Parishioners, church leaders from Eastern Shore encouraged by diversity, energy of Diocese of Wilmington Eucharistic Congress

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Attendees from the Eastern Shore of Maryland praised the Eucharistic Congress with superlatives like “awesome,” “amazing,” “exciting,” “beautiful.”

Deacon Frank Hesson of St. Christopher’s Parish on Kent Island said, “The source and summit of our existence is right here today.”

The faithful packed the Roland E. Powell Convention Center Saturday, Oct. 5, for the first diocesan Eucharistic Congress, centered around the theme “The Eucharist: Source & Summit.”

“The center of our being here today was to partake in the Eucharist and understand how this Congress can move us forward as a community to understand and take in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,” Hesson said. “So, it’s awesome, awesome.”

Seminarian Kaya Manizade of St. Francis de Sales in Salisbury, called the event “really exciting.”

“I had the opportunity to attend the (Eucharistic) Congress in Indianapolis, and hearing that Bishop Koenig wanted to do one here at home was great to hear,” Manizade said. “This feels like a little slice of what we experienced in Indianapolis.”

Just down the road at Ocean City’s famed boardwalk, a large country music festival was taking place. Manizade said he was glad the Congress wasn’t “interfered with by the festival.”

The daylong event drew homeschooled teens like Audrey Powell and Isaac Meyer, members of St. Benedict-St. Elizabeth Parish in Caroline County. They had just attended a youth and young adult breakout session titled “We Need Encounter.”

“It was so good,” Powell said, adding speaker Noah Gilchrist “talks a lot about how just learning about God isn’t enough. We have to actually experience him.”

Meyer said, “It’s always awesome being at an event like this, where you see your faith represented by so many people. It’s always encouraging.”

“It’s a wide range of people, and I’m meeting a lot of people from all over the diocese – which is especially good as a seminarian – to get to know all the people that I might later serve,” Manizade said.

Attendees who heard Archbishop Richard Henning’s keynote address said they were inspired.

Sister Virginia Peckham, who serves with the Little Sisters of Mary and Jesus in Salisbury, smiled as she said, “I loved the talk. I just love the way (Archbishop Henning) made the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.”

“And I love the image of the garden and our partnership with God in the Garden,” Sister Virginia said. “And I also love that image of God the Father putting Jesus on his breast, listening to his heart.”

Claire Stevens of St. Benedict-St. Elizabeth Parish thought Bishop Henning’s address was “wonderful.”

“I thought it was like a whole course in salvation history from the point of view of God wanting to have a partnership with humans,” Stevens said. “It was great. It was better than a sermon or a homily; it was more like a class in theology.”

Sherrie Connolly is principal of Saints Peter & Paul Elementary School in Easton, and a member of the parish. “I love how (Archbishop Henning) reminded us of God’s plan and … the gifts in our own lives that we’ve received from the Eucharist, and how we can share (them) with others and bring them to Christ,” she said.

Father Christopher LaBarge of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Salisbury said he wasn’t able to hear the keynote address because the room was already full, “so I spent my time in adoration, which is even better; I listened to a higher speaker.”

As for the overall attendance of the Congress, Father LaBarge said he was “very pleased with the turnout (and) the diversity as well.”

His parish, where he serves as pastor, is “probably our most diverse parish in the diocese,” with Masses in English, Spanish, Korean and Creole and an annual celebration with the Filipino community. “We’re growing and we’re always working at it,” he said.

Bernie Liswell represented the St. Joan of Arc Council Knights of Columbus in Ridgely. “I’m really happy to see the size of the of the crowds,” he said. “And everybody seems to be engaged. I think it’s really nice.”

“There’s a lot of folks here from the Hispanic community, which is really rewarding,” Liswell said.

Father LaBarge said he thinks the Covid pandemic may have been a catalyst in restoring belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

He said a survey conducted before the pandemic cited only 30% of Catholics believed in the Real Presence. “I think more and more of us do believe because we missed it during Covid.”

As he stood in the long line for the second lunch session, Deacon Hesson called the Congress “overwhelming.”

“There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot to take in, and it’s just a beautiful event,” he said. “The diversity is very, very high, which is awesome.

“It’s an amazing turnout.”