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In celebration of our 50th Anniversary we will celebrate our first-ever EC event for our Diocese, which will take place on Oct. 8, 6pm-9pm, and Oct. 9, 9am-6pm, at the RenasantCenter. The Renasant Center is located in downtown Memphis at 255 N Main Street.
A Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy and laity for the purpose of celebrating and glorifying the Holy Eucharist and of seeking the best means to share the graces our Lord offers in this great sacramental mystery of our Faith.
Our Catholic Diocese of Memphis is known as the Land Between the Rivers, the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River. As Bishop Emeritus Terry Steib stated in his homily at our 50th Anniversary Masses: “We are the Rivers of Faith and Lands of Grace.” The Eucharistic Congress promotes awareness of the central place of the Holy Eucharist in between the Rivers of Faith and the Lands of Grace in West Tennessee.
The Catholic Church describes the Holy Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324.)
The theme of our Eucharistic Congress is: That All May Be One. As we, the people of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our Diocese, we remember that we are all members of the One Body in Christ through our Baptism.
In the book of St. Paul’s Message to the Ephesians 4:4-6, it is written: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
There will be an opportunity for those in attendance to visit the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. The Holy Eucharist in Adoration is a heart to heart conversation with Jesus Christ. Adoration can be a powerful experience, as we get to be with Him.
The Sacrament of Penance will be offered on Saturday. In the Sacrament of Penance, also referred to as Reconciliation or Confession, the Priest represents Christ and the Church. “In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1444).
We will celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the beginning and at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Congress, where we will be able to receive the Holy Eucharist. Because sharing at the Eucharistic Table is a sign of unity in the Body of Christ, only those in communion with the Catholic Church may receive Holy Communion. The Holy Eucharist is the Source and summit of our Catholic Faith.
A Eucharistic congress is an assembly of the Catholic faithful intended to show and foster greater devotion to the Lord in the Eucharist. Devotion is shown by the public celebration of the Mass, reception of Holy Communion by the properly disposed Catholics in attendance and periods of exposition with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Devotion is promoted by way of lectures and discussions conducted during the congress. Since the first formal Eucharistic congress held at Lille, France, in 1881, there have been over forty international congresses, two in the United States, at Chicago in 1926 and at Philadelphia in 1976. Pope St. John Paul II attended the 1976 Philadelphia congress. (From the Our Sunday Visitor Catholic Encyclopedia)
There have been numerous local Eucharistic congresses in dioceses throughout the world over the years. This Eucharistic congress marking our 50th year as a diocese here in the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, is our first.
If you are traveling to Memphis, you may want to stay at the Sheraton Hotel, which is located directly across the street from the Renasant Center and is connected by skywalk.
Sheraton Hotel, 250 N. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103
Contact the Sheraton: 901-527-7300.
Other Lodging Options around the Renasant Convention Center
Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown, an IHG Hotel (.2 miles to Renasant) 901-525-1800
Comfort Inn Memphis Downtown (.3 miles to Renasant) 901-526-0583
MOXY Memphis Downtown (.4 miles to Renasant) 901-522-9100
If you are parking at the Renasant Convention Center, parking is $10 and is CASH ONLY, per day.
The Parking Garage is located at 266 N. Front St, entry located on Front Street.
There is a trolley stop at the Renasant Center, if you want to park somewhere else and ride the trolley to the convention center.
