Relics of 6 Special Saints will be on Display at the US National Eucharistic Congress to Inspire!



The National Eucharistic Congress announced special relics will be displayed in their reliquary chapel within the Indiana Convention Center during the event from July 15–20; from noon to 6:30 p.m. 
These Saints all had a special devotion to the Eucharist. (See What is a Relic at bottom of this post)
The organizers wrote:
Relics of the patrons of the National Eucharistic Revival, Congress, and Pilgrimage will be on display for veneration Wednesday–Saturday in the Convention Center. Please join us in asking for their intercession on behalf of the Eucharistic Revival movement and our Church as we enter this new chapter of apostolic mission!
Patrons of the National Eucharistic Revival and Congress:
Blessed Carlo Acutis (special intercessor of the Revival)
The millennial teen,Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) was an English-born Italian computer programmer who became known as “the patron saint of the Internet” and “the first millennial saint.” Born in London to Italian parents, he moved to Milan shortly after birth. Despite his parents' initial lack of devotion, Carlo was deeply interested in Catholicism from a young age, attending daily Mass and showing great devotion to the Eucharist. Known for his acts of kindness, he helped the poor and defended bullied peers. Carlo taught himself computer programming and created a website documenting eucharistic miracles, which became a valuable religious resource. He died of leukemia at age 15 and was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020. His life and works continue to inspire many, particularly for his innovative use of technology to spread faith. (Britannica)
St. Manuel González García (patron of the Revival)
Saint Manuel Gonzalez Garcia was born in Seville on February 25, 1877, and entered the Minor Seminary of Seville in September 1889. Ordained by Blessed Cardinal Spínola, he celebrated his first Mass on September 29, 1901. Sent to Palomares del Río, he found a neglected church and started the "Unión Eucarística Reparadora." At 28, he was sent to Huelva, where he focused on founding schools and teaching catechesis. Appointed auxiliary bishop of Málaga in 1915 by Pope Benedict XV, he famously celebrated his appointment with a banquet for the city's poorest children. Expelled during the 1931 Republic proclamation, he became bishop of Palencia in 1935. Falling ill in 1939, he died on January 4, 1940, in Madrid and was buried at the Cathedral of Palencia. Recognized for his virtues in 1998, he was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis.
St. Paschal Baylón (patron of all Eucharistic Congresses) (https://stcdio.org/saint-manuel-gonzalez-garcia/)
Patrons of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Routes:
The Veil of Our Lady
On loan from the Chartres Cathedral is the Veil of Mary (Sancta Camisa)  is an oblong piece of silk that Mary is reported to have worn during the Annunciation of Jesus’ birth by the angel Gabriel, and/or during her labor and delivery of Jesus. History of the Veil King Charles the Bald gave the veil to the Chartres Cathedral in 876. His grandfather, Charlemagne, had received it as a gift from the Byzantine Empress Irene. When tested in the twentieth century, the cloth contained pollen from first-century Palestine. (https://praywithjillatchartres.com/mary/the-veil-of-mary/)
St. Junípero Serra
Saint Junipero Serra was born Miguel José on November 24, 1713, in Petra, Majorca, Spain. He joined the Franciscans in 1730, adopting the name Junipero. After becoming a priest and earning a doctorate in theology, he left for missionary work in America in 1749. Serra dedicated his life to evangelizing, first with the Pame Indians in Sierra Gorda and later in Baja and Upper California. Despite enduring physical hardships, he founded nine missions in California, including San Diego and San Francisco, significantly impacting the region’s religious and economic development. Serra died on August 28, 1784, at Mission San Carlos. His efforts led to the baptism of thousands of Native Americans. Beatified in 1988 by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Francis in 2015, Serra is honored as the Apostle of California, with numerous monuments and memorials commemorating his contributions. (USCCB)
St. Juan Diego
Saint Juan Diego who was canonized in 2002, was the one to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in Mexico during the 16th century. The poor Indian peasant became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas. The Holy Father called the new saint “a simple, humble Indian” who accepted Christianity without giving up his identity as an Indian.   First called Cuauhtlatohuac (“The eagle who speaks”), Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. After the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady. During his 1990 pastoral visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honor of Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later the same pope proclaimed him a saint. This led to the conversion of millions in Mexico. (Franciscan Media)
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), the first American to be canonized as a saint, was born into a wealthy Episcopalian family in New York City on August 28, 1774. After marrying William Magee Seton in 1794 and having five children, she faced tragedy when her husband died of tuberculosis in Italy in 1803. Drawn to Roman Catholicism, she converted in 1805, despite facing financial struggles and social discrimination. In 1808, she moved to Baltimore and opened the first Catholic school for girls in the United States. She founded the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809, and served as their first superior. Despite losing two daughters to tuberculosis and struggling with her own health, she continued her work until her death on January 4, 1821. Beatified in 1959 and canonized in 1975, Seton's legacy includes miraculous healings attributed to her intercession. She remains a patron saint of Catholic schools, widows, and seafarers. (https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-ann-seton)
The Shroud of Turin A replica of the Shroud of Turin, part of an educational exhibit, will be on display in the Wabash Ballroom Three of the Indiana Conversion Center each day of the congress. Eucharistic adoration will be available 24 hours a day during the congress at St. John the Evangelist Church next to the Indiana Convention Center starting at 9 a.m. on July 15th and ending at 9 a.m on July 21st.
What is a Relic in the Catholic Church?
The current Catechism of the Catholic Church states: 1674 Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals, catechesis must take into account the forms of piety and popular devotions among the faithful. The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc.
The word relics comes from the Latin reliquiae (the counterpart of the Greek leipsana) which already before the propagation of Christianity was used in its modern sense, viz., of some object, notably part of the body or clothes, remaining as a memorial of a departed saint. The veneration of relics, in fact, is to some extent a primitive instinct, and it is associated with many other religious systems besides that of Christianity.   Doctrine regarding relics The teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to the veneration of relics is summed up in a decree of the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV), which enjoins on bishops and other pastors to instruct their flocks that "the holy bodies of holy martyrs and of others now living with Christ—which bodies were the living members of Christ and 'the temple of the Holy Ghost' (1 Corinthians 6:19) and which are by Him to be raised to eternal life and to be glorified are to be venerated by the faithful, for through these [bodies] many benefits are bestowed by God on men, so that they who affirm that veneration and honour are not due to the relics of the saints, or that these and other sacred monuments are uselessly honoured by the faithful, and that the places dedicated to the memories of the saints are in vain visited with the view of obtaining their aid, are wholly to be condemned, as the Church has already long since condemned, and also now condemns them." Further, the council insists that "in the invocation of saints the veneration of relics and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed and all filthy lucre abolished."
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia

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