July 15, 2024 // Diocese
‘There’s too Much Momentum – It Can’t Stop here’
Jason Shanks Discusses the Past, Present, and Future of Catholic Revival in the United States
Since the earliest days of the National Eucharistic Revival, Jason Shanks and other Catholic leaders have been working behind the scenes to implement what, at the time, was more conceptual than concrete. In the summer of 2021, there was no congress yet, no speakers, no perpetual pilgrims – only the idea of a revival.
As the country was coming out of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bishops of the United States were grappling with a sobering statistic. In 2019, the Pew Research Center published a survey claiming that fewer than 1 in 3 Catholics believed that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist, with the other two-thirds believing it was merely a symbol of Christ’s body and blood. With churches across the country closed out of an abundance of safety, the pandemic, it seemed, exacerbated the problem.
Out of this, the National Eucharistic Revival was born, and with it, the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, where tens of thousands of Catholics from across the country will flock to take part in a five-day celebration of Christ living among us in the Blessed Sacrament.
But in the spring and summer of 2021, Shanks himself was dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19. In November of 2020, the president of the OSV Institute for Catholic Innovation went to the hospital after having trouble breathing. He didn’t return home until three months later, living much of that time in a drug-induced coma after nearly dying from the virus. He credits the prayers of his family and friends – specifically, their seeking the intercession of St. Jude – with his remarkable recovery.
Shortly after he returned to OSV in the summer of 2021, Shanks, along with Scott Richert, Publisher of OSV, joined the executive committee of the National Eucharistic Revival at the urging of Bishop Rhoades.
“I remember it vividly, because I was still trying to figure out how to put my shirt on at the time,” said Shanks, who along with his wife, Melissa, and their five children has lived in the diocese since 2017. They are members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Wayne.
Three years later, with revival ongoing and the opening of the congress near, Shanks recently was named the next CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., the organization largely responsible for planning the national revival, congress, and pilgrimage. He had been serving as president of the NEC since August of 2023. Shanks will step into his new role this August, following the outgoing CEO, Tim Glemkowski, who has headed the organization since April of 2022. Now, Shanks has been tasked with carrying forward the momentum the Church has built throughout the course of the revival.
“The idea is that this important work will continue,” Bishop Rhoades told Today’s Catholic. “The revival still needs to take place, and Jason is so well equipped to do that. Not only is he a man of deep faith, but he has skills for administration and organization that have already proven to be very fruitful for the upcoming congress.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Today’s Catholic, Shanks discusses the early days of planning the revival and the congress, why this movement was necessary, how the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has embraced it all, and what he’s most looking forward to in Indianapolis.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Today’s Catholic: What was the vision of the revival at the beginning, and can you explain why it was so necessary at this point in time in the history of the Church in the United States?
Shanks: This seems like I’m not answering your question directly, but let me say it this way: I’ve been sitting back and trying to figure out why this pilgrimage is working so well. So, I’m a guy who, for the last five to six years, has been studying ideas, studying trends, studying movements within the Church, and this pilgrimage is really a fascinating study. And the reason I say that is because everybody has done processions in their parishes and dioceses. It works, right? This one is taking on a life of its own, and the question is: Why?
As I’ve been thinking about it, I’ve been thinking about this COVID experience we all had, where, on a national level, everything was shut down. Everybody was sent home. Parishes were closed. People were not having Communion. And it required a national response. The Church is best when it’s on mission. And so now we have these pilgrims who are going across the country with Jesus. … But what makes this unique or different? I have to believe it has to be something to do with the history, the scale, the vastness – that the thousands of people who are coming out to attend these events feel that they’re a part of something significant. I really believe that what is occurring in this pilgrimage is almost a more authentic look at how Catholics can evangelize, how Catholics can do mission. I just feel like there’s a hunger from Catholics, especially after this COVID experience, to say, “We want to do something that no one’s ever done before.”
I was telling Bishop [Andrew] Cozzens [of Crookston, Minnesota, who is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Eucharistic Congress] that these events could have only happened right now because of the COVID shutdowns, the abuse scandals, the Cardinal McCarrick scandal, and all these other things we face today as a culture. Everybody was yearning for something unitive, positive, mission-oriented, history-making.
And also, let’s just say this: The bishops of our country deserve an enormous amount of credit for this. They identified a problem, took the problem seriously, put a plan together, and used their resources and time to make a national commitment to solving it. I think too often people criticize the bishops, but this is the bishops working collectively at their best to be shepherds to their flocks in a very tangible way.
