Congress emcees hope revival sessions deepen attendees' experience of Jesus in Eucharist

(OSV News) -- National Eucharistic Congress attendees are likely to recognize the faces of the daily revival session emcees, who are known for their prominent media presence and various ministries.

Montse Alvarado, Sister Miriam James Heidland and Father Josh Johnson will host the multi-hour sessions, which feature some of the most popular speakers at the congress, such as Bishop Robert E. Barron, Father Mike Schmitz and Jonathan Roumie.

Alvarado is president and COO of EWTN News and founding anchor of the weekly show "News in Depth." Sister Miriam, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, is an author known for leading healing retreats for priests and sisters and hosting the podcast "Abiding Together." Father Johnson, a priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is host of the "Ask Father Josh" podcast, in which he answers questions about living the Catholic faith, and has written several books, including the "Pocket Guide to Adoration."

Scheduled for July 17-21 in Indianapolis, the National Eucharistic Congress is the pinnacle of the National Eucharistic Revival, the U.S. bishops' three-year initiative launched in 2022 to inspire greater understanding of and love for Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist.

The revival sessions aim to bring together some 50,000 congress participants in Lucas Oil Stadium during the congress's first four evenings, with a morning revival session planned for the congress's final day ahead of its closing Mass.

Revival sessions are scheduled for 7-10 p.m. ET Wednesday (July 17), 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday (July 18), 7-9:30 p.m. Friday (July 19), 7-10 p.m. Saturday (July 20) and 8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday (July 21). They will be livestreamed at the National Eucharistic Congress' website, www.eucharisticcongress.org, and broadcasted live by the Eternal Word Television Network and Relevant Radio.

Father Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, as well as pastor of Baton Rouge's Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, said that the emcees, in addition to introducing the revival speakers, will "prayerfully sit with their talks as they're speaking, and then get up there and give a follow-up."

For Father Johnson, emceeing at the congress connects with his goal of bringing people closer to the Eucharist. Although he was raised Catholic, he fell away from his faith while in high school. At a friend's invitation, he went to a Catholic conference with Eucharistic adoration, and "that's where I received the love of Jesus," he said.

"My entire priesthood has been about pointing people to the Eucharist," he told OSV News.
The revival structure is going to "give us space to really pastor the participants" and, following a speaker, say "let's just all sit with that right now and let's pray together. Let's unpack that and go deeper, which I'm really excited about."

The revival sessions include Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions and prayers for healing. They will also feature worship music from Dave and Lauren Moore, co-founders of Catholic Music Initiative. On Saturday evening, Catholic musician Matt Maher will lead worship.

While the revival sessions will be in English, Alvarado plans to welcome attendees in Spanish at each revival session. She told OSV News she believes her bilingual capabilities are something she can particularly offer the congress.

"The congress is so beautiful," she said. "I'm so excited for the church to encounter itself, to see -- truly see -- the people that make up the wonderful church in the U.S."

"The church in the United States is so unique because we are such a microcosm of the global church," Alvarado added. "There's so much immigration here, so the congress is kind of this really small slice of what the universal church looks like worldwide, but in one place, and so it's unique in that way."

Alvarado said she has been preparing for the role with intense prayer and Eucharistic adoration, "just saying, 'OK, what are you looking for in this? What does this evening need to be?' And then realizing that we're going to have to pray and think quickly, and really rely on the Holy Spirit for every day (of the congress) that comes after, because they're supposed to build.

"There's only so much planning you can do, because you're responding to a 40,000-person audience, culminating over when they arrive up until the last Mass on the last day," she added. "As a trio, we have to work together to reflect that journey, in a reflection, and that's going to be a remarkable moment. My heart is so excited to pray with those two powerhouses, who I know are instruments of the Holy Spirit."

Father Johnson said he hopes people leave the congress "with an increased desire to sit with him (Jesus in the Eucharist) more."

"The very first mandate that he gave the apostles after their ordination at the Last Supper, it wasn't to teach or to preach or evangelize, it wasn't to make disciples of all nations," he said. "The very first mandate he gave them after their ordination was to sit, watch and pray before his body, blood, soul and divinity in the garden," he said. "My first desire is like, 'Lord, I hope that people just desire to sit with you more, because the fruit of sitting with the Lord more in adoration … (as the saints demonstrate is) they were then able to go out and do these magnificent works that transformed society, that built up a civilization of love in their own land that they were all in.

"And I believe that's what the world is missing right now," he said. "It's ministries and apostolates that are the fruit of adoration, that are the fruit of our relationship with Jesus Christ, which is cultivated when we simply sit, watch and pray."