It wasn’t the trip George Gomez was expecting.
The 23-year-old seminarian for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had been to big Catholic gatherings like World Youth Day in the past. But a 2,000 mile cross-country drive to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis wasn’t exactly his idea of a dream summer vacation.
“I thought I was going to be dreading a long trip with a bunch of guys stuck in one car,” admitted Gomez, originally from Our Lady of Peace Church in North Hills.
But as the three vans carrying 15 seminarians and young “discerners” from LA headed east, they stopped at some “Catholic hot spots” along the way, including the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, the Loretto Chapel Miraculous Staircase and Sanctuary of Chimayo (both in Santa Fe), and Benedictine College in Kansas.
Gomez’s favorite was the newly built Blessed Stanley Rother shrine in Oklahoma City, where the group celebrated Mass and listened to stories about the missionary priest martyred in Guatemala in 1981 during the country’s civil war.
The men on the road trip organized by the archdiocese’s Office of Vocations were some of the more than 200 LA Catholics who made the pilgrimage to the Congress July 17-21. Some came in parish groups, others in trips organized by the archdiocese or Catholic apostolates. All seemed caught off guard by the same thing upon arriving in downtown Indianapolis.
The people. So many people.
“We heard the numbers prior, that they were going to fill a stadium of 50,000 pilgrims. But actually seeing it come to fruition — that’s what struck me the most,” said Elsie Garcia from St. John Chrysostom in Inglewood.
Garcia came with her friend and fellow catechist at St. John Chrysostom, Denise Gomez (no relation to George) with a group organized by Relevant Radio. But to get there, she had to overcome one small obstacle.
“I am fearful of flying,” Garcia told Angelus as she left a July 20 Saturday morning Mass celebrated in Spanish by Archbishop José H. Gomez (no relation to George or Denise). “So I had to put that in the hands of God and say, ‘Jesus, I trust in you to get me to Indianapolis so I can worship you.’ ”
Sandra Solis’ first order of business at the Congress was going to confession. Fortunately, the sacrament seemed to be available at every turn inside the Indiana Convention Center, with priests stationed in designated confession areas around the clock. "It was so beautiful,” she said afterwards.
One of 10 parishioners from St. Barnabas in Long Beach who came to Indianapolis with pastor Father Antony Gaspar, Solis said she was drawn to the Congress by her personal experience with the sacraments of confession and Eucharist. For years, she recalled, she went to Mass without receiving Communion.
“I hadn’t gone to confession and I didn’t want to be a hypocrite,” explained Solis.
Today, she’s the coordinator of religious education at St. Barnabas, moved by the joy she sees in the children she prepares to receive their First Communion.
“I will never be separated again [from the Eucharist] until God takes me,” she said.
During sessions at Lucas Oil Stadium and the convention center, speakers invited participants to reflect on their relationship with the sacrament. LA Auxiliary Bishop Albert Bahhuth recalled the role the Eucharist played in his return to Catholicism as a young immigrant.
“I didn't do anything special or different during this time, the only thing is I began to go to Mass more often and obviously the more I went to Mass, I received the Eucharist,” said Bahhuth. “I really feel that Christ transformed me from being a person of the world to becoming someone who was willing to entrust my life, to surrender my life to the Lord and say ‘yes’ to his will for me.”
For Bahhuth’s fellow LA auxiliary, Bishop Matthew Elshoff, the sight of so many young families was a catechesis in itself.
“It’s very humbling to be here knowing the sacrifices that people have made,” said Elshoff. “And I ask myself: what sacrifice did I make to come here? The level of sacrifice on my part is nowhere near what others have done.”
Michael Ramirez from St. Anthony of Padua in Gardena came to Indianapolis in need of a “personal revival,” still processing grief from the death of Bishop David O’Connell last year, while looking to restore some prayer habits and find direction for his next steps in life.
“I feel like the Lord is giving me an opportunity to reevaluate my life,” said Ramirez, 36. “So I’m asking him to speak into all of that, give me a fresh direction so I can go with full strength in the direction that he wants me to go.”
Perhaps the clearest challenge that emerged in the sessions and conversations at the Congress was how to bring lapsed Catholics back to practicing the faith, especially as Mass attendance in most parts of the country struggles to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Inside the convention center’s exhibit hall, the Back to Mass booth offered visitors some practical tools to take the first step, including a bilingual “back to Mass kit” with an invitation card, a bracelet from My Saint My Hero, and stickers and buttons pointing to a search engine for nationwide Mass times powered by eCatholic.
The campaign, launched by the archdiocese’s Digital Team two years ago in LA, distributed more than 5,000 kits in Indianapolis.
Archbishop Gomez addressed the same need in his homily during a July 19 Mass for LA Catholics at the Congress.
“We cannot approach the altar without wanting to bring others with us,” said Archbishop Gomez at the liturgy celebrated at Indianapolis’ Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral. “We need to help our neighbors to see that the love they are looking for is true and real, that he is already here, that he has a name, Jesus Christ!”
Among those at the Mass were Derald and Evelia Burnett from St. Mary of the Assumption in Whittier. Both had been looking forward to the Congress for months.
“It’s been so refreshing, renewing, uplifting,” said Derald. “So happy we came, and we’d do it all again.”
Derald came from a non-denominational background before falling in love with Evelia and eventually, with the Catholic faith she introduced him to. The couple hope the event’s energy can help counter a perceived decline in belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
“It’s exciting to be a part of something that is hopefully a turning point in our Church,” said Evelia. “I feel it, I feel like it’s on the brink.”