Early on in this revival, there was a discussion that we need to help people understand the Real Presence, but I think what you’re starting to see is people discovering the Eucharistic heart of Jesus, and it’s really taking hold. If this movement were to just stop at the Congress, gosh, it would have been a great two years – because there’s a whole other year of the revival left – and I think people would be like, “Wow, that was great.” … But I see it like the Sermon on the Mount. I think people just dismiss events, but this is really, in my view, the national Church being lit on fire and then sent out, and then that’s what that third year is about. How do we bring people back to church? How do we bring them to Jesus? How do we bring them to the Eucharist? So, for me, personally, I’ve seen this movement play out in my own life, and I feel like God’s called me to this moment. Frankly, looking at the history of the Church in the United States, it seems like this moment – this movement – is happening for a particular reason that’s solely being directed by Him.
Today’s Catholic: How do we as a Church – from priests to bishops to laypeople to those who work in parish and diocesan ministries – get Catholics in the pews to see that the Eucharist is what the Second Vatican Council said in Lumen Gentium: the source and summit of our faith?
Shanks: I worked for a diocese for a better part of my career, and this isn’t a criticism, but sometimes what happens is we just try to be all things to all people and try to do everything. But there is a prioritization that has to occur, and you have to major on your majors and minor on your minors, and to your point, this clearly would be a major priority and should be a major priority. But what I would point out is that a framework is emerging through this revival that will influence the entire mission of our work. We simply have to compel or convince them this is the central point to everything that we’re all doing.
Let’s just take the area of evangelization. Arguably, for the last 30 to 40 years, we’ve just been adopting the evangelical way of evangelizing. I think a more authentic way is starting to emerge of what it means for a Catholic to share their faith. I don’t necessarily think that means we take Jesus on the streets all the time. That’s not what I mean. But it’s clear that evangelization must be rooted in the Eucharist – in Christ truly present right here and right now. If we can manage to convey this, if we can get this right, watch out.
It is clear to me that Jesus is on the move, and that the Holy Spirit is doing something amazing, and we just need to see what’s next.
Today’s Catholic: You obviously have an interesting perspective in that you’ve been a part of this at the national level since the beginning, but what have you seen regarding this revival and congress from the local level as someone who lives and works in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend?
Shanks: Our diocese has had a very unique leadership role in all of this. Through his role as Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, Bishop Rhoades stewarded the document on the Eucharist [“The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church”]. When we did the diocesan year of the revival, everybody pointed to the procession that was done here in the diocese. When we were figuring out the national pilgrimage, we piloted it between Fort Wayne and South Bend. And obviously OSV, which is a great asset to the diocese and to the national Church, has been a key part in all of this.
I recently saw the video that went kind of viral of the newly ordained priest at St. Vincent [Father Caleb Kruse], and you really get the sense that real revival is happening in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. But I would argue, and I’ve told this to Bishop Rhoades, this revival has already been happening in our diocese, starting years ago. Even that the congress will be held in Indiana – it just strikes me that this is not coincidence. We have a bishop who is a true shepherd and leader within the Church, from a diocese that has led the country in much of these efforts, and I would challenge the leaders and faithful of the diocese to ask: What does revival look like going forward, especially as we begin the Year of Mission. We have to think about how we as a diocese are going to walk with others. How are we going to bring them to Mass? What is our sense of evangelization? But when you look at all this going on within the Church, Fort Wayne-South Bend is in the center of it, and, to me, as someone who lives here and loves this diocese, that is incredible to think about.
Every step of the way, this diocese has showed up and led the way, including the fact – and this is an exceptional testament to everyone in the diocese – that, as of now, Fort Wayne-South Bend will have the highest attendance at the congress of any diocese in the country, almost to the point of double the attendance of most other dioceses.
I would love for this diocese not just to think, “OK, we’ve done our part,” but now take the next step and ask what the Year of Mission is going to look like here, and how can we step up and be leaders in that area, too.
Today’s Catholic: Let’s shift a little bit and talk about the congress getting ready to take place in Indianapolis. What are you personally excited for about the congress, and what should other people be looking forward to about these upcoming five days in Indianapolis?
Shanks: I personally am looking forward to being delighted and surprised. I think that the Lord is going to do things that will hopefully – please, God! – do things that I haven’t thought about. We’ve done the details, we’ve made safety plans, we’ve done logistics, and crowd management, and all these things, but ultimately, we do all that because we’ve got to get out of the way because the Holy Spirit is going to do His thing, and I am excited about just being inspired – and being in awe of what He is doing.
