International Eucharistic Congress comes to Australia 2028
09 December, 2025
We are all aware that Brisbane will attract tens of thousands of visitors from around the world when it hosts the 2032 Olympic Games. But many people may not be aware that Sydney will host a major event in 2028 that will draw huge numbers of Catholic visitors to the Harbour City.
This event is the 54th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). The final dates for the IEC are still being determined but it will be held in Sydney in the latter months of 2028.
Sydney was announced by the Vatican in 2024 as the host city for the next IEC which is held every four years in cities around the world. The last Congress was held in Quito, Ecuador in 2024 but the IEC has previously been held in Australia in Melbourne (1973) and Sydney (1928).
The purpose of an IEC is “to make ever better known, loved and served, Our Lord Jesus Christ in his Eucharistic Mystery, centre of the life of the Church and of its mission for the salvation of the world”.
The size and scale of the Sydney IEC is exemplified by the words of Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP who stated that the Congress will be the largest gathering held on Australian shores since World Youth Day 2008.
Archbishop Fisher summed up the importance of the Congress to Catholics the world over when he wrote “The International Eucharistic Congress is a joyous occasion that will deepen our understanding of the truth of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist”.
Pope Leo XIV has chosen “This is My Body, Given for You” as the theme for the IEC. Pope Leo’s visit to Sydney in 2028 to attend the IEC will be a highlight of the Gathering.
The General Secretary of the IEC 2028, Bishop Richard Umbers, said the centrality to the Catholic faith of the “This is My Body, Given for You” theme would serve as a reminder of the gift of Christ in the Eucharist.
I was very humbled to be asked by our Bishop, Michael McCarthy, to serve on the IEC Committee as the nominee of the Diocese of Rockhampton. The IEC Committee is tasked with the responsibility of carrying out early planning for the Congress and to report back to the Diocese on progress being made.
The IEC Committee has three key focus areas, namely, preparing for the Congress at the local level, giving unity to pastoral action and being the instrument for common preparation and a deepening of Eucharistic renewal.
As part of preparing the IEC Committee members to better understand their role in these three key areas, I was privileged to recently attend a visioning Retreat held at Mary McKillop Place, North Sydney. The Retreat was a time for deep prayer and reflection and to have many inspirational speakers share with us their knowledge and experience of International Eucharistic Congresses.
The following words spoken at the Retreat by Archbishop Fisher heightened my awareness of the scope and significance of the 2028 IEC and its potential to be a transformative experience for the whole Church in Australia and beyond.
“You have gathered here from around the country for a retreat with a singular purpose: to reflect prayerfully on how the IEC can be a transformative moment for many people in our country and beyond, and so for the whole Church in Australia. We are conceiving the Congress as be a three-stage process, stretching over ten years from 2024 to 2033, aimed at exciting curiosity, interest, faith, formation, devotion, worship and mission, and so supercharging the Church’s mission to go make disciples and to know, love and serve God and His people.”
I was blessed to attend a National Eucharist Congress held in Indianapolis, USA in 2024. It was a memorable, life changing experience that enhanced my understanding of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. I am excited to have the opportunity to serve on the IEC Committee, and in a small way, assist the faithful in our Diocese better understand and prepare for the Sydney 2028 IEC.
At Bishop Michael’s request, I will continue to serve on the IEC Committee with the aim of regularly updating the people of the Diocese of Rockhampton on progress in making the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Sydney, Australia in 2028, the “best ever”.
Leesa Jeffcoat AM