28th International Eucharistic Congress
Date | June 20–24, 1926 |
---|---|
Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Type | Eucharistic congress |
Organized by | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago |
The 28th International Eucharistic Congress was held in
The congress is considered a major event in the
Background
"Holy Father, permit the celebration of the next Eucharistic Congress to take place in Chicago and I promise you a million communions as a spiritual bouquet to your august presence."
George Mundelein to Pope Pius XI, 1924.[1]
Preparations for the event
In March 1925,
In February, the congress was discussed in a bulletin published by the
Also starting in early 1926, the
Papal delegation arrives
On June 6, a group consisting of 6 cardinals and 60 bishops, serving as the Pope's delegation to the congress, embarked from France to the United States aboard the
I join with the rest of the world in offering to Chicago my heartiest congratulations on the proud pinnacle of success to which it has attained. … From an outpost on the shore of Lake Michigan to her present size, she shows a development for which history has no parallel. … Her unprecedented growth offers a field for the utmost rational conjecture. Be that conjecture as each one wishes it, may not the selection of your city by the vicar of Christ for the first Eucharistic Congress in the United States indicate the beginning of its realization; for I consider no greater blessing has ever come to your city than the one the Holy Father conferred upon her when he selected Chicago for this congress.
A program for the congress listed the arrival of the papal legate as the "unofficial opening" of the congress.
Course of the event
On June 20, a Sunday, at churches throughout the
The second day, deemed Children's Day, featured a large mass held at Soldier Field. With over 400,000 participants either in the
June 24 was the final day of the congress, with closing events scheduled to take place at the
The
Newsreels
The congress as a whole was covered by two
Attendance
While exact figures for the attendance at the congress are debatable, almost all sources agree that the congress attracted several hundred thousand attendees. In his request to Pope Pius XI, Mundelein stated that the congress would attract 1 million attendees.[1] This number was repeated in a 1926 issue of Railway Age and subsequently claimed in a 2009 book by historian Liam T. A. Ford.[34][2] A 1926 article published in The New York Times states that up to 1 million people were expected to attend the closing ceremony at Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary.[35] A 2017 article in the Chicago Catholic similarly claims that "[a]bout 1 million people" attended the closing mass.[3] However, a 1999 article in the National Catholic Register claims that the closing session was attended by approximately 850,000 people, while the opening session was attended by approximately 1.5 million individuals.[28] A 2019 article published by the University of Saint Mary of the Lake uses a similar value of "more than 800,000" attendees at the closing ceremony.[5] In a 2007 book, historian Thomas Doherty claims that the city at the time was home to approximately 880,000 Catholics and attracted over 500,000 additional Catholics to the city.[9] According to contemporary records from the Chicago New World, approximately 8.3 million people participated in the congress from the arrival of the papal delegation on June 17. However, this number is most likely inflated due to double counting.[3]
Impact and legacy
The congress was considered a significant moment in the
Following the congress, the
While attending the congress, Bishop
Notes
- David Kertzer claims that the cardinals arrived in Chicago on June 11.[21] However, this is refuted by contemporary sources, including the program for the conference and an article in The New York Times, that state that the delegation arrived on June 17.[22][23] Additionally, Kertzer gives the year for the congress as 1927 instead of 1926.[24]
References
- ^ a b Time 1926.
- ^ a b c d e Ford 2009, p. 119.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Chicago Catholic 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Chicago Catholic 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l University of Saint Mary of the Lake 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Ford 2009, p. 120.
- ^ The New York Times 1926e.
- ^ The New York Times 1926f.
- ^ a b c d Doherty 2007, p. 22.
- ^ a b c d Ford 2009, p. 123.
- ^ Ford 2009, pp. 124–125.
- ^ Ford 2009, p. 125.
- ^ Doherty 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Ford 2009, p. 124.
- ^ McMahon 1926.
- ^ Ford 2009, pp. 120–121.
- ^ Ford 2009, p. 121.
- ^ Railway Age 1926, p. 1496.
- ^ Doherty 2007, pp. 22–23.
- ^ The New York Times 1926a.
- ^ Kertzer 2014, p. 131.
- ^ a b c d National Catholic Welfare Conference Bulletin 1926, p. 4.
- ^ The New York Times 1926b.
- ^ Kertzer 2014, pp. 130–131.
- ^ Ford 2009, pp. 123–124.
- ^ a b Doherty 2007, p. 23.
- ^ The New York Times 1926c.
- ^ a b c Pronechen 1999.
- ^ Lindberg 2020, p. 150.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Chicago.
- ^ a b Doherty 2007, p. 25.
- ^ Doherty 2007, p. 24.
- ^ Doherty 2007, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Railway Age 1926.
- ^ The New York Times 1926d.
- ^ Doherty 2007, pp. 23–24.
- ^ Kloehn 2000.
- ^ Kane 2007, p. 345.
Sources
- "1926 Eucharistic Congress brings 'sense of wonder'". Chicago Catholic. September 6, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- "1926 Eucharistic Congress brought 'sense of wonder'". Chicago Catholic. November 8, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- Doherty, Thomas (2007). Hollywood's Censor: Joseph I. Breen and the Production Code Administration. ISBN 978-0-231-51284-8 – via Google Books.
- "Eucharistic Congress, Chicago Daily News, 1926". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- Ford, Liam T. A. (2009). Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. ISBN 978-0-226-25709-9 – via Google Books.
- Kane, Gerry (June 2007). "The Eucharistic Congress 1932". JSTOR 27665556.
- ISBN 978-0-679-64553-5 – via Google Books.
- Kloehn, Steve (June 22, 2000). "Catholic Rally Holds Echoes of the Past". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- Lindberg, Richard C. (2020). Tales of Forgotten Chicago. ISBN 978-0-8093-3781-1 – via Google Books.
- McMahon, Charles A. (February 1926). "The XXVIII International Eucharistic Congress to be Held in Chicago June 20–24, 1926". National Catholic Welfare Conference Bulletin. VIII (9). National Catholic Welfare Conference: 6 – via Google Books.
- "Program of the XXVIII International Eucharistic Congress to be Held in Chicago, June 20–24, 1926". National Catholic Welfare Conference Bulletin. VIII (1). National Catholic Welfare Conference: 4. June 1926 – via Google Books.
- Pronechen, Joseph (March 28, 1999). "Marytown a Eucharistic Town". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- "Over a Million Expected to Attend Eucharistic Congress". Railway Age. 80 (27). Simmons-Boardman Publishing: 1496. June 5, 1926 – via Google Books.
- "City and State Pay Official Tribute to Visiting Cardinals". ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- "200,000 in Chicago to Greet Cardinals Now Speeding West". from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- "Coolidge Greeting Read to Cardinals at Civic Welcome". ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- "Thousands Flocking to Mundelein Rites". ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- "Chicago Population Put at 3,058,992". ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- "Chicago Population at 3,151,989". ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- "Bouquet". ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- "XXVIII International Eucharistic Congress – When 800,000 People Prayed at Mundelein". University of Saint Mary of the Lake. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
Further reading
- "Throwback Thursday – 1926: 28th International Eucharistic Congress, Chicago, Illinois". Knights of Columbus. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
External links
- Media related to 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago at Wikimedia Commons