Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki blesses a monstrance Saturday, July 20, that was purchased at the National Eucharistic Congress by the Millennial Catholic Gentlemen/JP2 Men’s Group. The local group maintains a traveling sacristy — which did not have a monstrance — that is used for Masses and other worship at events outside of church walls, such as the Ballpark Day of Faith. (Photo by Colleen Jurkiewicz)

Hello, beautiful – that’s what Michael Tennies thought when he saw something at the National Eucharistic Congress that he’d never seen in person before that moment.

It was an ornate monstrance that the Millennial Catholic Gentlemen/JP2 Men’s Group has had its eye on for years and hoped to buy someday for its mobile sacristy.

The group uses the sacristy — an enclosed trailer that carries an altar, candles, hosts, chalices and other liturgical items needed for Catholic worship or Mass outside of a church building — to assist at events such as Mexican Fiesta, Ballpark Day of Faith and St. John Bosco Youth Day.

But whenever the group was asked if the mobile sacristy had its own monstrance to hold a consecrated host during adoration, it had to say no.

“Now we have one,” Tennies said Saturday, after Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki blessed the monstrance at the congress.

After the Congress began on Wednesday, July 17, Tennies and others from the group were looking at liturgical items on display in a vendor area of the Indiana Convention Center, where part of the Congress that has attracted 50,000 people is being held.

“We were looking at the articles, and, ‘Hello, beautiful,’” he recalled. “This is one we have kept our eye on for some time.”

The men’s group that Tennies directs began in 2018 as a simple monthly gathering. Until last May, it was not organized as a nonprofit. This made it difficult to accept large donations, such as the money needed to purchase a monstrance.

So, the time was right, with the ideal monstrance right in front of them at the congress.

The seller was willing to drop the price, so a call was made back to a potential donor in the archdiocese, who agreed to fund the purchase.

Tennies is very happy that the monstrance has some decorative elements that point to Mary. The Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that traveled through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for nine days in mid-June met up at the congress with the three other routes from other parts of the country.

The monstrance will serve as a relic of the congress, he said.

“God had this planned all along.”