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To: Pastors and all clergy; parish catechetical leaders; Catholic school principals
From: The Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv.
Peace and all good things!
A blessed Lent to each of you and your communities.
As a key moment in the bishops’ call to a National Eucharistic Revival, the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) is coming this July 17-21, in Indianapolis. I invite you and groups from your parishes to join me and our auxiliary bishops and attend this historic event as you are able. We paused our local Eucharistic Congress, returning next year, in order to encourage participation in the NEC. Over 33,000 have registered for the NEC thus far from around the nation and beyond. Our first hotel package for the archdiocese sold out last month. Below are current options available to assist in attending the NEC:
- Hotel Package: A second hotel package has been arranged for the Archdiocese of Atlanta by Corporate Travel Services, the national travel agency partnering with the NEC. While this hotel may be up to an hour away from the convention center (TBD), bus transportation between the hotel and convention center is included in the package, along with a complimentary five-day pass to the NEC. Please share this brochure with your parishes and schools. Space is limited. Those who utilize this package will first register through Corporate Travel Services and then will be given a code to register for the National Eucharistic Congress.
- NEC Passes Only: For those only interested in acquiring passes for the NEC, discounted tickets are available to the archdiocese as a mission partner. There is also an NEC solidarity fund available to assist those who need help acquiring passes. If any of our priests need passes, please contact Andy Lichtenwalner (alichtenwalner@archatl.com) as there may be a small number of pre-purchased passes available for a limited time.
- Alternate Housing: For more information about other housing options, including alternate housing for youth groups and others, please visit the NEC’s housing page.
- Promotion: Thank you for any ways you can assist in promoting and praying for the National Eucharistic Congress. The above information is available at archatl.com/revival, with a flier that can be used for promotional purposes. Various portions of the NEC will be livestreamed/broadcast, so we will plan to share that information as it becomes available as well. Please continue communicating about the National Eucharistic Revival to build more awareness of this call from the bishops in the United States.
Lastly, for two months starting in May, there will be a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveling different routes across the country and converging on Indianapolis for the Congress. The St. Juan Diego route will be traveling through our archdiocese on June 21-23. Please check the website for more details, which will be communicated more broadly soon. As part of our participation in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, I am calling for an Archdiocesan Day of Eucharistic Service on Saturday, June 22. That same day, the pilgrims traveling with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be engaged in a service experience here in the archdiocese. I would like parishes (and schools where possible) to consider how to engage in a day of service to the local community oriented around the Eucharist as the source and summit of that experience. I leave the particular form of service and participation up to each pastor’s discretion, but please expect more information to come in order to assist your planning. This will be an opportunity for all of us to be in solidarity with the pilgrims and to remember that the Eucharist commits us to the poor and to a life of charity. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.
If you have any questions on the above items, please contact Andy Lichtenwalner (alichtenwalner@archatl.com). Thank you for all you are doing to promote the call for a Eucharistic revival here in the archdiocese.