By the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
We started the day with a beautiful Mass celebrated by the Pastor of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral Church. He gave a beautiful homily inviting us to recall the graces from the World Youth Day in Denver. New and powerful graces are about to be poured out on our country through this historic National Eucharistic Congress!
After Mass, Eucharistic Adoration was officially inaugurated for the duration of the National Eucharistic Congress. The Blessed Sacrament will remain exposed, and St John’s will serve as the Adoration Chapel throughout the rest of the Congress. It was full ALL day! At 11:30 am we all returned to the Chapel for an hour of adoration, interceding for the bishops as they met to discuss how to correspond with the Holy Spirit to continue this Revival beyond the Congress.
It’s such a joy to see our friends and meet new ones. Attendees were in line all day just to register. There were about 50,000 people who arrived today.
After dinner, the day culminated with the opening session of the Congress in Lucas Oil Stadium. The program started with the pilgrimage group from each route- Diego, Seton, Serra, and Marian- they processed in with an image of their patron saints. Bishop Cozzens processed in with JESUS and all 50,000 pilgrims dropped to their knees to fill the stadium and our country with praise! Bishop Cozzens then led us all in a beautiful prayer for the healing and unity of our nation and our world, a message that was lovingly reinforced through the endearing and gentle words of our papal nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre. The hosts of the Congress, Sister Miriam James, Fr. Josh Johnson, and Montse Alvarado, introduced Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
A few noted words: “We will know this is a true Eucharistic Revival when we experience true unity…Accompany people in their wounds to help them experience God’s love in the Eucharist…Adoration is a relationship…Live the Eucharistic Revival by reverencing others.”
God reward you dear Sisters!