On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the National Eucharistic Revival executive team gathered in the Quarterback Suite at Lucas Oil Stadium. Together we prayed with Bishop Andrew Cozzens in thanksgiving for the incredible work of the Revival. As we were presented with a rosary from Pope Francis in remembrance of our efforts, I looked around the room and felt overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s goodness and grace.
A few moments later, I noticed Bishop Cozzens standing quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face. Curious, I asked him what was on his mind. With moving honesty he remarked: “I am repenting that I ever doubted that God would do something so marvelous. He always outdoes us in generosity and pours out his graces, even during the darkest times.”
His words sent my mind racing back to March 2020, when a global pandemic had forced the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to meet virtually. There’s a well-known phrase about the significance of being “in the room where it happened,” and I was one of just 20 people—only a handful of us lay leaders—present when the idea for a Eucharistic Revival was first proposed. During a virtual meeting of the Evangelization and Catechesis Committee our conversation centered on the sobering results of a 2019 study that revealed a widespread lack of belief among Catholics in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Bishop Robert Barron was chairing the committee and Bishop Cozzens was preparing to succeed him.
One of the bishops asked “What do you think, Julianne? Can we do this?”
“Only with prayer, fasting, and a lot of hard work,” I replied, and “if we have the seed of the idea, then it must be the Lord that waters and brings that seed to life.”
“Amen,” he said.
In that “Upper Room” moment, fear and uncertainty gave way to a sense of joy and mission.
Out of that conversation, a clear conviction and unity of heart and mind emerged: the Church must respond by renewing itself through a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Though the National Eucharistic Revival formally launched in parishes across the U.S. on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2022, it had already been nurtured for two years by small, dedicated teams of bishops and collaborators, quietly working behind the scenes.
The week of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis was, for me, one of the most difficult. I hadn’t slept in weeks, burdened by anxiety about the talk I was to deliver. Despite having prayed and prepared diligently, something still felt unsettled. I was one of the speakers in the Revival track with a theme of “New Life in Christ,” and had planned to speak about the transformation that comes when we surrender our lives to the Lord.
But then, two nights before my talk, I awoke in the early morning with a strong sense of clarity and peace. I heard the Lord say, “Focus on the word ‘Re.’ The prefix.” So, at 3 a.m. with my rusty Latin skills, I looked up the word. From the Latin, re- can mean “back” (as in recede) or “again” (as in repeat or recast). In that moment, I realized the message needed to shift. My talk needed to be about our constant need to return—again and again—to the Lord. We so often chase the “new” in our spiritual lives that we forget the source from which all renewal flows—the seed from the Word of God and his Eucharistic Presence.
That, ultimately, is what the Eucharistic Revival is about.
Throughout the Congress, there were countless signs of hope—especially among young people. One moment in particular stood out. At Loyola Press, where I serve as Outreach Director for Evangelization and Discipleship, my supervisor John had been especially supportive of my involvement in the Revival. As I prepared my talk, he shared that his son Caleb would be attending and encouraged me to connect with him.
When I finally met Caleb at the event, there was a rush of gratitude and excitement. Seeing the Eucharistic Revival through his eyes—as a young man who, along with his college roommates, had prioritized attending—brought the whole mission into sharper focus. He spoke openly about his hopes and his personal discernment, trusting that the Lord might confirm his vocation during the weekend.
Watching his excitement, all the stress and fatigue melted away. Only the Lord and his work remained.
Months later, I followed up with John. “How’s Caleb doing?” I asked. “I’ve been praying for him since Congress.” John responded that Caleb was in serious discernment to be a priest!
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Caleb and asked him how the Eucharistic Congress impacted his vocational decision. He described the experience of an intensification of his discernment. “I’ve been discerning for the past year and a half” he said, “but the Congress was like that first experience of dating for me—exhilarating. It gave me my first taste of how beautiful priesthood could be.” In fact, one of the priests at Congress asked Caleb if he had ever considered being a priest! In May, Caleb met with his bishop and is awaiting the next step in the process!
As I reflect on the past four years, it was profoundly moving to have been in the room where the vision for the Eucharistic Revival was first born. Yet even more powerful than that moment is witnessing the fruit of that vision take root—like the Eucharist itself, a seed blessed, broken, and shared “for the life of the world” (John 6:51).
That seed is bearing fruit—in the lives of bishops and priests, in Caleb’s journey of discernment, in my own heart, and within my family.
That seed is Jesus Christ. And his love is now deeply rooted in the hearts of Catholics across the country, continuing to bloom in new hearts each day.
