May 29, 2025 // Diocese

In Fort Wayne, Bishop Cozzens Urges Eucharistic Devotion

Christopher Lushis

Freelance Writer

On Tuesday, May 20, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., visited St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne to encourage local Catholic leaders to remain steadfast in their pursuit of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Invited by the Fort Wayne chapter of Legatus, a national organization that aims to support Catholic business leaders in their faith, Bishop Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, celebrated Mass and spoke on the importance of being rooted in relationship with Jesus and surrendering to Him.

In his homily, Bishop Cozzens, remarked on the hardships faced by the first disciples of Christ, stating that Christians today should also expect sufferings and similarly respond with prayer, surrender, and trust in order to remain at peace. He also offered a heartfelt story of a bishop who had cancer and was given a penance in confession to pray the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, not my will, but Yours be done.” Bishop Cozzens remarked that it took the bishop all night to pray the entire prayer, but when he finally and honestly surrendered his pain to the Lord, he was given the peace and strength to carry on.

Reminding that difficulties will arise no matter what, he also shared that “a Christian who doesn’t pray is a Christian at risk,” because the Christian life must be rooted in relationship with Jesus.

This led into the remarks of his speech following dinner,
as he began by quoting Pope Francis, telling those in attendance, “Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.” He added the well-known words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive decision.” Bishop Cozzens emphasized that “the encounter with Love itself relativizes all other loves, and it reorients our whole life so we see everything differently.”

He highlighted four essential elements to this encounter. First, the realization that Jesus is God. Second, to realize that all are sinners in need of repentance, recalling the first words of Christ in the Gospel of Mark: “This is the time of fulfillment, the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel.” Third, which happens at the very same moment as the second, is to recognize that despite being sinners, all are infinitely loved! And fourth, each is called to follow Him in a new life. But it all begins with encounter, Bishop Cozzens said, which is the first and most essential step – to come to meet Jesus Christ as a real and living person, not just an idea or set of rules.

Bishop Cozzens preached that “at the heart of our teaching on the Real Presence is the simple truth: The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, who walked on the earth, who suffered and died on the cross, who rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father – this same person of Jesus Christ is really, truly, and substantially present here and now in the Eucharist.”

Touching on his own vocation story and on those who are active in their faith, he shared that Eucharistic adoration and time spent with Jesus in silent prayer has been the heart of this encounter. He continued, saying that “the purpose of adoration is to lead us to communion. We need the experiences of adoration because, in the words of Pope St. John Paul II, ‘in a certain way, the Mass is too short, and we need time outside of Mass to contemplate this mystery so we can get more out of Mass.’” But this requires making time to pursue and seek Him in silence to truly hear His voice, feel the embrace of His love, and allow His words to take root in the soul.

He also remarked upon the success of the recent Eucharistic Congress where so many experienced a renewed devotion and love for Jesus in the Eucharist. He shared that the hope is to have a Eucharistic Congress in various locations throughout the country every four to five years, with the next one being planned for 2029.

After the talk, Bishop Cozzens stayed to answer questions from the Legatus members in attendance, further encouraging the importance of Eucharistic encounters to endure the trials and difficulties of daily life.

Jimmie Schindler II, president of the Fort Wayne Chapter of Legatus, later spoke on the impact of the evening. Schindler, who had his own journey of suffering through a nearly fatal battle with cancer, shared that the bishop’s homily on entering into the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus and surrendering to the will of the Father was particularly powerful to hear. He also revealed his hope for those present at the talk to heed the bishop’s words “to go out into the world and be tabernacles, spreading the good word about the Eucharist, and bring people to Jesus, trusting that hearts will be converted.”

Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., expressed his gratitude for Bishop Cozzens’ visit to the diocese and the willingness to share his own heart and details about his personal relationship with Jesus, which was founded upon time in adoration. Shanks said, “His personal testimony encourages Catholics to make their own Holy Hours, to provide opportunities for similar encounters with Jesus.” Shanks hopes this will lead many more to continue building upon the graces of the Eucharistic Revival and Congress, making an ongoing relationship with Jesus and pursuit of holiness part of everyday life.