Youtube Interviews
On this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright is joined by special guest Joel Stepanek to discuss the upcoming Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
Adam starts by expressing his excitement about the Eucharistic Congress and encourages people to actively participate, rather than simply waiting for the Congress to happen. He suggests engaging in activities such as regular Adoration chapel visits and attending Mass leading up to the event.
The Eucharistic Congress is set to take place in July 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With 80,000 seats available, it is seen as a generational moment in the Catholic Church in the United States. Joel also shares that in May 2024, a Eucharistic pilgrimage will take place from different areas of the United States to Indianapolis, and listeners are encouraged to join and participate in the pilgrimage leading up to the Congress.
Joel shares the different registration pathways available for attendees, whether it’s individual, group, parish, or family registration. Detailed information can be found on the official website, Eucharisticcongress.org.
Joel’s sincere hope is that every person attending the Congress will have a new encounter with Jesus and experience a profound spiritual renewal.
Overall, this episode of Roadmap to Heaven provides information on the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress and how you can be a part of this transformative experience.
Adam Wright:
You may have heard about the upcoming Eucharistic Congress in the year 2024, which seems like a long way off, but you know, it’s one of those things. I’m sure the more we talk about it, at some point we’re going to say, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s here already, that we’re in 2024 and we’re at the Eucharistic Congress.” And today, to kick off all of the discussions we’re going to have about it here on Roadmap to Heaven, we’re happy to welcome Joel Stepanek. Joel is responsible for guiding all of the teams that are really putting their work into the evangelization of this effort. He’s a former youth minister. He works with RCIA in his parish. All around great guy. Joel, it’s great to have you with us this morning.
Joel Stepanek:
Hey, so good to be here. Thank you for having me.
Adam Wright:
So tell us a little bit about what’s coming up here. I mean, we hear this term National Eucharistic Congress, and here in St. Louis, where I live, we’ve had a Eucharistic Congress in the archdiocese before, but it was a local event. And this is something, I’ve been walking this earth for 40 years. I don’t ever remember hearing this term, National Eucharistic Congress, before.
Joel Stepanek:
And you wouldn’t have, because the last one took place in Philadelphia about 46 years ago. And even that one, I don’t think was considered a National Eucharistic Congress. To go to our last National Eucharistic Congress, you’d have to go back 83 years, just after World War II. That’s the last time the United States had a full on National Eucharistic Congress. So it’s been a minute. It’s been definitely past both of our lifetimes, and for some of our most senior members of our church, maybe they remember that one after World War II, and a few more might remember the one in Philadelphia just over 45 years ago.
Adam Wright:
Now, I just got back from a men’s conference earlier this week, and some of our listeners have been, we all remember the Seek Conference here in St. Louis in January. Many of my age bracket, we started going to the original Steubenville conferences. So conferences, not necessarily a new term for us, but what can we expect? This is a five day event in Indianapolis in this football stadium that holds 80,000 people. What can we expect to happen in the course of these five days?
Joel Stepanek:
Yeah, we are going to gather in order to be sent. So we are going to encounter Jesus in a profound way as a community, and then we’re going to be sent back to our parishes, our diocese, our families, our communities to continue to engage in the work of the revival. That’s one of the things I think is so incredible about this moment in history is the congress, the Eucharistic Congress, is a moment within the bigger movement of this Eucharistic revival. And I love that you brought up Steubenville conferences because they are indicative of the reality of revival that has been going on in the United States since before the bishops called for this moment. I think that’s the genius of this whole thing, and really the work of the Holy Spirit, is that when the bishops said, “We need a revival, we need a Eucharistic revival”, Eucharistic revival was already happening in pockets like wildfires and sparks. And the bishops were saying, “We need to cultivate those things. Let’s find the areas of revival and bring those pieces together. Let’s create places where revival can happen. What are the conditions we need, within our own hearts first, for revival to start there, and then how do we create ongoing moments and movements for revival?” And that’s where the Congress comes in as this moment, where we are going to gather from all across the United States to encounter Jesus Christ within the Eucharist, through liturgy, through adoration, through prayer, through fellowship. And then we’re going to be sent back out, back out to continue the work of starting fires of revival within the places where we all reside. And that’s really the grassroots nature of this, which I love and I’m so excited about.
