Something not seen in 83 years will soon take place Indianoplis, after first passing through the Diocese of La Crosse.
Starting at the headwaters of the Mississippi, an event known as a Eucharistic Pilgrimage will pass through the area from June 7 to June 12, crossing into Wisconsin at LaCrosse and stopping at Abbotsford June 11 before going on to end at a Eucharistic Congress held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The gathering is being organized a following a Pew Research study several years back suggesting large numbers of self-identified Catholics did not understand or else believe official church teaching on the Eucharist, prompting concern from church leaders.
Official Catholic teaching makes a direct and complete identification between the elements of bread and wine, once consecrated, with Jesus Christ.
Put simply, the consecrated Host is Jesus, a belief known as transubstantiation. The Eucharistic Pilgrimage to pass through the area June 7 to 12 seeks to reawaken Catholic awareness of this.
Readers can find out more at www.eucharisticcongress.org, many parishes also organizing trips to Indiana.