By AC Wimmer
Sydney, Australia, Jul 23, 2024 / 09:27 am
As the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis drew to a close, an Australian bishop praised the event as a model for revitalizing the Catholic faith across the world and expressed hope that it could inspire similar revivals worldwide.
Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of Sydney, who attended the congress as an international observer, said that the U.S. gathering had generated a lot of interest in Australia, according to the Australian Catholic Weekly.
“We are very interested in learning all the aspects of the journey to this national congress,” Umbers said.
“We’ve been following this revival, and it has captured our imagination.”
The bishop noted that the congress, which drew over 50,000 participants from all 50 states and 17 countries, demonstrated the power of Eucharistic devotion to unite and energize the faithful.
“It has been an amazing experience that we can all gather so many people,” Umbers said. “We talk about Real Presence, but for that we need to be present, and present in the liturgy.”
U.S. support for Eucharistic congress in Australia
Umbers said Australia is closely studying the U.S. Eucharistic revival with a specific purpose, too: Catholics in the Land Down Under hope to host the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney — with American support — in the year 2028.
This September, the 53-year-old prelate plans to travel to South America for the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador.
“I will be going to Quito and I will be taking a group of people with me,” the bishop said. “We will have an observation team and a pilgrimage to see where we can learn because we love holding events such as these in Australia.”
Umbers explained that following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s Plenary Council voted to pursue hosting an International Eucharistic Congress to help reinvigorate Catholic life and bring people back to Mass.
“COVID had hit us hard, we really need to revitalize ourselves in appreciation of the work of the Lord and worship together,” he said.
The bishop also addressed growing challenges to religious freedom in the U.S. and Australia, suggesting these pressures may fuel a resurgence in public expressions of faith.
“The Catholic Church in Australia is the largest nongovernment provider of education, health care, and social services and we are increasingly noticing a squeeze on being able to operate according to our faith,” Umbers said.
“Even culturally with the intellectual battles taking place, identifying yourself as a Christian or a Catholic in everyday life is to take it on the chin. This is one reason why more Catholics are going out on the street and saying we believe in Jesus.”
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American ‘blueprint’ for universal Church
As the 10th National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday in Indianapolis, Umbers expressed hope that the congress’ fruits would spread far beyond American shores.
“The world is so connected. The kinds of challenges you’re facing here in the United States are very similar to the ones we are facing in Australia,” he said.
“We’re looking to the U.S. experience as a blueprint for how the universal Church can be renewed through greater devotion to Christ in the Eucharist.”
AC Wimmer is founding Editor-in-Chief of CNA Deutsch. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, held senior roles at Australia’s SBS and served as editor-in-chief of the historic Münchner Kirchenzeitung. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, Anian Christoph Wimmer — Chinese name 刘威猛 — sat on the jury of the Media Award of the German Bishops’ Conference, is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at the University of Melbourne and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.