Adam Wright:
Let’s talk about that for a second here, because we’ve been talking about Steubenville Youth Conference or the Seek Young Adult College Conference. Who is the Eucharistic congress for? 80,000 seats again, I imagine you want to see all of those filled. Are we just talking guys our age, Joel? Are we talking our kids? Are we talking our parents? Who’s invited to this thing?
Joel Stepanek:
Yeah. This is a conference where anybody of any age is invited. There will be certain tracks that are set apart for people who maybe want to dive into unique ways to family life, or there will be a track specifically for teenagers that they can go to, places for priests or ministry workers in the church. But really, it’s a Congress for anybody who desires to make a difference and be a part of the Eucharistic revival, to be a part of revival again in their parishes, their homes, their schools, their communities. So that’s who it’s for.
So it is a little exclusive. If you’re a person who’s like, “I’m kind of whatever, I don’t really care about Eucharistic revival.” Congress probably isn’t for you. It’s going to be boring. You’re going to hear too much about how we can change the world and we can revitalize Eucharistic practice in the United States, about how we can invite our friends and family who have fallen away from the church back into the fold and help them have an encounter with Jesus. So if you’re not down for any of that, probably don’t come to Congress. But if you are, if you are ready to be a part of Eucharistic revival and to be sent on mission, then it doesn’t matter what age you are. It doesn’t matter what part of the United States you live in. It doesn’t matter if you are single or you want to bring your family, this congress is for you.
Adam Wright:
Alright, now we use words in our Catholic vocabulary all the time, like source and summit or my favorite, exitus reditus, all of these things. But at their heart, they’re all talking about the same thing, that it’s our Lord present in the Eucharist that draws us together. It’s our Lord present in the Eucharist who sends us forth. What is your hope for those who attend? How will their lives hopefully be different when they walk out of the doors of this Congress and go back to their communities?
Joel Stepanek:
My sincere hope is that every person who walks through the doors of Lucas Oil Stadium has an encounter with Jesus in a new way. I think a lot of the folks who are going to go, we’ve had those encounters that maybe as a teenager at a Steubenville conference or as a college student, Seek, or maybe through a local parish, it could be anything. I think sometimes we look at the big moments, but simple moments at Mass, where perhaps we just felt tremendous consolation after receiving the Eucharist. We’ve had these encounters. My hope is that people have one of those encounters in a new way at the Eucharistic Congress, and they experience the love of Christ in a profound way over those five days, and it fills them up. We all need renewal. We all need revival, ongoing in our own spiritual life, and that moment of encounter reinforces our desire and our need to bring other people to have that same encounter. If Jesus is savior and the Eucharist is the greatest gift we could be given, how can I not want to share that with people? But our world is difficult. It’s dark, it’s hard, and we need moments where we remember. And I hope people go to Congress and they remember and they leave just passionate about bringing other people to that table.
Adam Wright:
I want to throw into that, if I may. If you’re thirsty for this, don’t just wait for the Congress. Go to your Adoration chapel today. Go to Mass today and keep going and praying leading up to the Congress. Now, Joel, we’ve kind of talked about the what, so we need to talk a little bit about the how. And you mentioned Lucas Oil Stadium. I’ve thrown out there several times: there’s 80,000 seats available. This is going to be a big deal, so it might be the kind of thing I want to go. Maybe just my wife and I are going. We’re going to register, the two of us. Maybe we’re going to get a whole bunch of our friends. We’re going to rent a bus. We’re going to make that trek across I 70 from St. Louis to Indianapolis and be like, “Alright, we’re here for the Eucharistic revival. We’re here to party. We’re here to pray.” What are the different ways that folks can register for the Congress?
