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52nd International Eucharistic Congress Budapest, Hungary Scott 1777-1778 (2021) In 2024, two Eucharistic Congresses will convene which will impact Catholics in the United States and around the world. In July, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress will meet in Indianapolis, Indiana. Two months later, the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress will occur in Quinto, Ecuador. At the top of this article are images of the stamps issued for the most recent International Eucharistic Congress, held in Budapest, Hungary, in 2021. Catholic Eucharistic Congresses, on an international level, date back to 1881, when the first such gathering occurred in Lille, France. The idea for the event came from French Bishop Gaston de Ségur, although the initial inspiration came from a French laywoman, Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier. Since that first meeting, the Congresses have met fairly regularly and now are scheduled to take place once every four years. Since the 38th International Eucharistic Congress, held in 1964 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, every International Congress has been represented on stamps issued by Vatican City. A comprehensive review of stamps of these Congresses was presented by James Hamilton in an article appearing in Vatican Notes in 2012. That article can be accessed by clicking on the link in the References below, and it provides both historical and philatelic information on all the Congresses held from 1964 to 2008. There have been nine previous National Congresses and two International Congresses held in the United States: 1895: Washington 1901: St. Louis 1904: New York 1907: Pittsburgh 1911: Cincinnati 1926: Chicago (28th International Eucharistic Congress) 1930: Omaha 1935: Cleveland 1938: New Orleans 1941: Minneapolis-St. Paul 1976: Philadelphia (41st International Eucharistic Congress) The upcoming National Eucharistic Congress will represent the twelfth to be held on American soil, and the first National Congress in 83 years. In preparation for the Congress in Indianapolis next year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) initiated a three-year National Eucharistic Revival entitled My Flesh for the Life of the World. Launched on June 19, 2022 (on the Feast of Corpus Christi), the revival is intended to engage Catholics across the country: to become part of a national movement to ‘renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist’. The link below to the May, 2022 USCCB Newsletter provides detail into the history of the National Congresses and the goals of the upcoming celebration in Indianapolis. The patron saint for the first year of the National Eucharistic Revival is Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is the first person from the 'millennial generation' to be beatified. During his short life (he died in 2006 at age 15), he worked to spread devotion to the Eucharist through technology by documenting miracles dedicated to the Eucharist from around the world. Blessed Carlo Acutis was discussed in a Daily Email, along with Saint Dominic Savio, on May 6. REFERENCES: Wikipedia.com, Eucharistic Congress James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Volume 60, Issue 352, pp. 25-33, 2012, International Eucharistic Congress Philately The Catholic TV Monthly, August, 2023, pages 6-9, U.S Bishops Launch Eucharistic Revival: My Flesh for the Life of the World United States Conference of Bishops Newsletter, May, 2022, National Eucharistic Congresses: Character and History National Eucharistic Congress Website, www.eucharisticrevivalindy.org, History of National and International Eucharistic Congresses Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search |
