Is every Sunday a wasted opportunity?

It’s not every day that The New York Times runs a story about Catholics and eucharistic adoration. Yet the National Eucharistic Congress held in July in Indianapolis caught the attention of the Gray Lady and many others.

The five-day gathering in Lucas Oil Stadium, years in the planning with a $14 million budget, attracted 50,000 participants. It was prompted by a Pew Institute survey in 2019 that suggested a majority of Catholics did not believe that the Eucharist was the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Though doubts have been raised about the accuracy of Pew’s results (a pollster’s wording of such a question is critical and often challenged), the data followed other warnings that Catholics may be under-appreciative of what the Second Vatican Council called the “source and summit” of our faith.

Mass attendance is down, with even self-described practicing Catholics attending less than weekly. In addition, many more Catholics are leaving the faith, becoming “nones” or “spiritual but not religious.” Younger Catholics, but not only, are often disaffected by the church’s teachings on LGBTQ and other issues. The clergy sexual abuse crises have also taken a toll. While some frustrated Catholics remain only because of the sacraments, a sizable number, apparently, are no longer reluctant to walk away.

In light of all this, a multi-ethnic, multi-generational gathering in America’s heartland to celebrate the Eucharist is considered a win by church leaders and those who attended or who followed it on Catholic media.

Organizers cheered by the Congress’ success may want to duplicate it in 2033, deemed the 2,000th anniversary of the crucifixion and resurrection. There is also talk of a Eucharistic pilgrimage to go from Indianapolis to Los Angeles in 2025.

It is hard to predict what the fruits of this eucharistic enthusiasm might be. After the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver, a wave of priestly vocations followed, a small but substantial result that benefited many dioceses.

Yet the challenge remains that most Catholics, adult Catholics, are under-educated in the faith, in the liturgy, in the church’s social and moral teachings. There are many reasons for this, but placing blame or making excuses doesn’t solve the problem.

For most of us, the adult faith formation we receive, at best, is the weekly homily (which means that four out of five Catholics who don’t show up for Mass don’t even get that). This time at Mass is precious not only because of the Real Presence. This time is precious because of our presence. Yet the opportunity to take advantage of our presence is often squandered by weak homilies and little else.

A number of Catholic universities have recently received generous grants from the Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative to improve homilies. May God bless this work.

This should be a huge priority of the bishops, who should also be asking if there are other ways to encourage a national, parish-based effort at faith formation.

Is there time before or after Mass to give nuggets of instruction? Can parish missions and demonstration Masses be encouraged? Are there materials, videos and speakers that dioceses can help diffuse through their parishes?

Some of this is happening, often driven by lay speakers and lay organizations. Yet this should be a priority of all church leaders.

The goal should not be to cater to political agendas or theological ideologies. The goal should be to help average adult Catholics know what it is they profess to believe, what it is they are participating in each Sunday, and what it means to be a baptized Christian in today’s world.

Indianapolis may have been a good start. But the parish is where such formation must take place, because it’s where the people are.

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