How to attend the Eucharistic Congress in one page:
First things first! Have you registered for the Congress? Great! You’re at the right page for preparing for the big day!
Do you still need to register? Do that first, we’re running out of tickets! Register here.
Do you need a printable schedule to plan your day? Find it here.
Plan to arrive June 9th? Great! Come to our pre-events: a charismatic prayer meeting here, and our diocesan Eucharistic adoration evening here. We also strongly suggest you beat the lines Saturday and do early check-in by bringing your ticket(s) to the Civic Center between 3pm-6:45pm, Banquet Hall.
Still need a hotel? We hear they are pretty full. But you can find the available Mankato hotel options here.
Getting there:
The Civic Center opens at 7:45am Saturday and the Congress opens at 9am. Please arrive early! There is a lot to do before 9am (confessions, rosary, adoration, and the vendors/exhibitors hall is open at 8am).
If arriving by car, please park in one of the parking ramps near the Event Center. The closest ramp (practically attached) is the Civic Center Ramp. Parking is free in the Civic Center Ramp, Mankato Place Ramp, and Cherry St Ramp. The 2nd St Ramp parking costs $3 a car. There is also some street parking and open lot parking (but watch for the 2 hr parking spots). Carpooling is recommended. See the event parking map here.
If arriving by chartered bus, you will get dropped off either at the Riverfront Drive entrance OR in front of the Grand Hall (Hickory St and 2nd St intersection). Move to the closest check-in line.
Checking in and what to expect:
You NEED to have your ticket(s) with you–your ticket(s) to the Congress (and your ticket to your pre-purchased lunch, if you got one)–unless you are one of three specific groups that is getting wristbands early through your church.
—Wait, where is my ticket?
If you got your ticket yourself through Eventbrite, you can find your ticket(s) by logging into Eventbrite with the email you used getting the ticket–then print it out or use the app on your smartphone to show it to ticket scanners. OR you can search your email, where the ticket was sent to you as an attachment upon purchase.
If you bought your ticket through someone else (a parish secretary, or a friend) and you lost your ticket(s), try to get that person to help you find the ticket(s) before coming to the Congress.
If you come and realize you forgot your ticket(s), go to the Lost Tickets table in the Intergovernmental Center, across the Hickory St. lawn across from the main entrance of the Civic Center.
How to get in the door:
Once you arrive, get in a line outside the Civic Center for ticket scanning. We will hand you a wristband. Please put it on and enter the Civic Center. Once in the Civic Center, your bag(s) will be checked briefly for weapons. Then you can go to the Arena, pick up your free Congress tote, books, and program, and enter for the opening of the Congress. If you need help using the LiveVoice translation system (for translation into Spanish or Vietnamese), stop by that table for assistance.
Arena handicapped seating is on the second level, and there are elevators. ASL seating is near the front of the main floor seating.
How to do lunch:
If you pre-ordered a box lunch, bring your lunch ticket to the Banquet Hall to pick up your lunch between Noon and 1:15pm. Tickets will be either dropped in a collection box or checked on the person’s phone (if using the Eventbrite app). You eat in the Banquet Hall, but seating is limited. You may also eat your box lunch anywhere in the building (Arena, Grand Hall) or take it outside and picnic (Civic Center Plaza or Jackson St. Park). Bring a picnic blanket if you wish–no chairs or tables.
If you plan to purchase a lunch at the Congress, there will be four food trucks on Hickory Street. There are also restaurants in walking distance throughout downtown (map here). Across Riverfront Drive, there is a HyVee grocery store where deli sandwiches (and much more) can be bought. Please keep in mind with thousands of people, the lunch lines could be long. You can eat your food at a restaurant or outdoors at Civic Center Plaza (enjoy the Brass Quintet concert!). But you cannot bring purchased food inside the Civic Center per our contract.
If you wish to bring your own sack lunch from home, you are allowed to bring that into the Civic Center. Enjoy!
What to do with the kids?
Children only activities for ages 3-12. There is an option for children aged 3-12 to separate from parents and be taught by the Servidora sisters for a morning session and/or afternoon session (1.5 hours each). Children will be separated into age groups with age appropriate play and learning. Check in begins at 8:45am(?) on the second floor of the Civic Center. We strongly suggest pre-registering for this option, and you need to sign a waiver! You can do both right here. If you forget, you may be able to do so onsite, but it is first come, first served.
Family-based activities. In all other cases, children must remain with a related adult throughout the Congress. There are many family friendly activities! The service projects in the Banquet Hall are suitable for ages 8+, and there are outdoor lawn games in the morning and afternoon, and music for picnicking at noon on the Plaza. Teens are encouraged to visit with NET Missionaries at the 2nd floor club level, and hang out next to Saint James’ Coffee.
Finally, if your youngest (0-3) needs a break from the crowd, there is a nursery on the second floor, which is also a nursing room for mothers and infants. A parent or related adult must stay with the child in the nursery.
First communicants. Children who have received first communion this past year are welcome to wear their first communion outfit at concluding Mass and during the Eucharistic Procession. If they wish to wear regular clothes during the day, a parent can check in the outfit at the beginning of the day and retrieve it before 3pm.
What do we do when we get there?
Learn about speakers/musicians here.
Learn about service work here.
Learn about the vocations meet and greet here.
Learn about NET Ministries here.
Learn more about who the vendors and exhibitors are here.
Confessions are available most of the day (Arena side rooms, line up center hallway of Civic Center). Silent adoration is available in the Reception Hall, first floor, from 8am-9am and 10:15am to 3pm.
The Mass and Eucharistic Procession
The Mass: The Mass will be in the Arena at 3:15. It will be translated into Spanish, Vietnamese, and ASL. By Bp. Barron’s decree, the Mass counts as the anticipation Mass for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (Corpus Christi).
A Eucharistic Procession concludes the Mass, and will process outside (weather permitting). The path is slightly less that 3/4 of a mile and flat. The final blessing will occur in Civic Center Plaza (outside). People who wish to stay for the final blessing but are not comfortable processing can wait for the Eucharistic Lord to arrive in the Plaza.
Leaving the Congress:
If you arrived by chartered bus: unless you hear otherwise from your bus captain, you need to go directly to the Grand Hall to await instructions to board your bus. There will be signs with parishes/towns to gather around and do the head count before boarding.
If you arrived by car: there is no need to re-enter the Civic Center; just move from the final blessing after the procession to your parking spot. Godspeed!
If you arrived by car: you can go directly to your parking spot and leave. You may wish to stay in Mankato and get supper first to avoid the crowds, but know there is a concert scheduled at the Amphitheatre in the evening. Mankato is a busy place!