Registration has opened for the ASCEND Eucharistic Revival, a one-day Catholic conference set for May 16 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington, organizers announced Feb. 17.
ASCEND describes itself as “a movement dedicated to renewing love of and devotion to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” The regional gathering is aimed at Catholics across the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and will focus on deepening faith in the Eucharist through worship, teaching, and the sacraments, according to a press release from ASCEND Eucharistic Revival.
The event will include Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, an outdoor Eucharistic procession through downtown Bellevue, Washington, opportunities for confession, and veneration of more than 20 first-class relics of Catholic saints, the release said.
Nationally known Catholic speakers and live sacred music are also planned. Featured speakers include evangelist Chris Stefanick, theologian Tim Gray, authors Andy Swafford and Sarah Swafford, and Charlie Echeverry. The sacred music group Floriani will chant the Mass, and Catholic singer-songwriter Marie Miller is scheduled to perform praise music throughout the day.
“This is a unique opportunity for Catholics in the Pacific Northwest to be encouraged in their life of faith, grow in their love for the Lord present in the Eucharist, and appreciate the beauty and joy of our faith,” Father Nicholas Wichert, ecclesiastical advisor for ASCEND, said in the release.
Organizers said the conference especially hopes to reach “those who may have drifted from regular sacramental life” and invite them “to rediscover the beauty, power, and joy of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”
“We pray especially for our brothers and sisters raised in or joined the Catholic faith but have become distant from the Church; that they will attend and experience God’s grace of calling them back to worship with us as the Mystical Body of Christ,” Fr. Wichert said. He added that organizers are “extremely blessed by the participation of our speakers, musicians, and clergy, including Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne.”
A newly released invitation video features Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester, Auxiliary Bishop Frank Schuster of the Archdiocese of Seattle, and others.
Organizers encouraged early registration, noting that space at the Meydenbauer Center is limited. More information and registration details are available at the event’s website.