Ipswich to host Eucharistic Congress in 2026

Photo by Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash

Source: CBCEW

Ipswich will host a weeklong Eucharistic Congress from 6 to 13 September 2026 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Diocese of East Anglia. The event will bring together parishes, schools, clergy, and families from across the Ipswich Deanery for a shared act of thanksgiving and renewal centred on the Eucharist.

The Congress is being planned collaboratively by three parish priests. They are Fr Luke Goymour, Dean of the Ipswich Deanery and parish priest of St Mark's and St Mary Magdalen's, Fr Joseph Welch, parish priest of St Pancras, and Fr Jude Belnas, parish priest of St Mary's. An organising committee of laypeople from across the deanery is supporting the work.

Fr Luke described the Jubilee as a moment of grace for the whole diocese. He said "it is an opportunity to return to the Eucharistic heart of the faith and to rediscover the Real Presence of Christ with renewed devotion and purpose."

A Week for the Whole Community

The Congress will begin on Sunday 6 September with a soft launch across Ipswich's Catholic parishes. From Monday to Wednesday the focus will be on the town's Catholic schools. Parish based events will follow from Thursday to Saturday. The week will conclude with a major diocesan gathering at the Ipswich Corn Exchange on Sunday 13 September. Bishop Peter Collins will celebrate the closing Mass and offer reflections as part of the final programme.

The aim of the Congress is to give thanks for fifty years of grace in the Diocese of East Anglia. It will offer space for prayer, teaching, and reflection. Organisers hope it will help Catholics deepen their love for Jesus in the Eucharist and strengthen the mission of parishes and schools as communities of welcome, service, and evangelisation.

Schools at the Heart of the Celebration

A coordinated programme will take place across the four Ipswich Catholic Trust schools: St Pancras, St Mark's, St Mary's, and St Alban's. This will be carried out in collaboration with St Alban's Catholic High School.

Plans include a shared Schools' Mass early in the week. The gym at St Alban's is being considered as a possible venue. Throughout the week, pupils will explore the theme Mary, Woman of the Eucharist. Schools will be encouraged to offer short catechesis on the Mass and the Real Presence, welcome visits from clergy and religious, and engage pupils in creative expressions of faith.

Why a Eucharistic Congress?

The Congress is rooted in the belief that renewal begins by returning to the Eucharist. As the diocese marks its fiftieth anniversary, the week offers an opportunity to give thanks for the past, rekindle devotion to Christ present in the Eucharist, and strengthen the Church's mission for the future.

Further details will be released in the coming months, with opportunities for parishioners, families, and local partners to take part in this significant moment for the Catholic community in Ipswich and the wider diocese.

More information and booking can be found at: www.eucharisticcongressipswich.org