Jacksonville, Fla. – Next week, Bishop Felipe J. Estévez will initiate one of his top priorities since becoming the tenth Bishop of St. Augustine last June – a call for Catholics to come home and become more intimately involved in their faith.

Bishop Estévez, the leader of more than 180,000 registered Catholics in a 17-county region of North Florida, has voiced a deep desire to bring Catholics back to the practice of their faith and he plans to do that by helping them grow in their love for the Eucharist.

On March 9-10, Bishop Estévez will host the first of five annual Eucharistic Congresses with Bishop Robert Baker of the Diocese of Birmingham as the keynote speaker and Mike Buresh, meteorologist for FOX 30 Action News serving as the Master of Ceremonies. It all takes place at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 11757 Old St. Augustine Road in Jacksonville.

What is a Eucharistic Congress? 

It is a local or regional meeting where a bishop gathers his faithful for the purpose of deepening their understanding of, and devotion to, the Eucharist – promoting an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the church. The Catholic Church teaches that by receiving Communion at Mass, Catholics are called to a deeper union with Christ, a closer identity with all the faithful, a commitment to the poor, and a pledge of future glory.

Several Eucharistic Congresses have been held in the United States since 1895 when the first American Eucharistic Congress convened in Washington, D.C. The last Eucharistic Congress to be held in the Diocese of St. Augustine occurred in the year 2000 at the University of North Florida under the leadership of Bishop John J. Snyder.

The Eucharistic Congress will begin Friday, March 9, at 7 p.m. with a concert of sacred music followed by evening prayers with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

It will continue Saturday, March 10, with a Mass at 9 a.m., Bishop Baker’s keynote address on “The Fruits of Holy Communion” at 10:45 a.m. Following his talk there will be lunch and time for more prayer and presentations in Spanish and English.

The Eucharistic Congress is open to all members of Christian faiths at no charge. There is a children’s track but pre-registration and a fee for materials and lunch is required.

For further details, including the full schedule, please visit www.dosafl.com.