Jason Shanks / LinkedIn (Left)
CV NEWS FEED // The National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) has appointed Jason Shanks, president of the Our Sunday Visitor Institute for Catholic Innovation, as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Congress’ operations.
Our Sunday Visitor News announced Shanks’ new position in an article by Maria Wiering on June 6.
“I took the role because I feel like God is doing work within me that I need to see through,” Shanks said, according to Wiering. “Until 100% of Catholics have a devotion and belief in Jesus in the Eucharist, until parishes are centered on the Eucharistic heart of Jesus, there is work to be done, and I want to be part of it.”
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Shanks has previously worked in a number of leadership positions in Catholic organizations, including the NEC. Shanks has been president of the NEC since August 2023, and previously served as the NEC treasurer. From 2012 to 2017, Shanks was the CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chairman of the NEC board, expressed his enthusiasm about Shanks’ new position and the future of the Eucharistic revival.
“The National Eucharistic Congress board is excited to have Jason Shanks as our next CEO,” Bishop Cozzens said, according to Wiering.
“The experience of Eucharistic revival, the Eucharistic pilgrimages and planning the congress has led our board to believe that the Eucharistic renewal of the church is a movement that has a strong future,” Bishop Cozzens added. “We are convinced that Jason Shanks has the leadership skills to bring this movement forward in the church.”
Speaking about moving forward with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress, Shanks said, “Will we have more pilgrimages? Probably yes. Are we already looking to the 11th Eucharistic congress? The answer’s yes.”
“Are we thinking about how do we form Eucharistic missionaries? It seems to me that God is on the move and that revival is upon us, in a certain sense,” Shanks said, “and this is just the beginning of something interesting and amazing.”
