The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress takes place at St Mary’s College, Oscott on Saturday 14 September 2024. It has been scheduled to coincide with the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador from 8 – 15 September 2024. This enables us to unite in our parishes, and at Oscott, with the universal Catholic Church as we come before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Unlike Adoremus in Liverpool in 2018, this is not a public event, each diocese will be sending invited pilgrims.
The fact that there are limited, invitation-only places for Adoremus at Oscott doesn’t mean that Catholics throughout England and Wales are excluded – far from it.
On Sunday 15 September the Bishops of England and Wales have invited all parishes to have a period of Exposition to unite the faithful in focusing on the Eucharist with renewed and deepened devotion.
By Catherine Vaux (Sacred Heart, Tisbury) who attended with Deacon Stephen Godwin
Saturday, 14 September 2024
St Mary’s College, Oscott, was the venue for the first Eucharistic Procession after the Reformation. In 2024, our National Eucharistic Congress took place in this holy place. It offered the opportunity for us to pray and walk in procession once more as
we demonstrated our devotion to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Our shared witness helped lead the Church in her preparations for the Jubilee Year that is celebrated globally in 2025.
Just one parishioner from each Parish in every Diocese went. I was in the right place at the right time and was asked if I would like to go! Deacon Steve and I drove together just before dawn to pick up the Clifton coach at Gloucester service station. Our guardian angels got us there in record time and so we were able to park on the southbound side, walk through the tunnel under the M5 and be ready for the coach as it arrived soon after 8am. This was a joyous beginning and I met up with five Lourdes friends from a few weeks ago. When we arrived at Oscott there was Nohil D'Souza, one of our Clifton seminarians, very much in charge and looking after us (he was also a Lourdes pilgrim last month). There were about 1000 people there, so, very busy, but ordered and so quiet and prayerful during Mass and Adoration. During the Eucharistic Procession we sung hymns and had moments of contemplation:
behold the Lamb of God,
hold the Lamb of God
and hold on to the Lamb of God
rung in our ears and hearts.
What made Adoremus on Saturday even more beautiful was knowing that all churches in the country would have some time for Adoration on Sunday. Knowing too that in Quito the International Eucharistic Congress was being held at the same time, brought the faithful together across the world, praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Adoremus 2024: Sister Margaret Atkins OSA reflects on Christian hope and the Eucharist
Sister Margaret Atkins, an Augustinian sister and theologian from Boarbank Hall in Cumbria, gave this wonderful talk on Christian hope at the Adoremus National Eucharistic Congress held at Oscott College on Saturday, 14 September 2024.
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS INDIANAPOLIS
In July the USA held their own Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, with over 60,000 people attending. Please find below some of the key speeches .