7th National Eucharistic Congress (United States)

The first International Eucharistic Congress owed its inspiration to Bishop Gaston de Ségur, and was held at Lille, France, on June 21, 1881. The initial inspiration behind the idea came from the laywoman Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier who lobbied clergy following the French Revolution in an effort to restore religiosity and Eucharistic devotion to France. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII established a committee to plan the first international Eucharistic congress. In the wake of these international congresses, national congresses sprung up in the United States. Prior to the 1935 event, there were six other National Eucharistic Congresses in the United States, as well as one international congress. Devotion to the practice of Eucharistic adoration had been brought to the Cleveland area by John Neumann during his missionary journeys in Ohio prior to his consecration as Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. Many choirs were prepared by priest and seminary professor Francis Johns, including a women's chorus of 7,000, a children's chorus of 10,000, a men's choir of 3,000, a boy's choir of 300, and a clerical choir of 300. The official theme of the congress was "The Holy Eucharist, The Source and Inspiration of Catholic Action." Pope Pius XI, through his private secretary Diego Venini, sent a chalice for use at the congress. One hundred and twenty-eight altars, each representing one of the existing dioceses in the United States at the time, were set up in the Exposition Hall. Each altar was decorated with a plaque containing the bishop's ecclesiastical coat of arms, with a history of the diocese hung on the back of the altar. == Congress ==

September 23 presents Bishop Schrembs with the chalice from the Pope The papal legate, Patrick Cardinal Hayes, arrived at Terminal Tower at noon via train on September 23. An automobile procession consisting of Hayes, Diego Venini, Joseph Schrembs, Al Smith and others proceeded to St. John's Cathedral; tens of thousands lined the streets. A ceremonial welcome of the papal legate followed inside the cathedral. A civic reception followed in the evening. Civil dignitaries present included mayor of Cleveland Harry Davis, governor of Ohio Martin Davey, and James Farley, United States Postmaster General, who represented Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt sent a message to the congress, stating "without [religion], no nation can long endure... your conference plays its part, therefore, in a great and vital mission for the well-being of the nation." September 24 On the morning of September 24, a Mass celebrated in the Cleveland Public Auditorium included a choir of 3,000 local Catholics and a sermon preached by archbishop John McNicholas, OP of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Amleto Cicognani, apostolic delegate to the United States, spoke to the congress' meeting of priests, stating that a priest much be a "bridge divinely built to join earth to heaven." He also encouraged priests to pray, stating that "to live as a Christian does not mean to recall simply the pages of the Gospel ... but to effectuate an intimate union with Christ from Whom we may secure the means and strength to do good and overcome evil." Other sectional talks were held for religious sisters, college men and women, nurses, journalists, and those in public service. Raymond Kearney, auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn and at the time the youngest bishop in the world at age 33, gave a toast to Pope Pius XI. September 25 On Wednesday morning, a Solemn Pontifical Mass for children was held at 9:30am at the Municipal stadium. A Solemn Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Greek Rite was held at 11:30am, celebrated by Basil Takach in the Cleveland Auditorium. Speakers at the Cleveland Stadium on Wednesday included Fulton Sheen and Al Smith, who spoke against atheism and communism. Sectional meetings were held for parents on the topic of education, social service, and professionals. While it had originally been planned that twenty other Masses would be simultaneously celebrated to provide enough Eucharistic hosts for distribution by 500 priests, the crowd was deemed too large to do so and a spiritual communion was encouraged. A closing procession was participated in by 20,000 people, Upon arrival at the stadium, the procession was addressed by Pope Pius XI via radio. After the message, 20,000 people formed a "living monstrance" by standing on the field in the shape of a cruciform ostensorium. == Legacy ==

An official record of the congress was published in 1936. == Notes ==