By Mark Gomez - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY
As part of the small Eucharistic Congress in the Archdiocese of Miami, more than 200 participants of the 14 Hispanic Apostolic Movements and other archdiocesan groups, processed with the Blessed Sacrament July 20, 2024, on the grounds of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami.
MIAMI | During the celebration of the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) held July 17-21 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Hispanic Apostolic Movements of the Archdiocese of Miami and other archdiocesan groups, along with the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary and their Apostles, gathered at St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami to participate in their own local Eucharistic Congress.
Photographer: COURTESY
Some members of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary participate in the Holy Hour. The Holy Hour was part of the local Eucharistic Congress organized by the archdiocesan Hispanic Apostolic Movements and coincided with the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21, 2024.
More than 200 members of 14 archdiocesan movements and groups met on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in the seminary’s St. Raphael Chapel for talks, and to participate in the Holy Hour and a Eucharistic procession.
At the small archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress, the archdiocesan movements committed themselves to live a Eucharistic life to send the Gospel to the whole world in times of Eucharistic Revival.
During the day they participated in talks and reflections on the importance of being Eucharistic witnesses. Sister María José Socías, of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, was the keynote speaker at the congress. In her presentation, she emphasized the importance of being witnesses to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. "The Eucharist transforms the human being," she said.
"Are you a Eucharistic people?", asked Sister Socías, who explained that "by receiving Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, fully present with his body, blood, soul and divinity, the human being can never be the same. The person is transformed forever. And being Eucharistic people means to bring others to know the importance of the Eucharist so that they too may enjoy the fullness of love."
Participants at the local congress were connected to the NEC through messages of hope and companionship sent by the pilgrims who traveled to Indianapolis.
Photographer: COURTESY
Deacon Jorge Reyes presides over the Holy Hour with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament July 20, 2024, at St. Raphael Chapel of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. The Holy Hour was part of the local Eucharistic Congress organized by the archdiocesan Hispanic Apostolic Movements and coincided with the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21, 2024.
The messages came from Father Rafael Capó, vice president for Mission at St. Thomas University, in Miami Gardens; Mother Adela Galindo, foundress of the Pierced Hearts; Bishop Erik Thomas Pohlmeier of the Diocese of St. Augustine; Gabriel Cambert, coordinator of Camino del Matrimonio marriage preparation movement; Fernando Gómez, coordinator of the Hispanic Apostolic Movements; and Father Matthew Gómez, dean of the Propaedeutic Program at St. John Vianney Seminary.
Deacon Jorge Reyes, who will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Miami next May, led a Holy Hour with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
During this time of adoration, Deacon Reyes shared how intimately God wants us to know Him. "Jesus invites us to the table where we can receive Him completely. By receiving Him, we marry Him and become one with Him. Once we understand the importance of the connection we have with the Eucharist and the connection God wants to have with us, we are able to love Jesus more," Deacon Reyes reflected.
Photographer: COURTESY
Deacon Jorge Reyes carries the Blessed Sacrament during the Eucharistic procession July 20, 2024, on the grounds of St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami. The procession was part of the local Eucharistic Congress organized by the archdiocesan Hispanic Apostolic Movements and coincided with the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21, 2024.
"We also allow Jesus to live within us when we accept the invitation to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. When we receive Him, our eyes are opened like the disciples of Emmaus and we just want to share the love we have just encountered," he added.
At the end of the Holy Hour, those present participated in a small Eucharistic procession. The procession in Miami coincided with the Eucharistic procession that took place in Indianapolis, in which more than 50,000 pilgrims participated.
Father Milton Martínez, the newly appointed vocations director for the Archdiocese of Miami, concluded the local Eucharistic Congress with the celebration of the Mass. In his homily, he emphasized the need to pray for priests, because they are the ones who bring Jesus to the faithful in the Eucharist.
He also asked them to share "the testimony of the love and joy that we feel when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist."
The sacrifice of the Mass was offered for a complete renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States; for the pilgrims of the NEC to be enkindled with the courage to profess the faith; for the Hispanic Apostolic Movements to carry out their witness and help in the formation of the members of the local Church; and for a greater belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
The consensus among the participants of the local Eucharistic Congress organized by the Hispanic Apostolic Movements is to hold an annual congress to continually rekindle the fire of the true presence of the Lord in the Eucharist.
Participants shared the need for the faithful of the Catholic Church to be united so that communities never lose the revival experienced this year, and they look forward and pray for future Eucharistic Congresses, including the International Eucharistic Congress to be held later this year in Quito, Ecuador. They are also praying for the Church in the United States as they look forward to the next National Eucharistic Congress in 2033, the year of the Great Jubilee of the Redemption, commemorating the 2,000 years since the resurrection of Jesus.
Mark A. Gómez is a member of the Hispanic Apostolic Movements of the Archdiocese of Miami.
Photographer: COURTESY
More than 200 members of the 14 Hispanic Apostolic Movements of the Archdiocese of Miami and other archdiocesan groups, along with the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary and their Apostles, participated in the local Eucharistic Congress at St. John Vianney Seminary July 20, 2024. The local Congress, which included talks, Holy Hour and a Eucharistic procession, coincided with the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21, 2024.
