By Jessica Easthope
Preparations are already underway down under: Australia will host the next International Eucharistic Congress in 2028 in its capital city, Sydney.
Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher has been holding meetings with the Vatican to iron out the details of the event.
“You have a great opportunity to evangelize and catechize and excite people about the faith,” Archbishop Fisher said. “Then the celebration itself, and then the years afterwards of reaping the fruits of that.”
Archbishop Fisher says one of the greatest challenges for Catholics today is valuing the Eucharist.
“After the period of COVID, after a long period of secularization in Western countries, like my own, there are a lot of Catholics who are not very connected with the Eucharistic or as connected as they should be,” he said. “And I would hope to rejuvenize people’s love for the Eucharistic, for the celebration of Eucharist, for praying with the Eucharist, for the Eucharistic community that is in each parish church and group.”
The arrival of Catholics from the Philippines, Lebanon and Vietnam to the Archdiocese of Sydney has brought a new vitality and even some never-before-seen traditions to Australia.
“Our Corpus Christi procession is growing and growing and growing every year to such a scale that it is now is a very major operation, and it closes many streets to make it happen,” Archbishop Fisher said. “We also have processions for Our Lady, procession for St. Joseph. The processions are growing and growing in Sydney.”
It’s a popular piety that paves the way for the next International Eucharistic Congress.