Couple looking forward to "once-in-a-lifetime experience" at Eucharistic Congress

July 16, 2024

Mary and Gary Haselton see the National Eucharistic Congress as a once-in-a-lifetime experience in their faith lives.

The couple from St. John the Apostle Parish in Norwalk are traveling this week with friends to Indianapolis for the first National Eucharistic Congress in more than 80 years. They’re going to deepen their faith, to give honor to God, and to learn how to better evangelize and share their faith with others.

“We weren’t always so outspoken about our faith or talked about it,” said Mary. “It came up once with some friends and we found out they had a faith life, too. It’s like people are scared to talk about their faith. But when you find someone (who has a faith life), you feel drawn to them and you feel more at ease talking with them.”

The couple took part in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that led up to the Eucharistic Congress. The St. Junipero Serra route began in San Francisco and wound its way east through the western edge of the Diocese of Des Moines. Mary and Gary experienced the pilgrimage at St. Patrick Church in Imogene and St. Mary Church in Shenandoah.

“It was so good,” said Mary.

Being with thousands of like-minded Catholics will pump up their enthusiasm.

“It’s like Christ Our Life on steroids,” Mary said. She and Gary are looking forward to the regional biennial Christ Our Life Catholic Conference Sept. 28-29 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“I guess we both feel like the climate right now, the world is so crazy. It seems like it’s gone off the tracks,” Gary said. “We’ve come to rely more and more on our faith.”