BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Jackson Purcell, a teacher in Bowling Green who attends St. Joseph Parish, is one of more than 240 people from the Diocese of Owensboro who will attend the National Eucharistic Congress this July, thanks to free tickets made available by the diocese.

“I’m grateful for the diocese handing out those tickets,” said Purcell, who grew up at St. Jerome Parish in Fancy Farm. He said he hasn’t had an opportunity to attend a large Catholic gathering like this since college, and looks forward to going for the first time “as an adult.”

“I’m looking forward to the talks from the different figures in the Catholic Church,” he said.

He said he isn’t going with any planned expectations, and instead, “I’m just going to experience it.”

Learn more about the National Eucharistic Congress at www.eucharisticcongress.org.

---

Originally printed in the June 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.