Considering The Eucharistic Revival from the perspective of 1904

Let’s take a little detour away from that dense, yet strangely nebulous cloud of Synodality that looms ahead and set our sights, for just a moment on the other current attempt to diagnose and fix Catholic spiritual ills: the Eucharistic Revival.

It’s not a complete break from Synodizing, of course. Both efforts claim to be centered on examining the miserable, ever-declining numbers and desultory spirit of North American and European Catholicism. What’s going on? Why are people drifting away or outright running? Why doesn’t anyone believe anything anymore? What should we do?

Who can we blame?

The American bishops’ current Eucharistic Revival will culminate in the summer of 2024 with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, cost at least $299 per adult attending for a five-day pass.

So there’s that.

This isn’t the first Eucharistic Congress, of course. International Eucharistic Congresses have been held regularly since the first in Lille, France in 1881. The last was in 2021 in Hungary, and the next will be in September 2024 in Quito, Ecuador.

The most well-known Eucharistic Congress in the United States was held in 1926 in Chicago, an event that is widely credited with raising the profile and, one might suggest, legitimacy of the Church in the United States. Tens of thousands participated, and if you want, you can even listen to recordings of the MIssa de Angelis from the Congress sung by, yes, a 30,000-strong children’s choir.

There were others, though, including the Third National Eucharistic Congress held in New York City in 1904.

The published proceedings, including introductory and invitational letters, sermons, the schedule, the music for the Masses and the conclusions can be found here.

(Other proceedings found on archive.org are those from the first national congress in the US, in 1895 – which features a talk by a Maronite priest, offering a survey of Eastern liturgies, ironic and even a little tragic considering the hostility most Latin prelates would have to the Eastern Catholic churches for many following decades.)

So, why was there a Eucharistic Congress held in 1904? Wasn’t everything great in those good old days?

Apparently not.

The stated reasons for the Congress might sound familiar: declining Mass attendance, concerns about Catholic engagement with the Church and its practices, the need to assist Catholics connect more deeply with Christ through the gift of the Eucharist so that they might be strengthened, not only on their journey of personal holiness, but to be leaven and light in a suffering world that needs Christ.

A good doorway to peak at what was going on and the dominant concerns might be the resolutions adopted by the bishops and other clergy at the Congress:

The Bishops and priests of these United States in the Third Eucharistic Congress, held in the Archiepiscopal City of New York, resolve:

1. That the pastors encourage the people not only to attend the Holy Mass on Sundays and holy-days, and to be on time, but to attend Mass on week days, by explaining to them the spiritual advantage thereof frequently.

2. Resolved, That the pastors keep their churches open as often and long as possible during the day and night, and encourage their people to come and visit our Blessed Lord daily in the Sacrament of His Love.

3. Resolved, That, according to the spirit of the Eucharistic League, frequent communions be recommended ; that even daily communions (one day in the week perhaps to be omitted) be permitted and encouraged in case of souls of marked piety ; that annual communicants be urged by confessors to be monthly communicants ; that monthly communicants be encouraged to receive more frequently.

4. Resolved, That the priests of the United States join the Eucharistic League, the duties of which, simple and efficacious, are most conducive to the true sacerdotal spirit. It will lead them to personal piety and most effective zeal for the salvation of souls.

5. Resolved, That to correct the apparent irreverence to, or at least the neglect of, the Blessed Sacrament which may be observed in some instances in our churches, the sense of the Eucharistic League is that, all devotions should be centered in the Real Presence, and that all priests are advised to reiterate their instructions to the people, that, however right and useful it may be and is to honor the images of Christ and His saints, as they relate to Him and to them, such honor should never be paid to them to the neglect of the worship due to God in the Sacrament of the Altar, where He is really present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

6. Resolved, That the clergy be faithful in giving frequent instructions on Eucharistic subjects, explanations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and of the ceremonies and vestments relating to it.

7. Resolved, That the pastors establish in their churches the Eucharistic League of the People, or other Eucharistic society approved by the Holy See, in order to bring the people to realize better the divine fact of the Real Presence of Our Lord in our churches.

8. Resolved, That the Congress recommend the practice of nocturnal adoration on the occasion of the Forty Hours’ devotion and on Holy Thursday night.

