Indianapolis, IN

National Eucharistic Congress Begins in Indianapolis

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

National Eucharistic Congress Begins in Indianapolis

Source: WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS–The National Eucharistic Congress has gotten underway in Indianapolis. It is the first Congress in 83 years. More than 50,000 Catholics will be in attendance in what is a gathering of clergy, other religious leaders, and lay people to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Events are taking place at both Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Convention Center, and other sites from Wednesday July 17 through Sunday July 21. The Congress chose to hold this event in Indianapolis because of its central location and its ability to host large events in a walkable area.

It is the culmination of four cross-country pilgrimages by devout Catholics. Thousands of Catholics processions will walk from the Convention Center up to the Indiana War Memorial on Saturday from 3 to 5 pm. You can expect several road closures in the area.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says they’ve spent a great deal of time getting ready for this event.

“This is unique. We have worked several major events to include parades in the past. None of those major events were the size of what this will be. It’s challenging with our resources, but I think we’ve been planning on this for about a year with the NEC and our state police partners. I think we have a good plan in place and I don’t foresee any specific major issues,” said IMPD Officer Chuck Deblaso.

He says they have been working with investigators at both the federal and state level to see if there are any threats.

“At this point, we have no derogatory information that would impact this event,” said Deblaso.

Joel Stepanek is one of the Congress’ organizers.

“I think that sometimes our love can grow a little bit cold and so this is an opportunity for the faithful to revitalize their belief and then to go out into a world where they can serve and bring the love of Christ to others,” said Stepanek.

The last National Eucharistic Congress was held in 1941 in Minnesota. An international eucharistic congress was held in Philadelphia in 1976, with well-known Catholics like Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and Pope John Paul II in attendance.

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Indianapolis, IN

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

Published

9 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than a dozen protesters gathered at Military Park. In a dramatic escalation, the US and Israel engaged in military strikes against Iran and protesters are upset, including veteran Lucas Lee.

“I know what it’s like to be on the edge, potentially going somewhere where your life is at risk. And I believe this war is something we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s important to stand up, because not only is standing up the right thing to do, but it could potentially save lives.”

Protesters held signs that read ‘Hands off Iran’ in front of the corner of West and New York intersection.
Several cars honked in support. Democratic City County Councilor Jesse Brown attended as well.

IPS School Teacher Noah Leininger organized the Anti-Iran War Rally. “The United States spends 1 trillion dollars on war every single year. While there are massive unmet needs right here in our own communities. People need jobs, healthcare, housing, and schools. And instead our government spends a trillion dollars every year to go and bomb elementary school age girls,” he said.

Iranian officials say the U.S. and Isreal hit a girl’s primary school in southern Iran killing at least 115 people.

The US strikes have not only created tension in the Middle East, but also here at home.
Mark Oakley who supports military action Iran, confronted the anti-war protesters. “Freedom for Iranian people, freedom for Americans. Freedom for everybody, but this [protest] is not it. When you’re debating about innocent people getting killed. You are debating the wrong thing.”

Additional police were called in to de-escalate the situation.

Chris Gomez, attended the protest because he wanted to take action. “Trump ran on a platform called the party of peace. That’s what Republicans run their policy on a party of peace, but look where we are now.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

Published

21 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Opera will host a free concert in honor of Black History Month Saturday night at 6 p.m. to celebrate the legacy and artistry of Black composers. The event features a range of spirituals, contemporary art songs, and operatic works performed a cappella.

Lyndsay Moy, the director of education, outreach, branding and design for Indianapolis Opera, said the event is designed to keep this specific music accessible to the public.

Resident artist Ian Williams, describes the concert as a mix of traditional repertoire and new songs. The artists will perform without microphones or instrumental accompaniment. “All of this is just straight out of our voices, so there’s no microphones,” Williams said. “We’re just creating the sound ourselves and putting it into a space, so it’s a little bit of, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of extra work there, yes.”

“So many composers tonight have been so influential in the broader vocal canon and it’s important and wonderful for us to be able to offer this kind of concert for free to our community to keep this kind of music accessible and more importantly to feature these fabulous artists like Ian so much talent,” Moy said.

Williams noted that the concert allows the organization to celebrate classic composers who were not well known during their own time. “It’s very cool because we get to celebrate some of classic composers all the way back to William Grant Steele, who was one of the who wrote operas back in the day, even during the time of Porgy and Bess, but he wasn’t, it wasn’t well known,” Williams said.

One of the featured pieces is the traditional spiritual “Fix Me Jesus,” which was arranged for the University of Michigan choir. Williams said the arrangement by Stacey Gibbs maintains the traditional spiritual style while adding rich harmonies.

While formal tickets for the event are currently sold out, those interested in attending can email tickets@indyopera.org to be added to a waitlist.

Check out the video above to hear a sneak peak of the Indianapolis Opera!

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