In the Catholic Church, a Eucharistic congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Catholic doctrine. Congresses bring together people from a wide area, and typically involve large open-air Masses, Eucharistic adoration (Blessed Sacrament), and other devotional ceremonies held over several days. Congresses may both refer to National (varies by country) and International Eucharistic Congresses.
On 28November 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed Saint Paschal Baylón patron of Eucharistic Congresses and Associations.
History
In June of 1881, the first Eucharistic Congress was held at Lille, France.
The initial inspiration behind the idea came from the laywoman Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier (1834–1910). Tamisier had studied under Saint Peter Julian Eymard and Fr Antoine Chevrier, and she worked with Bishop Gaston de Ségur for ten years to create a large gathering for the Eucharist.
The congress was such a success that it was decided to make it an annual event. The second congress was held in Avignon in 1882, followed by events in Liège (1883), Fribourg (1885) and Toulouse (1886).
The sixth congress met in Paris in 1888, at the great memorial Church of the Sacred Heart on Montmartre.
Antwerp hosted the next congress in 1890, at which an immense altar of repose was erected in the Place de Meir, and an estimated 150,000 persons gathered around it when Cardinal Goossens, Archbishop of Mechelen, gave the solemn benediction. Bishop Doutreloux of Liège was then president of the Permanent Committee for the Organization of Eucharistic Congresses, the body which has charge of the details of these meetings.
Of special importance also was the eighth congress, held in Jerusalem in 1893, as it was the first congress held outside Europe; 1905 saw the first congress in Rome.
In 1907, the congress was held in Metz, Lorraine, and the German government suspended the law of 1870 (which forbade processions) in order that the usual solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament might be held. 1910 saw the first overseas congress, in Montreal.
Each year the congress had become more and more international in nature, and at the invitation of Archbishop Bourne of Westminster the nineteenth congress was held in London, the first among English-speaking members of the Church. The 1928 congress in Sydney saw the largest event in Australian history, with over 500,000 people attending the procession of the Blessed Sacrament.
Between 1881 and 2026, the Catholic Church has held 53 international Eucharistic Congresses.
Leadership and papers
The presidents of the Permanent Committee of the International Eucharistic Congresses, under whose direction all this progress was made, were: Bishop Gaston de Ségur of Lille; Archbishop de La Bouillerie, titular of Perga and coadjutor of Bordeaux; Archbishop Duquesnay of Cambrai; Cardinal Mermillod, Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland; Bishop Doutreloux of Liège, Belgium; Bishop Thomas Louis Heylen of Namur, Belgium. After each congress this committee prepared and published a volume giving a report of all the papers read and the discussions on them in the various sections of the meeting, the sermons preached, the addresses made at the public meetings, and the details of all that transpired.
List of International Congresses + International Eucharistic Congresses DateLocation Theme Notes 1st 1881 Jun Lille The Eucharist Saves the World 2nd 1882 Sep Avignon 3rd 1883 Jun Liège 4th 1885 Sep Fribourg 5th 1887 Jun Toulouse 6th 1888 Jul Paris 7th 1890 Aug Antwerp 8th 1893 May Jerusalem The Divine Mystery of the Eucharist First congress held outside Europe. Attended by hundreds of Latin Rite and Eastern Rite Patriarchs, bishops, priests, and faithful. 9th 1894 Jul Reims 10th 1897 Sep Paray-le-Monial 11th 1898 Jul Brussels 12th 1899 Aug Lourdes 13th 1901 Sep Angers 14th 1902 Sep Namur 15th 1904 Jun Angoulême 16th 1905 Jun Rome 17th 1906 Aug Tournai 18th 1907 Aug Metz 19th 1908 Sep London First Congress held in the English-speaking world. 20th 1909 Aug Cologne 21st 1910 Sep 7–11 Montreal First Congress held in North America or the Western Hemisphere. 22nd 1911 Jul Madrid 23rd 1912 Sep 12–15 Vienna 24th 1913 Apr 23–27 Malta 25th 1914 Jul 22–25 Lourdes The Eucharist and the Social Reign of Jesus Christ Cardinal G. Pignatelli of Belmonte was the papal legate. 26th 1922 May 24–29 Rome The Peaceful Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist Pope Pius XI officiated the Mass at the St. Peter's Square; first congress after World War I. 27th 1924 Jul 22–27 Amsterdam The Eucharist and Holland Cardinal Van Rossum was the papal legate. 