About National Eucharistic Revival
The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year initiative sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that launched on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 19, 2022, and runs through 2025. Its mission is 'to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.' Organized as a grassroots movement rather than a top-down program, it has rolled out in three strategic phases — Year of Diocesan Revival (2022–2023), Year of Parish Revival (2023–2024), and Year of Mission (2024–2025) — and is centered on the largest Catholic gathering in the U.S. in nearly fifty years: the 10th National Eucharistic Congress held July 17–21, 2024, in Indianapolis. The Revival was sparked by concerns over declining belief in the Real Presence and falling Mass attendance, and its operational arm, the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., was formed in early 2022 to plan and execute the milestone event.
Mission
To renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
- Founded
- 2022
- Founder
- Initiated by the U.S. Bishops (USCCB); the proposal originated with Bishop Robert Barron and the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, MN, chaired the effort and became chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
- Leader
- Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, Bishop of Crookston, MN — Chairman of the National Eucharistic Revival and Board Chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. Jason Shanks succeeded Tim Glemkowski as CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. beginning in August 2024.
- Reach
- National (United States), with international participation at the Congress. The Congress drew more than 50,000 registered attendees from all 50 U.S. states, 17 countries, and over 40 languages. The 2024 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveled more than 6,500 miles across four routes with an estimated 250,000 participants in pilgrimage events. Over 12,000 parish leaders (including 5,000+ parish point people) stepped into local leadership roles. The 'Jesus and the Eucharist' study was viewed more than 300,000 times.
- Serves
- All Catholics across the United States — clergy, religious, laity, families, youth, young adults, parish and diocesan leaders, and apostolates — with the explicit goal of engaging every Catholic in the U.S. in a renewed encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.
Mission, Vision & Theological Foundation
The mission of the National Eucharistic Revival is 'to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.' The movement is framed as a grassroots response to a call of the Holy Spirit and a direct response to Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium call for 'a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are' so that the Church in the United States might be 'permanently in a state of mission' (n. 25). Its theological foundation is the USCCB teaching document 'The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,' which invites Catholics to ponder the gift of Jesus' presence, sacrifice, and communion — and our response. The vision statement that emerged from the planning team is 'A movement of Catholics across the United States — healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist — sent out in mission for the life of the world.'
- Mission: To renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
- Vision: A movement of Catholics healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist — sent out on mission.
- Theological document: 'The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church' (USCCB)
- Inspired by Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium (n. 25)
Three-Year Timeline & Strategic Phases
The Revival unfolds across three years, each with a strategic focus for formation and missionary discipleship. Year One (2022–2023) was the Year of Diocesan Revival, when U.S. bishops invited presbyterates, diocesan teams, and parish leaders to a renewed love for Jesus in the Eucharist through diocesan-wide congresses and days of formation. Year Two (2023–2024) was the Year of Parish Revival, when pastors invited parishioners and staff to become truly eucharistic communities through small groups, Mass exploration, Eucharistic adoration, catechetical studies on the Real Presence, and parish processions. Year Three (2024–2025) opened with the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis (July 17–21, 2024) and continues as the Year of Mission, sending Catholics out as Eucharistic missionaries and carrying the Revival into the Church's 2025 Jubilee Year ('Pilgrims of Hope') and beyond.
- Year One (2022–2023): Year of Diocesan Revival
- Year Two (2023–2024): Year of Parish Revival
- Year Three (2024–2025): National Eucharistic Congress + Year of Mission
- Launched Corpus Christi 2022; Congress July 17–21, 2024; continues into 2025 Jubilee Year
Four Strategic Goals
Grounded in prayer and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the National Eucharistic Revival pursues four primary goals. Together they aim to engage every Catholic in the United States — not as a program, but as a movement.
- Provide a more profound encounter with Jesus Christ in the Sunday liturgy as a point of unity among all Catholics, finding personal healing and courage to take the Gospel to a hurting world.
- Spark personal conversions through the joyful discovery of a relationship with Christ by encountering the love of God present in Jesus in the Eucharist.
- Elevate the truth and practices of our Catholic faith through the rediscovery of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist — the source and summit of our Church and of who we are as a people of God.
