Sharing a journey of discovery, community and remembering to take root

Sitting in a stadium of some 50,000 people, I perceived the Lord make a request: broaden their experience of Church. As a youth minister, I thought I knew what this meant. Growing up, I knew the Church was universal — having over one billion baptized Catholics globally – but I had yet to experience it in a tangible way.
 
Having experienced several local Catholic young adult groups in recent years, I got a taste of that, and attending World Youth Day in Portugal last year really opened my eyes. Though on a much smaller scale, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis built on that, rounding out a sweet “part two.”
 
I was fortunate enough to journey with some of the same people I did last year, some Metuchen seminarians and Sarah Hollcraft, youth minister at the Cathedral of St. Francis, as part of a larger group from the Diocese of Metuchen.
 
The Congress opened in a powerful way. Moving audiovisuals introduced each of the four National Eucharistic Procession routes, which began at different corners of the country and converged in Indiana. The four groups of “perpetual pilgrims,” the chosen few to travel with our Lord the entire duration of their respective route, entered the stadium to roaring applause, and triumphantly carried a framed photo of their route’s patron saint. Following the pilgrims was Jesus in the Eucharist, and we entered a time of Adoration. I will admit, I was initially surprised that the evening began with Adoration, rather than building up to it. Then I remembered, He is the main event!
 
Every morning of the Congress, we prayed the Rosary and participated in Mass alongside our Diocesan group in Lucas Oil Stadium. Then we would break for the numerous breakout sessions. There were different morning tracks, each with a different focus. I attended “Renewal,” a series of sessions for ministry leaders.
 
I ended up spending a good portion of the time on my own, and this freedom to roam allowed for some interesting encounters I might not have had otherwise. I met some “holy-tailgaters” who invited me to eat healthy food with them when I was hungry and rushing to a talk. At the Jason Evert This Is My Body talk, I met a seminarian who had chosen to learn sign language over Spanish because of the need in his diocese. Later, the Holy Spirit led me to a young woman who happened to be one of the perpetual pilgrims from the Marian route! This was probably the most exciting “God-incident” because she let me sit in as an audience of one during a casual interview with a diocesan reporter, and interviewing people is something I would like to do in the future.
 
We all came to the Congress with different kinds of hunger, and the Lord moved to address each one. He fed my hunger for inspiration, good food, and fresh encounters; however, one key hunger growled deeply within me – a hunger for community. In His goodness, God saved the best for last, with a dinner among friends, Saturday evening after the Eucharistic procession through the city streets.
 
Sharing a journey of discovery, community and remembering to take root We gathered as Metuchen young adults to break bread and process how the experience was unfolding for each of us. We revisited the regular small group activity we did during World Youth Day last year, each sharing our “high, low, and God moments.” Ironically, this small moment had the biggest impact on me because I was reminded how much I simply needed to be with Christ-like peers who know and care about me.
 
As young adults, we tend to get lost in the freedom of our state of life, which often allows us to come and go as we please. While this time bears precious fruit of discovery and chance encounters, we must remember the need all of us have for community and genuine connection. We are made for communion, with God and each other.
 
Returning to parish life, I carry this memory with me, that while “broadening our experience of Church” may sometimes mean seeing the tremendous scope of Her life, it also means taking root and deepening simple relationship.
 
Maria Agnese serves as youth minister for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Bernardsville