Joel Stepanek:
There’s lots of registration pathways, again, to provide opportunities for people to go as an individual, as a group, as a parish, as a family. You can find information about all of those on eucharisticcongress.org. It’ll give you information about each of those registration pathways and how you can register. So if you’re a youth minister and you are thinking, this is my summer trip, we’re going to go to Indianapolis with 60 teenagers, there is a full youth pathway, and there are special prices available for teenagers to go and be there. If you are a mom and a dad and you want to bring your family, we encourage that. So we have specific pricing available for families. If you’re an individual and you’re like, I don’t know anybody else from my parish is going, but I’ve got to go, you can register just as an individual, and you can register groups all the way up to 200 people. So gather up a whole delegation from your parish and as you said, go party, go pray, go be a part of a generational moment in the Catholic Church in the United States.
Adam Wright:
Yeah, and if you’re that individual saying,” I don’t have anybody I know that I can go.” Don’t worry. We’re going to introduce you to 79,999 of your best friends while you are there. So, Joel, you mentioned the website, let’s say it again: Eucharisticcongress.org. Is that correct?
Joel Stepanek:
That is correct. Eucharisticcongress.org. You can get all of the information on the Eucharistic Congress there, as well as a really great FAQ section and more ways to get in touch with us if there are questions on that section that aren’t answered for you. We’d love for you to check it out and join us in Indianapolis in 2024.
Adam Wright:
All right. And really quick, before we sign off here, two questions will always be asked. Is there anything available for those who cannot make the trek to Indianapolis? I know the Bishops want this revival to spread across the nation, so what’s out there for them? And then with that, for those who are going to be able to make the trek to Indianapolis, how can we start getting ready now?
Joel Stepanek:
Those are really great questions. So if you are not able to make it to Indianapolis in July of 2024, there will be a lot of other things happening as a part of the revival. I don’t want anybody to think that the Congress is the revival moment. It’s not. It’s a moment in the revival, but the revival is a movement. So at your diocese and at your parish, there will be things happening that will be a part of the Eucharistic revival in the coming year. I would encourage you, again, revival takes place in our hearts. So go to your Eucharistic Adoration chapel. Go spend some time with our Lord, maybe make the schedule work so you can go to a daily Mass in addition to our Sunday obligation during the week. Find ways to allow revival to take place in your heart. But there will be things happening at the parish, at the diocesan level as well over the coming weeks and months leading up to the Congress that people can participate in locally, and I hope that they do.
The other really neat thing that’s going to be happening across many different areas is the Eucharistic pilgrimage. So we’ll be taking the Blessed Sacrament from the four corners of the United States, starting up in northern Minnesota, in San Francisco, down at the southern tip of Texas, and all the way out east, I believe in New Hampshire, is where it’s going to get rolling. There will be Eucharistic pilgrimage that takes place from these four areas heading to Indianapolis starting in May of 2024, and that’s going to cross lots of areas in the United States. So I think that would be a great way for people, if that’s coming near you, if it’s within 100 miles, go and join. Walk for a little bit. Join one of the events that will take place along that pilgrimage. That’s not only a great thing for people to do who are going to be unable to go to the Congress, but for people who are going to the congress as well, join in that pilgrimage route. And if you are going to the Congress, get your tickets, get your event passes, and pray. I think start praying for ongoing revival for what God has done, is doing and will do.
Adam Wright:
Alright, well we are looking forward to being with you in Indianapolis, Joel. It’s going to be a fantastic time of faith and as you said, just one moment in this revival, but it’s going to be a pretty big moment. So Eucharisticcongress.org is the website to go for more information. I’d like to thank Joel Stepanek for being with us on Roadmap to Heaven this morning. We are going to take a break. Don’t go anywhere. And for our YouTube viewers watching this interview after the fact online, I want to know in the comments below, what are you most looking forward to over the course of this Eucharistic Revival? In our diocese here in St. Louis, we’ve been having these wonderful talks and these wonderful healing services. I know in Springfield, Illinois, they’ve got some fantastic things going on. What’s going on where you’re at? And what do you love about it? Drop it in the comments below.
