November 14, 2025 // National

Bishops Approve 11th National Eucharistic Congress

Gretchen R. Crowe

Our Sunday Visitor

BALTIMORE (OSV News) – In a vote on Wednesday, November 12 – the final public day of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall plenary assembly – the U.S. bishops gave the green light to hold the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 2029.

The location of the event has not yet been made public. However, the possible cities have been narrowed down to three, according to Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., which will organize the event. OSV News has learned that site visits to these three unnamed cities have been completed and that the city announcement likely will come next spring.

The 2029 congress follows the successful 10th National Eucharistic Congress that took place in July of 2024 in Indianapolis as part of the larger three-year National Eucharistic Revival.

In a presentation to the body of bishops, Bishop Cozzens said: “Brothers, I believe that the Eucharistic Revival was a great gift to our country from the Holy Spirit, and I believe that continuing the transformative, unitive events every four years can continue to stoke the fires of revival and support the incredible work that you’re already doing in your dioceses in evangelization,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Bishop Cozzens said one of the gifts of the National Eucharistic Congress is the unity it brings the Church – something he saw with the 2024 congress.

“I think we’ll experience that again in 2029,” he said. “I think it’s actually one of the gifts that the congress gives. It’s like the whole Church gets together as one, and people get to see us united – and especially united around the source of our unity, which is Jesus and the Eucharist.

A theme is in progress, Bishop Cozzens said.

“I know that it will be a beautiful experience of the power of the Holy Spirit, and especially the power of evangelization when we honor Jesus and the Eucharist,” he said.

“I hope everybody comes,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Speaking of everybody, the U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV might be at the top of that invitation list. But Bishop Cozzens would not confirm whether the USCCB has formally issued an invitation.

“Let’s just put it this way: If the pope wants to come, we would welcome him,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc. and a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Fort Wayne, told OSV News the bishops’ overwhelming approval for a 2029 National Eucharistic Congress “really is a recognition of all the work the Lord has done over this revival.”

He noted there has been extensive discernment on the part of the bishops over the past year, between their conversations and examination of the impact study.

“I took it as a real positive affirmation of the fruits that we’re seeing and starting to see in the impact study,” he said.

Shanks said he’s going for “bigger and better” as they look toward 2029.

“I think there’s a lot of people that have said, ‘I wish I was there. I wish I was a part of it,’” he said. “We’re excited about it. We’re already planning for growth, not only growth in terms of numbers, but programming space and things.”

He said, “I can’t tell you the city yet, but I’m excited by where I think this is going.”