“HERE COMES EVERYBODY” The 28th International Eucharistic Congress JILL THOMAS GRANNAN
In June 1926, Chicago shined as its people played host to one of the largest Catholic celebrations the nation—and the world—had ever seen: the twentyeighth International Eucharistic Congress. More than a million Catholics and religious leaders from around the world attended sacred events and conferences from June 20 to 24 in Chicago and Mundelein, Illinois. As the pilgrims descended upon Chicago, the words of James Joyce just a few years earlier would aptly describe the moment,“here comes everybody.”
The Chicago Tribune, which once reviled Catholics, was swept up in the festivities of June 1926. Staff cartoonist John McCutcheon rendered Chicago’s welcoming spirit in “Expecting Company.” 20 | Chicago History | Spring 2009