Adam Wright:
You may have heard about the upcoming Eucharistic Congress in the year 2024, which seems like a long way off, but you know, it’s one of those things. I’m sure the more we talk about it, at some point we’re going to say, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s here already, that we’re in 2024 and we’re at the Eucharistic Congress.” And today, to kick off all of the discussions we’re going to have about it here on Roadmap to Heaven, we’re happy to welcome Joel Stepanek. Joel is responsible for guiding all of the teams that are really putting their work into the evangelization of this effort. He’s a former youth minister. He works with RCIA in his parish. All around great guy. Joel, it’s great to have you with us this morning.
Joel Stepanek:
Hey, so good to be here. Thank you for having me.
Adam Wright:
So tell us a little bit about what’s coming up here. I mean, we hear this term National Eucharistic Congress, and here in St. Louis, where I live, we’ve had a Eucharistic Congress in the archdiocese before, but it was a local event. And this is something, I’ve been walking this earth for 40 years. I don’t ever remember hearing this term, National Eucharistic Congress, before.
Joel Stepanek:
And you wouldn’t have, because the last one took place in Philadelphia about 46 years ago. And even that one, I don’t think was considered a National Eucharistic Congress. To go to our last National Eucharistic Congress, you’d have to go back 83 years, just after World War II. That’s the last time the United States had a full on National Eucharistic Congress. So it’s been a minute. It’s been definitely past both of our lifetimes, and for some of our most senior members of our church, maybe they remember that one after World War II, and a few more might remember the one in Philadelphia just over 45 years ago.
Adam Wright:
Now, I just got back from a men’s conference earlier this week, and some of our listeners have been, we all remember the Seek Conference here in St. Louis in January. Many of my age bracket, we started going to the original Steubenville conferences. So conferences, not necessarily a new term for us, but what can we expect? This is a five day event in Indianapolis in this football stadium that holds 80,000 people. What can we expect to happen in the course of these five days?
Joel Stepanek:
Yeah, we are going to gather in order to be sent. So we are going to encounter Jesus in a profound way as a community, and then we’re going to be sent back to our parishes, our diocese, our families, our communities to continue to engage in the work of the revival. That’s one of the things I think is so incredible about this moment in history is the congress, the Eucharistic Congress, is a moment within the bigger movement of this Eucharistic revival. And I love that you brought up Steubenville conferences because they are indicative of the reality of revival that has been going on in the United States since before the bishops called for this moment. I think that’s the genius of this whole thing, and really the work of the Holy Spirit, is that when the bishops said, “We need a revival, we need a Eucharistic revival”, Eucharistic revival was already happening in pockets like wildfires and sparks. And the bishops were saying, “We need to cultivate those things. Let’s find the areas of revival and bring those pieces together. Let’s create places where revival can happen. What are the conditions we need, within our own hearts first, for revival to start there, and then how do we create ongoing moments and movements for revival?” And that’s where the Congress comes in as this moment, where we are going to gather from all across the United States to encounter Jesus Christ within the Eucharist, through liturgy, through adoration, through prayer, through fellowship. And then we’re going to be sent back out, back out to continue the work of starting fires of revival within the places where we all reside. And that’s really the grassroots nature of this, which I love and I’m so excited about.
Adam Wright:
Let’s talk about that for a second here, because we’ve been talking about Steubenville Youth Conference or the Seek Young Adult College Conference. Who is the Eucharistic congress for? 80,000 seats again, I imagine you want to see all of those filled. Are we just talking guys our age, Joel? Are we talking our kids? Are we talking our parents? Who’s invited to this thing?
Joel Stepanek:
Yeah. This is a conference where anybody of any age is invited. There will be certain tracks that are set apart for people who maybe want to dive into unique ways to family life, or there will be a track specifically for teenagers that they can go to, places for priests or ministry workers in the church. But really, it’s a Congress for anybody who desires to make a difference and be a part of the Eucharistic revival, to be a part of revival again in their parishes, their homes, their schools, their communities. So that’s who it’s for.
