Much has been said about the 10th National Eucharistic Conference that was held in Indianapolis, IN, on July 17-21, 2024, whether it was before the event or immediately following the event. There have been many critiques and praises that have been dished out both in person and online. As an attendee of this event, I have taken some time to reflect on my personal experience.
My perspective for the 10th NEC was different than most of the approximately 60,000 who attended. First, I did not pay for the event, as my company Decided Excellence Catholic Media sponsored the trip for me (of which I am ever grateful). Second, going into the event I was certainly open to the will of God and the graces given to me in the Eucharist, but there was a business or work aspect to going on this revival experience as I was in charge of the 19 people, booth space, and breakout session representing my company. I got to avoid the pre-event stressors of cost and waiting in line (we got to check-in early), but had the added stress of needing to make sure all my responsibilities were met. So my conference experience daily looked simply like: morning mass, prepping the booth, working in the booth, tying up loose ends, then going to the evening sessions. In addition, each day also had its own unique added event for DECM so I had little time to do any extracurriculars. As a result, I was on my feet with my backpack from 7am-10pm with the ability to see both the logistical and the spiritual side of the conference .
The logistical side: With the exception of opening registration (which in the defense of the NEC, registering thousands of people converging on the same place is a difficult undertaking, but also not in their defense because they knew how many people were coming) all logistics were executed well, with the seemingly primary emphasis being on liturgical logistics (as it should be). In addition, the 10th NEC “performed” for nearly 60,000 people flawlessly nightly (with the exception of subtly trying to play Bishop Barron off the stage Saturday night). Even the logistics of food, Confessions, and things to do on downtime went relatively smoothly. If there were long waits for any of these things, it was because of sheer volume and not inefficiency in the process. Having worked events similar to this on a much smaller scale, there are always those things that go wrong behind the scenes that may be stressors in the moment. But if these things occurred, they were largely unseen which is a testament to a great ‘“performance.”
The spiritual side: A lot of people may liken the 10th NEC to a Steubenville conference, World Youth Day, or the like, but for me it was categorically different, largely because of the evening sessions. I found that nearly all of the speakers were prophetic in nature. Rather than the focus on their skills at oration and humor, on gimmicks to keep the audience’s attention, or having a rah rah attitude congratulating the present on being Catholic, they spoke truth and exhortation to those present. There is nothing wrong with the aforementioned things, however, sometimes because of the nature of making a living on public speaking or a concern of pleasing the audience, there can be a waterdowned message that ultimately is baby food for the faithful. Because many of the speakers were known and established priests or religious, they were not dependent on their message to extend their public speaking careers. In addition, it was evident that they had spent hours, if not days and months, in front of the Eucharist prepping for their talks. Fr. Mike Schmitz and Sr. Josephine Garret specifically set the prophetic tone of exhortation, to which nearly every speaker after that followed suit. The message that was given at the 10th NEC was not baby food, but fed the soul to grow in spiritual adulthood.
As mentioned before, the NEC did excellently in liturgical logistics for worship at each mass. This also extended into evenings of praise and adoration as well. This area was most familiar to other conferences, yet the 10th NEC again stood out in comparison to these events by having various styles of praise each night. For me, Thursday’s adoration following Fr. Mike’s talk in which Floriani (men’s quartet) stood out the most while singing traditional and original hymns that drew the faithful present into the heavenly realm. Additionally, Sr. Miriam’s Friday night session of healing in front of the Eucharist coupled with a procession around the floor of Lucas Oil stadium also was a unique experience that spoke specifically to the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to her. Finally, Matt Maher’s ability to lead worship (and not play a concert) throughout the Saturday night evening session was a particular compliment to the final night of the 10th NEC (Bishop Barron also was excellent per usual).
Finally, something that cannot really be attributed to the 10th NEC (other than they brought all people into one place) was the unity among the faithful. Ed Condon of The Pillar pointed out (in juxtaposition to a certain political conference going on at the same time) the incredible amount of people coming together that was not fueled by competition (whether athletic, cultural, or political) was inspiring. Those present were not there to lift up princes of our earthly realm, but rather to give worship to our heavenly Father. As a result, we were lifted up by our King out of our earthly realm, rather than being the footstool of praise on which celebrities are elevated. Psalm 133 points out how good it is for brothers to live in unity and the blessings that come from that unity. This was palpable in all forms for worship at the 10th NEC. Much can be said (and has been said) about logistics, style of worship, and the like. But the most important aspect of worship and liturgy is being unified in one mind and heart in the presence of our God; specifically, to unified in His mind and heart. In today’s American church, at numerous lukewarm parishes across the country, many rarely get the chance to experience true unity in worship. But at the 10th NEC, regardless of the style of worship, we all gathered in praise and thanksgiving for the gift of His Eucharistic presence that He has given us, and that made all the difference.
As a whole, the 10th NEC was a success from my vantage point. Many are saying that we need to wait and see the fruits before we judge, but I disagree. I think anyone at the event could clearly see the fruits in the moment. Yes, we now need to go out and be missionary disciples, but the event of the 10th NEC has done its job. It need not be judged further. What is next to be judged is the small events in each of our lives and whether or not we choose to be our Eucharistic Lord to all those we meet, and each of these small moments should be judged with the same intensity that the 10th NEC was judged before, during, and after the event. Revival is not centered on an external event, it is focused on the conversion of heart, and everyone who attended has been given the grace for conversion. We must ask ourselves: Are we ready to become the broken Body of Christ and His Blood poured out for all of those around us?
