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world!” Cardinal Luis Tagle, the papal envoy, told the 60,000 people from across the U.S. packed into Lucas Oil Stadium for the closing Mass. “Go and share Jesus’ tender love with the weary, the hungry and the suffering,” Cardinal Tagle told the crowd.

They came in droves from across the U.S. for five days packed with inspiration, and on day four of the National Eucharistic Congress, Catholics took to the streets for a colorful eucharistic procession that stretched more than a mile. Pilgrims lined the streets as hundreds of religious sisters, priests, deacons and seminarians marched past. Wave upon wave of youthful seminarians in white surplices poured by onlookers.

There’s a lot to see here at the National Eucharistic Congress, so I thought I’d take a break from the usual reporting and provide a taste of what it’s been like through this pilgrim’s eyes. Between liturgies, speakers, exhibits, breakout sessions, small-group discussions and working your way through massive crowds, to say it’s been busy would be an understatement. Actually, it’s been exhilarating. I shouldn’t be able to function on this little sleep and basically a steady diet of turkey sandwiches and chips. A heady combination of adrenaline and grace are driving me, that’s for sure.

The first full day of the National Eucharistic Congress saw participants pouring into the Indianapolis Convention Center for morning and afternoon sessions on evangelization, a biblical walk through the Mass and answering Fundamentalist objections to the Eucharist by well-known apologist Trent Horn. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, spoke to several thousand attendees about the early Church Fathers and their devotion to the Eucharist. He highlighted Ignatius of Antioch who was condemned to death and taken to Rome to be thrown as food to wild beasts for his faith in Christ.

In early June, the Legacy Foundation Christine Stamper Center for Help & Hope, a Catholic Charities operated shelter that provides emergency housing for families, individuals and veterans in Bullhead City, Ariz., welcomed six young Diocese of Phoenix seminarians for a three-week poverty immersion experience. The young men arrived eager and ready to live among and walk in the footsteps of some of Bullhead City’s most vulnerable community members. Each seminarian was allowed limited resources: $50 to last the entire three weeks, a backpack with clothes and a cell phone. No other electronic devices were permitted during this experience.

A crowd of pilgrims from across Arizona, including priests, religious sisters and laity, packed into Sky Harbor Airport early Wednesday morning to head to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. The mood was festive as the gates filled up with travelers bound for the Midwest city known as The Crossroads of America.

“I just want you to know we are here, and you are always welcome.” These were the words of Fr. Matt Lowry, parochial administrator and 16-year pastor of Northern Arizona University’s Holy Trinity Newman Center in Flagstaff, Ariz. He was speaking to a freshman who was walking by the Catholic Newman Center table at a college fair for new students. Fr. Lowry didn’t say these words because the young woman seemed interested in the ministry and couldn’t wait to get involved – quite the opposite. 

Home is often defined as a physical structure or dwelling place, but in the Diocese of Phoenix, the word home means so much more. It calls to mind a sense of accompaniment and belonging — it’s a space where we are seen, formed and intentionally fostered in our individual gifts and stories. It’s also the place of our roots, as well as the place we can always come back to, a place of comfort, stability and security because it is at home that we are fully known and loved. This sense of home is deeply integrated into every aspect of Nazareth Seminary, the first fully local seminary formation program in the Diocese of Phoenix.

Seton College Preparatory named Ian Rodgers as the school’s new head softball coach, replacing Arizona High School Hall of Famer Jerry Mullin, who retired in May. Rogers will begin his role for the Chandler, Ariz., based high school for the 2024-25 school year. “We couldn’t be more happy to have Coach Rodgers as part of our program here at Seton Catholic,” Athletic Director Jim Shewbridge said. “He has been a part of building strong club programs here in the East Valley and, most importantly, is a man of integrity that plans on building upon the legacy that is Seton Catholic Softball.”

For the second consecutive year, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix received high honors from their employees, being named one of the “2024 Top Workplaces,” according to a special report in The Arizona Republic newspaper this past Sunday. The result of an employee survey given to over 5,300 organizations across Arizona, the Diocese of Phoenix ranked 22nd in the “Large Companies” category. “This is as much a reflection of our culture across our parishes, schools, missions, seminary and pastoral center, as it is about the people with Christ being in the center,” said Bishop John Dolan, the fifth bishop in the 54-year history of the diocese. “We are honored to receive this accolade and I thank the people who are devoted to work for the common goal of the mission.”