9. Whereas, It is unfortunately too true that many Catholics neglect to make due preparation for Holy Communion and proper thanksgiving after its reception. Resolved, That the Congress earnestly request all pastors to urge their people to carefully prepare themselves for the worthy reception of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

There are many differences between 1904 and the present day, of course, but it’s illuminating to glance back and see, once again, so much that is strikingly familiar and to reflect on those differences, as well.

The volume includes a number of sermons and papers – all directed to clergy – on various topics, including “The Holy Eucharist in the Twentieth Century:”

The twentieth century, upon whose threshold we are standing, opens up before us with signs and features which plainly foretell that it will be an eventful one in the history of the race. As the heir of the past, it comes to us laden with seeming riches indeed, but whose value the future alone can reveal.

The material world as a whole is almost within its grasp, and in its confident and at times boastful assurance it flatters itself that Nature’s inmost secrets are presently to be disclosed to its eager vision. It is along that line of material triumph that it has planted its footsteps, has set its face, has marshalled its activities and hopes for its glories. With head erect and every sense alert, and the blood of its young life surging through its every vein and artery, like a young giant it is running to what it believes is cer- tain victory. Will it succeed ? Or will it fail ? No man can tell. But one thing he can tell and that is, that even if it does succeed it will not be happy.

Prescient.

Then this, on Mass attendance. It’s fascinating to me, to read these words acknowledging the difficulties people have in approaching the Church for Mass – and in general – and being willing to place some blame on clergy:

The observance of Sunday, the attendance at Mass on the Lord’s own day is the connecting link between the toilers of the workaday world and the Church which represents God on earth. And it is for us ministers of God’s Church to show the faithful whom we can reach all that the religion of Christ means for the solution of the great questions which vex the world to-day, and which loom up full of portent and of menace for the future of Christian civilization; to teach them to have no part in the un-Christian strife and ill-will between classes, the fraud, oppression and arrogance on the one side, the envy, misery and turbulence on the other ; to point out the true remedy for the ills of the world — at the foot of the cross whereon Christ died, at the altar whereon He continues to immolate Himself for all alike, rich and poor.

Since, then, so much depends on it, how can we bring about a more general observance of the Lord’s day, how can we bring men to worship before God’s altar Sunday after Sunday?

We may, perhaps, accomplish something towards this end if we do all in our power to attract people to the house of God, and nothing in the world that might repel them. Of course Catholics ought to know their duty and should all come to Mass, if possible, as a matter of conscience. But we know how much men are liable to be influenced by other and lower motives which come in to re-enforce the sense of duty. And these motives sometimes have much to do with the fulfilment or neglect of the Sunday duty. The material beauty of the house of God, good preaching and good singing, are attractions which bring people to church.

But above all, the personal character and work of the priest, his kindness to the poor, the sick and the bereaved ; his earnest, zealous, patient solicitation on the house-to-house visitation; his avoidance in his intercourse with the people and in his preaching and announcements of everything which might give just cause of fault-finding, of anything which might repel men from the house of God. Woe to us if, like the wicked sons of Heli, we draw the people from the Sacrifice of the Lord!

Both the Synod and Synodality and the Eucharistic Revival attempt to raise questions about evangelization, adherence, and attrition. Many reasons are raised, many solutions are offered. Much is said about the culture, about society, about the difficulties some have with Church teaching, about that “inclusion” and “welcome.”

I wonder how much of the rectory, chancery and dicastery dithering on these matters could be differently framed and more honestly confronted if anyone – anyone – was courageous enough to frame the matter and take responsibility in the way that that Father “R. Neagle” of Malden, Massachusetts does. He’s writing specifically about financial appeals here, but how interesting that this priest could offer such a bold critique to his fellow clergymen and challenge them to consider honestly how attuned they are, really, to the spiritual needs of those they serve:

What a pity if, when the good, self-sacrificing, faithful people come to the church once a week to lay their worldly cares and troubles before the altar of God, looking for solace and peace for one brief hour, after the long days of toil and weariness, of temptation and maybe sin and discouragement, what a pity, if, when they come for bread — the bread of life — we give them a stone!

Catholic World Report