Carrying the Banner

Fr. Matthew and the St. Isidore Youth Delegate team represented our parish at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. In this newsletter series, our youth share reflections on their encounter with Christ in the Eucharist.

On our first day in Indianapolis, we woke up early and hopped on a bus that took us to a small local church, where we would join the final leg of the Eucharistic procession that started two months earlier on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

When we entered the church, we had some quiet adoration with the Lord in the Eucharist. It was a time of peace and meditation, and it truly helped me prepare and reflect on what we were about to do. Once adoration finished, we followed the priest out the door and the final leg of the procession began. It was truly spectacular to see so many Catholics on fire for the Lord, processing through the streets of Indianapolis on the way to the Congress and eventually Lucas Oil Stadium.

I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to carry the banner at the front of procession. I quickly rushed to the front and took the banner. While leading the procession, I began to look at the bystanders — some recording on their phones, some talking to their friends, and nearly all of them just staring at us. It was moving to see that while Christ was impacting not only us who were walking with Him, but He was also moving the people around us, who may not have had the chance to know Him yet.

What most impacted me most was a family who knelt on the sidewalk and joined us in song. It was inspiring and amazing to see their reaction — how they loved the Lord in public, without any hesitation, as they recognized the presence of Jesus. This event made the purpose of the Congress clear to me — to bring faith back to the United States, to spread His word to all.

This event made the purpose of the Congress clear to me — to bring faith back to the United States, to spread His word to all.

—Max, St. Isidore parishioner and high school senior