The first International Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille, France, in 1881. It was organized by a laywoman, Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier, in response to the decline of the Catholic Church in France following the French Revolution. Pope Leo XIII founded the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses in 1879 to plan the first and subsequent gatherings. The series of International Eucharistic Congresses, which continues today, also gave rise to National Eucharistic Congresses in many countries, including the United States.

In 1894, a general convention of the Priests' Eucharistic League was held at Notre Dame University. This group, led by Bishop Camillus P. Maes of Covington, Kentucky, and two monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Fr. Bede Maler, OSB, and Fr. Vincent Wagner, OSB, proposed a series of National Eucharistic Congresses to begin in the United States the following year.

Since 1895, the U.S. has been host to nine National Eucharistic Congresses and two International Eucharistic Congresses (1926 & 1976):
 

• 1895: Washington 
• 1901: St. Louis
• 1904: New York
• 1907: Pittsburgh
• 1911: Cincinnati
• 1926: Chicago (28th International Eucharistic Congress)
• 1930: Omaha
• 1935: Cleveland
• 1938: New Orleans
• 1941: Minneapolis-St. Paul
• 1976: Philadelphia (41st International Eucharistic Congress)

The tenth National Eucharistic Congress of the United States will be held in Indianapolis on July 17-21, 2024. In the same year, the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Quito, Ecuador. Read more about the history of Eucharistic Congresses in the United States.