So it is a little exclusive. If you’re a person who’s like, “I’m kind of whatever, I don’t really care about Eucharistic revival.” Congress probably isn’t for you. It’s going to be boring. You’re going to hear too much about how we can change the world and we can revitalize Eucharistic practice in the United States, about how we can invite our friends and family who have fallen away from the church back into the fold and help them have an encounter with Jesus. So if you’re not down for any of that, probably don’t come to Congress. But if you are, if you are ready to be a part of Eucharistic revival and to be sent on mission, then it doesn’t matter what age you are. It doesn’t matter what part of the United States you live in. It doesn’t matter if you are single or you want to bring your family, this congress is for you.
Adam Wright:
Alright, now we use words in our Catholic vocabulary all the time, like source and summit or my favorite, exitus reditus, all of these things. But at their heart, they’re all talking about the same thing, that it’s our Lord present in the Eucharist that draws us together. It’s our Lord present in the Eucharist who sends us forth. What is your hope for those who attend? How will their lives hopefully be different when they walk out of the doors of this Congress and go back to their communities?
Joel Stepanek:
My sincere hope is that every person who walks through the doors of Lucas Oil Stadium has an encounter with Jesus in a new way. I think a lot of the folks who are going to go, we’ve had those encounters that maybe as a teenager at a Steubenville conference or as a college student, Seek, or maybe through a local parish, it could be anything. I think sometimes we look at the big moments, but simple moments at Mass, where perhaps we just felt tremendous consolation after receiving the Eucharist. We’ve had these encounters. My hope is that people have one of those encounters in a new way at the Eucharistic Congress, and they experience the love of Christ in a profound way over those five days, and it fills them up. We all need renewal. We all need revival, ongoing in our own spiritual life, and that moment of encounter reinforces our desire and our need to bring other people to have that same encounter. If Jesus is savior and the Eucharist is the greatest gift we could be given, how can I not want to share that with people? But our world is difficult. It’s dark, it’s hard, and we need moments where we remember. And I hope people go to Congress and they remember and they leave just passionate about bringing other people to that table.
Adam Wright:
I want to throw into that, if I may. If you’re thirsty for this, don’t just wait for the Congress. Go to your Adoration chapel today. Go to Mass today and keep going and praying leading up to the Congress. Now, Joel, we’ve kind of talked about the what, so we need to talk a little bit about the how. And you mentioned Lucas Oil Stadium. I’ve thrown out there several times: there’s 80,000 seats available. This is going to be a big deal, so it might be the kind of thing I want to go. Maybe just my wife and I are going. We’re going to register, the two of us. Maybe we’re going to get a whole bunch of our friends. We’re going to rent a bus. We’re going to make that trek across I 70 from St. Louis to Indianapolis and be like, “Alright, we’re here for the Eucharistic revival. We’re here to party. We’re here to pray.” What are the different ways that folks can register for the Congress?
Joel Stepanek:
There’s lots of registration pathways, again, to provide opportunities for people to go as an individual, as a group, as a parish, as a family. You can find information about all of those on eucharisticcongress.org. It’ll give you information about each of those registration pathways and how you can register. So if you’re a youth minister and you are thinking, this is my summer trip, we’re going to go to Indianapolis with 60 teenagers, there is a full youth pathway, and there are special prices available for teenagers to go and be there. If you are a mom and a dad and you want to bring your family, we encourage that. So we have specific pricing available for families. If you’re an individual and you’re like, I don’t know anybody else from my parish is going, but I’ve got to go, you can register just as an individual, and you can register groups all the way up to 200 people. So gather up a whole delegation from your parish and as you said, go party, go pray, go be a part of a generational moment in the Catholic Church in the United States.
Adam Wright:
Yeah, and if you’re that individual saying,” I don’t have anybody I know that I can go.” Don’t worry. We’re going to introduce you to 79,999 of your best friends while you are there. So, Joel, you mentioned the website, let’s say it again: Eucharisticcongress.org. Is that correct?