- Form, inspire, and launch missionary disciples — filled with love of God and neighbor that comes from an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist — to the margins of the Church and the world.
Leadership & Governance
Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, the eighth Bishop of Crookston, Minnesota, serves as Chairman of the National Eucharistic Revival and as Board Chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. The work of the Revival is organized by a team of lay men and women, religious, priests, and bishops from across the United States, with an advisory board of bishops shepherding the whole Revival. The National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. — incorporated in early 2022 to plan and implement the milestone Indianapolis event — is a separate organization working in coordination with the USCCB and is led by a governing board of five bishops and four lay people.
- Chairman: Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens (Diocese of Crookston, MN)
- CEO of National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.: Jason Shanks (succeeded Tim Glemkowski, August 2024)
- Governing board: five bishops and four lay people
- Bishop's Advisory Group of bishops from across the U.S.
- Executive Team includes representatives from USCCB, Augustine Institute, Notre Dame's McGrath Institute, FOCUS, Relevant Radio, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Sunday Visitor, and the Dioceses of Crookston and Green Bay
National Eucharistic Congress (Indianapolis 2024)
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress — the first such U.S. national gathering in 83 years — was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17–21, 2024. Roughly 50,000+ registered participants attended in person, with tens of thousands more joining via livestream and parish watch events. Attendees represented all 50 U.S. states, 17 countries, and more than 40 languages, from Eastern and Western Catholic churches. The five-day program featured Mass, keynote talks, Eucharistic adoration, breakout sessions, and a closing commissioning Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium that asked whether an 11th Congress should be held. St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, directly across from the Indiana Convention Center, served as the Congress's perpetual adoration chapel, where adorers continue to pray for thousands of handwritten petitions left in the sanctuary.
- Dates: July 17–21, 2024
- Location: Indianapolis, IN (Indiana Convention Center / Lucas Oil Stadium)
- Attendance: ~50,000+ in-person registrants from all 50 states, 17 countries, 40+ languages
- Adoration chapel: St. John the Evangelist Church, Indianapolis
- Marked the launch of the Year of Mission and the Church's 2025 Jubilee Year
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (2024)
The first-ever National Eucharistic Pilgrimage carried the Blessed Sacrament across the United States in four simultaneous routes from May to July 2024, converging on Indianapolis for the Congress. Together the four routes covered more than 6,500 miles, with an estimated 250,000 people participating in events along the way. Each route was staffed by Perpetual Pilgrims — young adult Catholics walking with the Blessed Sacrament on foot — and was named for a patron saint connected to its region.
- St. Junipero Serra Route (West): San Francisco → Indianapolis, ~2,200 miles, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and Rocky Mountains
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route (Northeast): from the Atlantic coast through the Northeast and Midwest
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Route (South): from the southern border northward
- Eastern Route (also known as the Marian Route): from the East Coast through the Midwest
- Combined distance: 6,500+ miles; estimated 250,000 participants along the routes
St. Junipero Serra Route (Western Arm)
Named after the 'Apostle of California,' St. Junipero Serra, the 18th-century Franciscan missionary who founded mission churches along the California coast and traveled roughly 24,000 miles in his ministry, the Serra Route was the longest and most challenging of the four. Pilgrims began at Mission Dolores in San Francisco, processed across the Golden Gate Bridge, sailed up the Sacramento River (the 'Nile of the West'), traversed the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, and passed through dioceses including Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha, Des Moines, Kansas City, Jefferson City, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.
- Start: Mission Dolores, San Francisco, CA
- End: Indianapolis, IN (arrival July 16, 2024)
- Patron: St. Junipero Serra
- Highlights: Golden Gate Bridge crossing, Sacramento River boat procession, Rocky Mountains, Denver, Kansas City (Benedictine College), Gateway Arch at St. Louis
Programs & Initiatives for Parishes and the Faithful
Beyond the headline events, the Revival has rolled out a deep bench of formation, preaching, and small-group resources designed to equip ordinary Catholics and parish leaders. The National Eucharistic Preachers program deployed a team of speakers to amplify the Revival's impact at 159+ diocesan and parish gatherings, clergy convocations, and youth and young adult events. The 'Jesus and the Eucharist' small-group video study, created with leading Catholic theological scholars, has been viewed more than 300,000 times across streaming platforms. The Eucharistic Missionary training, available online and in person, prepares lay Catholics to share the love of Christ in the Eucharist in their communities.
