Oct 21, 2026
by Bishop Andrew Cozzens
Diocese of Crookston
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress in 2024 will always be held in my heart as one of the great events of my life. Two Scripture passages kept coming to me in my prayer in the weeks and days before the Congress: “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy” (Ps 126:5) and God “is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20). Providentially, as I sat down to pray just before things began on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, both of those passages were part of Evening Prayer. God was not outdone in generosity and did more than I could have asked or imagined.
Even now as I travel or run into people who were at the Congress, I hear stories of how powerfully the Holy Spirit worked for that event. Two years ago, when more than 50,000 Catholics gathered in Indianapolis, many arrived wondering what God might do through such an extraordinary gathering. We left with a deep, conviction-filled realization that something far greater than a mere event had taken place.
That event was part of a journey. It was the Lord who led us to Indianapolis. It began as a humble conversation among bishops and leaders, responding to a study claiming the loss of Eucharistic faith in our country, and in the Lord’s plan it grew into a national movement of grace. I knew from the beginning that we were part of something the Lord was doing in our country, and that we needed to seek to be his docile instruments. I also sensed he wanted us to dream bigger than we had in the past. The bishops’ 3-year Eucharistic Revival has ended, but the journey the Lord has us on continues.
Across our nation, the fruits of that moment continue to blossom. We have seen vibrant renewals in Eucharistic Adoration and Confession, deeper reverence at Mass, newfound boldness among clergy in preaching the Real Presence, and an outpouring of life in parish evangelization. New adoration chapels are opening, local Eucharistic initiatives are thriving, record numbers of young adults are entering the Church through OCIA, and priestly and religious vocations are being born. Through our National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, we took Jesus into our streets, where thousands publicly witness to their faith. These are not mere statistics; they are visible proof that the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of his people.
After a long discernment and consultation process, and lots of planning work, it is with this profound gratitude that I am joyful to share that Indianapolis will once again host the National Eucharistic Congress in 2029!
Why return to Indianapolis? After the 2024 Congress, our team carefully evaluated options across the nation. Yet, Indianapolis stood out distinctly. The local Church and the city welcomed us with extraordinary hospitality and generosity. Catholics from around the country found it an excellent place to gather. Returning lets us build on the foundation already laid, exercising good stewardship of the resources and relationships established during our first gathering.
Most importantly, returning helps re-establish a vital rhythm for the American Church. Before 2024, our nation went more than 80 years without a National Eucharistic Congress. With the support of my brother bishops, we hope the Congress becomes a regular moment of revival every four years, that generations of American Catholics can look forward to, prepare for, and carry into the world.
We are not returning simply to repeat 2024, but to build upon what God has begun. This gathering will be different because we will be in a different moment in our country. We will be preparing to celebrate two important anniversaries: in 2031, the 500th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in 2033, the 2000th anniversary of the Redemption won for us by our Lord. We want to gather the Church in 2029 to worship the Lord and prepare the US Church for the extraordinary evangelistic moment these two anniversaries offer the world. Jesus Christ desires his world to return to his Father, we will gather and ask him to inspire and equip us for this mission.
Most of all, we will gather to worship him. Those of you who attended in 2024 know that a Congress is very different from a conference. A Congress is an act of worship—we encounter the living God in the Eucharist, where we surrender our lives more to him through repentance, and where we allow the Holy Spirit to empower us for his mission. The Lord has already shown us what happens when we place the Eucharist at the center and entrust the work to his hands. Let us continue on this journey to 2029 with expectant hearts, trusting that he who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.
When I reflect on 2024, the moment that remains burned in my heart is when the Blessed Sacrament entered Lucas Oil Stadium that opening night. We decided to give the first word to Jesus and to let this time be his. As Jesus passed through the crowd, tens of thousands of people, young and old, religious and laity, knelt and fixed their eyes entirely on the Eucharistic Lord. The silence was deafening. That is what the Eucharistic Congress is about: encountering the only One who can truly change us and our world and asking him to use us for that mission.
Do you want your life to be transformed? Do you want to know Jesus more deeply? Do you want to know the beauty and truth of Christ and his Church? Then I’ll see you in Indianapolis in 2029.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Blessed Fulton Sheen, and Saint Carlo Acutis, pray for us.