28th 1926 Jun 20–24 Chicago First congress in the United States. Papal legate: Cardinal Bonzano. Hosted by Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago. Est worshippers: 500,000 at Soldier Field mass, 1 million at St. Mary of the Lake closing mass. 29th 1928 Sep 6–9 Sydney First congress in Australia. The procession of the Eucharist, headed by the papal legate Cardinal Cerretti, was witnessed by 500,000. 30th 1930 May 7–11 Carthage The Eucharist is Africa's testimony First congress held in Africa. 31st 1932 Jun 22–26 Dublin The Propagation of the Sainted Eucharist by Irish Missionaries 1500th anniversary of Saint Patrick's arrival in Ireland. Catholic population of Ireland in 1932 was 3 million. 32nd 1934 Oct 10–14 Buenos Aires First congress in South America. Papal legate Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII). Over one million people around Tres de Febrero Park heard a radio broadcast from the pope in Vatican City. Cardinal Pacelli celebrated High Mass and pronounced apostolic blessing on participants. 33rd 1937 Feb 3–7 Manila Jesus in the Eucharist, Bread of Angels, Bread of Life First congress in the Far East and in the Philippines. Attended by 1.5 million from around the world. Pontifical Masses in Rizal Park, with hundreds of thousands at each. 34th 1938 May 25–30 Budapest Eucharist, the Bond of Love Papal legate Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII). Over 100,000 people from all over the world, including 15 cardinals and 330 bishops. 35th 1952 - Barcelona Peace First congress since the end of World War II. Attended by hundreds of bishops and church officials, including Cardinal Spellman of New York, and Cardinal Stritch of Chicago. The Cold War limited attendance from communist eastern European countries. 36th 1955 Jul 17–24 Rio de Janeiro Christ the Redeemer and His Eucharistic Kingdom 37th 1960 – Munich City chosen by Pope Pius XII, who had been papal nuncio there. Attended by 430 bishops and 28 cardinals, including Cardinal Spellman of New York, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, and Cardinal Meyer of Chicago. Laid a foundation stone for a "church of atonement" near Dachau concentration camp. Closing Statio Orbis Mass celebrated on Theresienwiese Square. 38th 1964 Nov 12–15 Bombay First congress in a country without a significant Christian population, aiming to disseminate the doctrine of the "real presence of Christ in the Eucharist." Attended by Pope Paul VI, many cardinals, and 20,000 foreign visitors. 39th 1968 Aug 18–25 Bogotá The Eucharist as the Bond of LoveBogotá was chosen personally by Pope Paul VI to host the 39th International Eucharistic Congress, following his visit to the Colombian capital. This was the third Congress ever held in a Spanish speaking country, and the first Congress held in Colombia. The Eucharistic Congress was attended by bishops, archbishops, cardinals, clergy members, and faithful from all over Latin America and the World, including the Archpishop of Bogota Luis Concha Cordoba, the Colombian Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, Pope Paul VI, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Juan Carlos Aramburu, the Archbishop of Paris François Marty, Archbishop Carroll of Miami, and Archbishop Dearden of Detroit (USA). The Congress was focused on the renovation of the Catholic Church worldwide, but particularly that of Colombia, which was a country seeing great economic and social prosperity due to its economic boom in the mid 20th century. Colombia was a country that demonstrated the great social and economic changes to global societies, as Colombia strived industrialized and modern society, and it was with this in mind, that it was chosen to be the seat of the 1968 International Eucharistic Congress. 40th 1973 Feb 18–25 Melbourne "Love one another as I have loved you!" Jn 15,17 41st 1976 Aug 1–8 Philadelphia Hungers of the Human Family Attended by 1,500,000 people, including 44 Cardinals and 417 bishops. Catholic Historical Research Center website, John DeMayo and Joseph Casino, The Forty-First Interional Eucharistic Congress, August 1–8, 1976: A History, (Pennsauken: DeVilieger, 1978) 6, 144; MC 80, 100.611: Committee on Special Guests: Final Report to the Board of Governors, August 16, 1967 Theme: "The Eucharist and the Hungers of the Human Family" (physical and spiritual hungers). Catholic Historical Research Center website, Letter to James Cardinal Knox from John Cardinal Krol, March 7, 1975, ref MC 80, 100.2792 Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day were panelists at a conference on Women and the Eucharist. Catholic Historical Research Center website, Letter to Cardinal Krol from Dorothy Day January 29, 1976, ref MC 80, 100.1548 Future Pope John Paul II gave the homily for Freedom and Justice.MC 80, 100.1755S7.1: Karol Cardinal Wojtyla Homily