- National Eucharistic Preachers (159+ events)
- 'Jesus and the Eucharist' small-group video study (300,000+ views)
- Eucharistic Missionary online/in-person training
- Parish Point People program (5,000+ leaders)
- Diocesan and parish resource library at eucharisticrevival.org/revival-resources
- Heart of the Revival newsletter
Partners, Sponsors & Collaborators
The Revival flows out of the USCCB's 2021–2024 strategic plan and is funded by collaborating USCCB committees as well as by grants and in-kind donations from partners and sponsors. Operational work is carried out in close collaboration with major Catholic apostolates, universities, and media organizations across the country.
- USCCB (lead sponsor and convening body)
- Augustine Institute (Ben Akers; CEO Tim Gray)
- University of Notre Dame — McGrath Institute for Church Life (Tim O'Malley, Katherine Angulo Valenzuela)
- Franciscan University of Steubenville (James Pauley)
- FOCUS (John Bishop)
- Relevant Radio (Rev. Francis J. Hoffman)
- Our Sunday Visitor (Scott Richert)
- Diocese of Green Bay (Julianne Stanz) and Diocese of Crookston
Impact & Published Outcomes
The USCCB published a National Eucharistic Revival Impact Assessment Research report that surveyed lay Catholic Congress attendees, clergy, and pilgrimage participants. Headline findings include: 92% of lay Congress attendees reported strengthened faith conviction; nearly half of participants reported a 'significant' or 'major' influence on general life changes; faith-related activities (Mass attendance, adoration, volunteering) all showed significant increases since 2021, with volunteering showing the greatest net increase; growth was observed across understanding (head), conviction of belief (heart), participation (hands), and prioritization (priorities); anecdotally, parishes reported historic OCIA classes following the Congress.
- 92% of lay Congress attendees reported strengthened faith conviction
- ~50% reported significant/major influence on general life changes
- Volunteering showed the greatest net increase among faith activities
- 98% of surveyed participants reported a meaningful Congress encounter
- St. John the Evangelist (Indianapolis) reported its largest OCIA class ever (52 candidates) post-Congress
- 12,000+ parish leaders mobilized, 5,000+ parish point people
How to Get Involved
The Revival is explicitly a grassroots movement rather than a top-down program. Catholics can participate in multiple ways: prayer and fasting for the movement; signing up for the Heart of the Revival newsletter; completing Eucharistic Missionary training; serving as a parish point person; hosting a 'Jesus and the Eucharist' small group; planning a Eucharistic procession or holy hour; encouraging deeper participation in Mass and adoration; attending the Congress; or partnering/donating as a sponsor through the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
- Pray and fast for the Revival
- Subscribe to the Heart of the Revival newsletter
- Become a trained Eucharistic Missionary
- Serve as a parish point person or host a small group
- Organize or join a local procession, holy hour, or adoration event
- Attend the National Eucharistic Congress
- Donate or partner as a sponsor via the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.
Frequently Asked Highlights
Common questions answered on the official FAQ: What is the National Eucharistic Revival? A three-year USCCB-sponsored initiative (2022–2025) to renew the Church through encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. When did it launch? Corpus Christi Sunday, June 19, 2022. What is the milestone event? The 10th National Eucharistic Congress, Indianapolis, July 17–21, 2024. What is the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc.? A separate 501-style corporation formed in early 2022, chaired by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, to plan and execute the Congress. Who leads it? Bishop Cozzens chairs both the Revival and the Congress board; the executive team includes bishops, lay people, religious, and priests from across the U.S. How can I get involved? Pray, sign up for the newsletter, contact your diocese, host a small group, or attend the Congress.
- Launched June 19, 2022 (Corpus Christi)
- Congress: Indianapolis, July 17–21, 2024
- Sponsored by the U.S. Bishops
- Chairman: Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens
- Continuing into 2025 Jubilee Year and beyond
