Milwaukee - Catholics from throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will gather at the Midwest Express Center in downtown Milwaukee on October 28-29 to celebrate their faith and the presence of Jesus Christ in the world. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the two-day "Eucharistic Congress" is a way for Catholics to unite in faith during the year 2000, a holy year of Jubilee in the Catholic Church.

Highlighting the Congress is an archdiocesan-wide Mass to be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Arena. A procession leading into the arena from the Midwest Express Center will begin at 1:30 p.m. The procession will include more than 750 people who have participated in activities at the Eucharistic Congress Family Day event being held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Archbishop Rembert Weakland, O.S.B., will preside at the Mass and Milwaukee Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Sklba, along with more than 150 priests will concelebrate the Mass with the archbishop.

A festival choir made up of more than 600 people from across the archdiocese will provide the music ministry for the Mass. On Saturday, over 3,000 parish leaders, staff, priests, teachers, youth ministers, catechists, deacons and volunteers will gather for a day of study and reflection. More than 60 workshops are being offered in four study tracks - Jubilee, Evangelization, Worship and Justice. The Study Day is being held at the Midwest Express Center, with a keynote address by Archbishop Weakland highlighting the day. Registration is required for the Saturday Day of Reflection. Family Event activities are free of charge. A free ticket is required to attend the Mass. Those interested can contact the archdiocese to see if any tickets are still available. For more information about the Eucharistic Congress, contact the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at 414-769-3300 or visit the Jubilee 2000 web site at www.catholicjubilee.org.

"A Eucharistic Congress is a way we, as Catholics, gather in prayer, celebration and reflection to look at how Christ's presence in the Eucharist works in relationship to the world in which we live, asking the question: What does the Eucharist mean and how do we celebrate it in today's world," said Jerry Topczewski, communications director for the archdiocese.

The history of a Eucharistic Congress can be traced to Belgium in the late 1800s. People felt changes in the world, new technologies and politics called for a time to reflect upon the relationship of the Eucharist and the church to contemporary society.

Archbishop Weakland and Bishop Sklba addressed this very topic in two pastoral letters released in 1997 and 1999, called Eucharist without Walls, which have become the theme for the Eucharistic Congress.

This year, Pope John Paul II has called on local churches around the world to celebrate our reliance on the Eucharist by holding Eucharistic Congresses. The Pope led a Eucharistic Congress in Rome this past summer.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee consists of 237 parishes and nearly 700,000 Catholics throughout 10 counties in southeastern Wisconsin