Bishop Jugis calls faithful to unity in the Real Presence

Devotion to the Eucharist

Bishop Peter Jugis leads the Eucharistic Procession through the streets of uptown Charlotte at the diocese’s “family reunion,” the Eucharistic Congress. The Eucharistic Congress attracts more than 10,000 people each fall for prayer, worship and fellowship. Its companion youth event, the Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage held each spring, attracts more than 1,000 young people. (File | Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — Before 2005, a Eucharistic Procession had never made its way through the streets of uptown Charlotte.

That changed, thanks to the vision of Bishop Peter Jugis, who was inspired by then-Pope John Paul II’s announcement of the “Year of the Eucharist” in 2004. Taking the words to heart of the now saint who had ordained him two decades before, plans were set to hold the Diocese of Charlotte’s first Eucharistic Congress in September 2005.

That first Congress drew approximately 7,000 people and became an annual event that has grown into one of the largest of its kind in the nation, regularly drawing 10,000 Catholics or more from across the diocese and neighboring states. The faithful gather for two days of worship, prayer and fellowship, line the downtown streets and watch joyfully and prayerfully from the sidewalks as the event’s signature mile-long Eucharistic Procession makes its way from St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center.

The bishop wanted an event that would both strengthen people’s faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and unite Catholics from around the 46 counties in the diocese, said Father Roger Arnsparger, vicar of education and pastor of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, who helped organize the inaugural event in 2005, and has served as chair of the Eucharistic Congress steering committee since then.

“Bishop Jugis’ idea of a diocesan family gathering centered on the Eucharist has united our people and strengthened our understanding of the Eucharistic mysteries,” Father Arnsparger said. “God has been praised and we all have been blessed.”

That vision has been more than fulfilled as the Congress has grown in attendance over the past 19 years: from 7,000 attendees in its first year, and the largest crowd recorded in 2015, when keynote speaker Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York drew more than 14,000 people.

“Over the years it has been a real joy to participate in the Congress and watch the reunions of parishioners from all over the diocese and the visitors from other dioceses,” Father Arnsparger said.

Christopher Beal, director of faith formation for the diocese, agrees, recalling first attending the Congress when he was a youth minister at Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury and now helps to organize the event each year.

“It is especially profound to see the young people participate in the procession and the youth track at the Congress because it is so important for them to see the community they belong to,” Beal said. “It helps to solidify who they are as Catholics.”

Mary Catherine Surface, a member of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, first attended the Congress in 2007 as a volunteer with the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group and has handled volunteer recruitment for the event for more than 10 years. She recalls her amazement at seeing so many Catholics gathered in one place, a truly rare event in western North Carolina – and much of the Southeast – where Catholics have been in the minority for generations.

“The Congress has borne great fruit for our diocese, which you can see through its growth and the explosion of vocations over the years since it started,” Surface said. “I really believe that is due in large part to Bishop Jugis’ love for the Eucharist and his beautiful, prayerful spirit. His commitment to the Eucharist has enabled him to spread that devotion far and wide.”

— Christina Lee Knauss

Show of faith

Started in 2005
Our diocese’s response to the Church’s “Year of the Eucharist” called for by Pope John Paul II
One of the few such events held annually, and one of the largest in the U.S.
Draws 10,000-plus people to Charlotte each fall from across the diocese and beyond
Nearly a mile-long Eucharistic Procession through uptown Charlotte that takes over an hour to complete
Celebration of Catholic unity and diversity

More online

Read about the Eucharistic Congress, see photos and videos in our special section

In their words:

‘God has been praised’

Bishop Jugis’s idea of a diocesan family gathering centered on the Eucharist has united our people and strengthened our understanding of the Eucharistic mysteries. God has been praised and we all have been blessed.

— Father Roger Arnsparger, chairman of the Eucharistic Congress committee and vicar of education for catechetical formation for the Diocese of Charlotte

A part of his flock

I come to the Eucharistic Congress every year because I have such a devotion to the Eucharist. I developed it when I used to do a middle of the night shift of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. During that time, I shared my faith with people who wandered into the chapel in the middle of the night. Through that time I fell so in love with Jesus in the Eucharist. It’s the summit of my life and my everything. The speakers at the Congress this year are all so wonderful and have had a personal impact me. You can see the love of Christ through them. I am so thankful to Bishop Jugis for this gift of the Congress. I love being part of His flock here in western North Carolina.
— Barbara Freeman, member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa

'‘The source and summit’

The Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life and the key to evangelization. It took an incredible vision from Bishop Jugis to put such an emphasis on the beautiful witness of evangelization and to make the Blessed Sacrament a key focal point for the people of North Carolina. Just the sheer sight of 10,000 people in the streets of downtown Charlotte is a source of profound awe for people who view it, whether they are Catholics or not.

— Christopher Beal, director of faith formation for the Diocese of Charlotte

‘Blessed us with his leadership’

This is my 10th time attending the Congress. I love coming to it because for me it is a gathering of all of us, children of God coming together to honor Him and be with Him. I am grateful to Bishop Jugis for creating the Congress. He has blessed us with his leadership. Activities like the Congress help us to walk in the faith. It promotes a sense of unity and belonging, and makes me realize I need to constantly try to give back to my Church. I do that currently as a catechist at my parish, and my husband and 16-year-old daughter are catechists as well. I realize that we can always do more to promote the faith.

— Graciela Lopez, member of St. Michael Parish in Gastonia

A treasure in the Congress

My first visit to the Eucharistic Congress has been a wonderful and enlightening experience. For me, it’s a chance to deepen my faith in Jesus’ Presence in the Eucharist and His place as the center of everything we do. The realization of how important the Eucharist has been the biggest part of this for me. Bishop Jugis, you have given us a treasure through this Congress.

— Vivian Wakefield, member of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville

A Church on the right path

It’s a great experience to be at the Congress surrounded by our Catholic family of all difference backgrounds and nationalities. I especially looked forward to the Mass that is the culmination of the gathering. I’m so grateful to Bishop Jugis for starting it and for his leadership. His leadership has been a quiet and persistent leadership, and he is actually the reason my husband and I are living here. We came here because we were looking for a location where the Church is on the right path, and we came here in 2006 when we learned what Bishop Jugis was doing. This is a diocese with a bishop who is not afraid to speak the truth.

— Frances Liberto, member of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville