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.

INDIANAPOLIS — Cut through the sweltering heat with an ice-cold glass of lemonade from stands popping up across Indianapolis on Thursday – while helping children along the way.  

On Thursday, Coburn Place is hosting three lemonade stands to raise money for children of survivors of domestic violence.  

The funds will go toward school supplies, field trip fees, movie passes for good grades, prom dresses and more for the kids. The organization hopes to raise $25,000.  

The three stands will last from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the following locations: 

Donations can also be made by a “virtual lemonade stand” at coburnplace.org/lemons/ or through mail to Coburn Place at 604 E. 38^th St. 

Coburn Place offers transitional housing and social services to domestic violence survivors.   

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

Downtown Indianapolis hotels are virtually sold out for this weekend, with tens of thousands of Catholics and racing fans set to flock to the city for separate events.

The National Eucharistic Congress—the first U.S.-wide gathering of Catholics in more than 80 years—is expected to draw as many as 60,000 visitors to the Indiana Convention Center from Wednesday through Sunday, while NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 and related events could draw another estimated 60,000 people to Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Friday through Sunday.

According to tourism agency Visit Indy, about 80% of downtown’s nearly 8,400 hotel rooms will be occupied by the Catholic gathering on Friday and Saturday, the event’s peak nights, with thousands of other rooms being used for the stock car race, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

“With 60,000 attendees visiting for the National Eucharistic Congress and another 60,000 for the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this weekend is another example of Indy’s ability to host a wide array of events simultaneously,” Clare Clark, senior communications manager for Visit Indy, said in a written statement. “As Indy prepares for this influx of visitors, hotels are showing strong demand and compression throughout downtown and central Indiana with limited availability remaining.”

The National Eucharistic Congress, which is meant to help Catholics develop a deeper connection to their faith, will use about 27,000 room nights over five days. The organization has contracted with 88 hotels throughout central Indiana for the event.

Tim Glemkowski, CEO of National Eucharistic Congress Inc., said the event was “bumping up against capacity issues” even before the date for the Brickyard race was announced last year. Some attendees are staying at hotels as far as an hour from downtown Indianapolis—a typical occurrence with major events that book Indianapolis, including the National FFA Organization, National Rifle Association and Gen Con.

Thousands of attendees are also expected to stay at area rental homes through companies like Vrbo and Airbnb, as well as local churches or in university dormitories including Butler University, the University of Indianapolis, Marian University and Indiana University Indianapolis, according to Visit Indy and NEC officials. Several local retreat centers and recreational vehicle areas are expected to be used for the five-day event, too.

The last National Eucharistic Congress took place in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1941, less than six months before the U.S. became involved in World War II. The last major international Catholic gathering was held in 1976 in Philadelphia, drawing 1.5 million people over a single week.

Despite lodging restrictions, Glemkowski has said Indianapolis is an ideal spot for the national gathering because of its proximity to a large portion of the U.S. population. The church, he said, is focused on adding to its membership through specific outreach programs, rather than relying solely on individuals predisposed to joining or remaining in the church through cultural traditions or upbringing.

That’s why the church opted against hosting the event in a Catholic hotbed such as Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia, he said.

He said while the event is competing for hotel rooms with the race, Indianapolis Motor Speedway is offering a discounted ticket to Congress participants. There will also be a dedicated seating section for attendees, NEC officials said.

“Even in these competing moments we’ve still found that Hoosier hospitality to be present,” he said.

On Tuesday, four groups of pilgrims arrived in Indianapolis after separate two-month journeys from different parts of the United States. The groups, which traversed the country largely on foot, hail from San Francisco; Lake Itasca, Minnesota; New Haven, Connecticut; and Brownsville, Texas.

Those journeys drew more than a quarter-million people along their respective routes to offer encouragement and prayer, the organization said. The groups were welcomed to Indianapolis with a church service at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 126 W. Georgia St.

The service, known as a liturgy, was led by Archbishop Charles Thompson, who oversees the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and included the participation of a representative of Pope Francis.