Joel Stepanek:
That is correct. Eucharisticcongress.org. You can get all of the information on the Eucharistic Congress there, as well as a really great FAQ section and more ways to get in touch with us if there are questions on that section that aren’t answered for you. We’d love for you to check it out and join us in Indianapolis in 2024.
Adam Wright:
All right. And really quick, before we sign off here, two questions will always be asked. Is there anything available for those who cannot make the trek to Indianapolis? I know the Bishops want this revival to spread across the nation, so what’s out there for them? And then with that, for those who are going to be able to make the trek to Indianapolis, how can we start getting ready now?
Joel Stepanek:
Those are really great questions. So if you are not able to make it to Indianapolis in July of 2024, there will be a lot of other things happening as a part of the revival. I don’t want anybody to think that the Congress is the revival moment. It’s not. It’s a moment in the revival, but the revival is a movement. So at your diocese and at your parish, there will be things happening that will be a part of the Eucharistic revival in the coming year. I would encourage you, again, revival takes place in our hearts. So go to your Eucharistic Adoration chapel. Go spend some time with our Lord, maybe make the schedule work so you can go to a daily Mass in addition to our Sunday obligation during the week. Find ways to allow revival to take place in your heart. But there will be things happening at the parish, at the diocesan level as well over the coming weeks and months leading up to the Congress that people can participate in locally, and I hope that they do.
The other really neat thing that’s going to be happening across many different areas is the Eucharistic pilgrimage. So we’ll be taking the Blessed Sacrament from the four corners of the United States, starting up in northern Minnesota, in San Francisco, down at the southern tip of Texas, and all the way out east, I believe in New Hampshire, is where it’s going to get rolling. There will be Eucharistic pilgrimage that takes place from these four areas heading to Indianapolis starting in May of 2024, and that’s going to cross lots of areas in the United States. So I think that would be a great way for people, if that’s coming near you, if it’s within 100 miles, go and join. Walk for a little bit. Join one of the events that will take place along that pilgrimage. That’s not only a great thing for people to do who are going to be unable to go to the Congress, but for people who are going to the congress as well, join in that pilgrimage route. And if you are going to the Congress, get your tickets, get your event passes, and pray. I think start praying for ongoing revival for what God has done, is doing and will do.
Adam Wright:
Alright, well we are looking forward to being with you in Indianapolis, Joel. It’s going to be a fantastic time of faith and as you said, just one moment in this revival, but it’s going to be a pretty big moment. So Eucharisticcongress.org is the website to go for more information. I’d like to thank Joel Stepanek for being with us on Roadmap to Heaven this morning. We are going to take a break. Don’t go anywhere. And for our YouTube viewers watching this interview after the fact online, I want to know in the comments below, what are you most looking forward to over the course of this Eucharistic Revival? In our diocese here in St. Louis, we’ve been having these wonderful talks and these wonderful healing services. I know in Springfield, Illinois, they’ve got some fantastic things going on. What’s going on where you’re at? And what do you love about it? Drop it in the comments below.
On this episode of Roadmap to Heaven, host Adam Wright is joined by special guest Joel Stepanek to discuss the upcoming Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
Adam starts by expressing his excitement about the Eucharistic Congress and encourages people to actively participate, rather than simply waiting for the Congress to happen. He suggests engaging in activities such as regular Adoration chapel visits and attending Mass leading up to the event.
The Eucharistic Congress is set to take place in July 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With 80,000 seats available, it is seen as a generational moment in the Catholic Church in the United States. Joel also shares that in May 2024, a Eucharistic pilgrimage will take place from different areas of the United States to Indianapolis, and listeners are encouraged to join and participate in the pilgrimage leading up to the Congress.
Joel shares the different registration pathways available for attendees, whether it’s individual, group, parish, or family registration. Detailed information can be found on the official website, Eucharisticcongress.org.
Joel’s sincere hope is that every person attending the Congress will have a new encounter with Jesus and experience a profound spiritual renewal.
Overall, this episode of Roadmap to Heaven provides information on the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress and how you can be a part of this transformative experience.
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