Hearts prepped for National Eucharistic Congress

Individuals, families and groups from the archdiocese have been preparing their hearts for a once-in-a-lifetime event: the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on July 17-21.

An estimated 200 to 250 people from the archdiocese will be participating.

In preparation for the Congress, an Omaha family is following the trail of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage route, which started in California, crossed through the archdiocese, and will converge with other routes in Indianapolis.

Others from the archdiocese, members of a Columbus high school group, heard personal testimonies of how the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament has changed lives.

TAKING THE PILGRIM ROUTE

Alex and Hilary Engelkamp, members of St. Philip Neri-Blessed Sacrament Parish in Omaha, set out from Omaha on July 13 – with their five children ages 1½ to 9 – trailing behind the Junipero Serra Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which included several holy and historic sites in the archdiocese.

The Engelkamp family trail behind the Junipero Serra Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on their way to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Pictured are dad, Alex, and two of his sons at a stop along the way. COURTESY PHOTO

Hilary Englelkamp and her sons are pictured at a stop on their way to the National Eucharistic Congress. COURTESY PHOTO

On Monday morning they were en route to the congress and stopped at a coffee shop in Missouri between Kansas City and St. Louis, where Alex talked by phone about their plans.

The extended pilgrimage route has its advantages with its extra stops, he said. “We were like, OK, we could see some friends and we could not spend 10 hours in a car in one day.”

He said he’s long been drawn by the notion that Christians are on a lifelong pilgrimage toward Heaven.

“I’ve always loved journeys and pilgrimages and stories about journeys,” Engelkamp said. “I’m trying to get my kids into that. So we’re giving them this opportunity to see this journey as just one piece of their bigger, broader journey toward Heaven.

“We’re trying to incorporate a lot of fun and family and relationships along the way,” he said, “but ultimately centering it on the Sacraments and on the Eucharist in particular.”

THREE WITNESSES

A group from Scotus Central Catholic High School in Columbus traveled to Omaha on July 14 for Sunday evening Eucharistic adoration and to hear how Jesus, in His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, changed the lives of three individuals.

Nate Tenopir, assistant campus minister at the school, organized the Sunday gathering and the trip to the National Eucharistic Congress for the high schoolers and their adult chaperones.

More than 20 people form the group that will travel together by private vehicles for the trip to Indianapolis. They plan to leave early on the first day of the Congress.

Just a few weeks ago, Tenopir had met Robbie Miller, Bob Thomsen and Matt Wise at a Christians Encounter Christ retreat in Omaha and was moved by how the Blessed Sacrament had impacted their lives.

So Tenopir invited the three to share their testimonies with members of his high school group.

Miller, a member of St. Philip Neri-Blessed Sacrament Parish and a convert to the Catholic faith, said he longed to receive Jesus in Holy Communion as he awaited full entry into the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA, now called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults or OCIA).

“It was a long way from September all the way to April when I was able to receive (Holy Communion),” said Miller, who became a Catholic several years ago.

Robbie Miller gives his testimony at St. Philip Neri Church in Omaha. NATE TENOPIR

When he finally received his First Holy Communion, he said he found light and clarity after enduring much darkness in his life, including trying to take his own life as a young teen.

Miller discovered that the Catholic Church has “the fullness of Christ” in the Eucharist.

“Believe in Jesus, right here,” he urged those in attendance, acknowledging the Sacred Host exposed in a monstrance nearby.

REVERENCE AND JOY

Tenopir said he had noticed Thomsen’s joy when he received Holy Communion.

Thomsen said that joy has developed because of years of learning to stay focused and reverent at Mass, holding his hands together in prayer, bowing his head and keeping his eyes closed to block out distractions or by keeping his eyes focused on the Crucifix.

After Communion, on his knees, “I always say ‘I love You, Lord. I love You.’

Bob Thomsen shares his love of the Eucharistic Lord. NATE TENOPIR

The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – is the very definition of grace, said Thomsen, a member of St. James Parish in Omaha.

Wise, a member of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Omaha, said two years ago, he and wife became acutely aware of how much they needed the Eucharist. They were watching “The Passion of the Christ” during Lent. The film, which depicts Jesus’ suffering and death, kept flashing back to the Last Supper. While watching, Wise said, he became aware that he felt uneasy and anxious during those scenes.

He hit the pause button on the film and learned that his wife was feeling the same way.

Both had been previously married and were in the process of annulments, but they decided at that moment to be more urgent about the process.

“It was the Holy Spirit talking to us,” Wise said. They knew that because of their marital status they could not receive Holy Communion and were “missing the most important aspect of the faith.”

Matt Wise shares how he grew in appreciation for the Eucharist. NATE TENOPIR

Now, “every time I receive Communion it’s special,” he told those gathered at St. Philip Neri. “I don’t take it for granted.”

He has a holy hour of adoration three times a week. “It’s absolutely changed my life,” Wise said.

“If you get the chance to go to adoration, go,” he advised the gathering. “It will change your life.”

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