You know, you design stages, you get the programming, you come up with the themes, you get the speakers – all of it, right? And there’s going to be plenty of mistakes, there’s going to be plenty of things that don’t work. … But I want everyone just to trust that if they come with an open heart, God is going to delight and inspire them. Sometimes we can have a critical spirit, but try to leave that at home. Come with a sense of docility and an openness to what the Holy Spirit might do. It’s going to touch people’s heart.
They should come for the encounter. Certainly, there are going to be the speakers they listen to and watch. Certainly, there are going to be bishops and cardinals, and there’s going to be a big show, and the liturgies are going to be beautiful. The music is out of this world. It’s not every day that a stadium is full of Catholics worshiping Jesus in the Eucharist. It just doesn’t happen anymore. But ultimately, I hope people come for a deepening of their encounter with Christ, and maybe even also for a sense of hope. … This is a national moment that I think people should embrace, and it should give them hope.
I get that people might see this as an event, and I think it started out that way even for those who were planning it, but I don’t think that’s what this has become. I know what a conference is. I know what an event is. … This to me seems more like calling Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount an event or calling the feeding of the 5,000 an event. That’s not what this is.
Today’s Catholic: You’re a husband and a father of five. How has your family served as motivation to do this work for the revival and the congress?
Shanks: Really, I did it for my kids. And not just for them but for my future grandkids. That’s what this is about. They’ve never experienced a Church like this. They’ve never seen this, right? And so, I think this is going to have an impact on their faith.
The people who are walking the pilgrimage are younger. That’s what I don’t think people realize fully: This is touching young people. And so, I’m excited for my kids to have experiences they’ve never had. There’s liturgies they’ve never seen and languages they’ve never heard. I think, as parents, this is a really neat moment for us see and experience the universal Church in a way that we’ve never gotten to before, and that’s just so amazing.
And for us, in this diocese, it’s happening right in our own backyard. Families here can go experience this. Just come down for the day! We have a kids play area. We have a huge exhibit hall that has a way for kids to do service projects. We have passports for kids to go find different things in the exhibit area. In the evening sessions, we have areas for families to pull out the kids, but also, when they pull them out, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is there for them to do. … For my kids, I have a 6-year-old, I think he’s going to be mesmerized by the musicians, the band, the football field, the stage, the size, the magnitude. … I think he’ll be enchanted by the whole thing, and because of that, he’ll get to actually experience it in a way that might be foundational to his faith.
Today’s Catholic: You’ve been up to your elbows in this thing, making the sausage, so to speak. What has being a part of this done for your own impression of the Church today – and also your own personal faith?
Shanks: It’s been beyond humbling. I’m humbled that I get to be a part of this. I’m moved, and it’s given me a tremendous amount of hope. I’m a guy, again, who spent six years or so looking for the new ideas that are going to bring forth the New Evangelization. I think this is it.
My personal faith has really grown in ways I hadn’t expected – in particular, in my love for the Eucharist. I think I knew the Eucharist in the sense of apologetics and in Scripture, especially in John Chapter 6. But now, Jesus in the Eucharist has become much more personal for me. I feel like I relate more. … And I have great personal hope. I must tell you, just personally, I thought before I got sick with COVID that I had really accomplished everything in my life that I wanted to do, and then I got sick. And I woke up and apparently, God said, “OK, I want you to go do this.” And it’s been a real blessing and privilege.
Here’s a quick story: I was at the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning of the pilgrimage in San Francisco, and the next day I was walking with the perpetual pilgrims as they were processing with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets, and as we were walking, we turned this blind corner, and on the other side of this corner, we could see about 500 people in a park, waiting for Jesus. And it took my breath away. I was shocked, and I thought, OK, this is worth it. All this work that the Holy Spirit has done through all these people, all these meetings, all this … frustration at times … it’s all been worth it.
Today’s Catholic: How did this personal growth influence your willingness to lead the National Eucharistic Congress Inc. into the future?
Shanks: When I was discerning what this is going to be going forward, I started looking at my own arc, if you will, and I realized that God did something in my COVID experience. … What I’m realizing is that God was leading me through this idea of understanding Jesus in the tabernacle through my own immobility, to the point where the first thing I did work-wise was show up at this meeting, to getting as involved as I was and helping with this incredible project. So, taking this initiative forward became an easier decision than I thought, because I was like, I think the Lord has directed me, for whatever reason, to do this. And then very early on with the revival, at the very first meeting – I was still struggling to speak at the time – and I stopped the whole meeting and said, “Can we start with the ending in mind and ask how we are defining success?”
And I said, from OSV’s standpoint at the time, we don’t want to fund an event. We don’t want to fund a three-year initiative. This has to go on. It’s what I’m very passionate about, and why I’m taking this on. It has to keep going. There’s too much momentum. It can’t stop here.
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