I have been reflecting on an event that I have attended for two years in a row now- the Eucharistic Congress in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.  It is a time when thousands of Catholics gather near the airport for workshops, motivational speakers, and worship.  The Eucharistic Congress that I attended in 2008 was my first real “event” as a new Catholic, and what an eye-opening experience it was.

On Friday night of the weekend, I stumbled into what I call the Catholic flea market.  Most Southerners can appreciate a good flea market, and this one was an auditorium filled with booths of the faithful selling statues, t-shirts, books, devotionals, dvds, jewelry, pictures, etc.  You name it – all the Catholic trinkets were there.  The whole scene was fascinating.  Just as I rounded one of the corners of an aisle I came face to face with Archbishop Gregory, who was taking in the evening and greeting visitors.  I was so surprised, having admired him from a distance and not yet having met him, that I exclaimed, “Hey—Hey, I’m new- I’m a new Catholic!”  To which he graciously responded, “Well welcome.”  We shook hands, and I moved on.  As I walked away, I heard the next person say “Hello Your Excellency.”  Ooops.  That was embarrassing.

The real wonder lay in Saturday’s mass, however.  The 2 hour liturgical service that took place as the culmination of the weekend was a sensual sensation.  Southern Chick “A” and I sat down prior to the beginning of the mass and looked around, only to find ourselves in what I would call the Asian section of the audience.  No one was speaking English.  Next to me was a young man of east Indian descent who stayed on his knees (on the hard concrete floor) the entire mass, praying from a personal and well-worn prayer book.  Members of parishes processed in with banners from each church;  the prayers of the people were said in 6 different languages;  and priests who had been ordained all over the world were con-celebrants.  Suddenly I felt real far from Georgia- like I had been transported to another world, quite literally.

Each Sunday at my local parish, a lay person stands up, welcomes everyone, and begins with these words,” Today the Universal Church celebrates”…..the second Sunday of Easter….or Pentecost…or whatever Sunday it is.  At my first Eucharistic Congress, I got a great picture of that Universal Church.

If you want to find out more about the Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta, go to www.archatl.com.

Chick “B”