The multi-day event, meant to encourage devotion to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, was hosted by the Diocese of Cleveland under the leadership of Archbishop Joseph Schrembs.

The first International Eucharistic Congress owed its inspiration to Bishop Gaston de Ségur, and was held at Lille, France, on June 21, 1881.

The initial inspiration behind the idea came from the laywoman Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier who lobbied clergy following the French Revolution in an effort to restore religiosity and Eucharistic devotion to France.

[2] Devotion to the practice of Eucharistic adoration had been brought to the Cleveland area by John Neumann during his missionary journeys in Ohio prior to his consecration as Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852.

[10] An automobile procession consisting of Hayes, Diego Venini, Joseph Schrembs, Al Smith and others proceeded to St. John's Cathedral; tens of thousands lined the streets.

Civil dignitaries present included mayor of Cleveland Harry Davis, governor of Ohio Martin Davey, and James Farley, United States Postmaster General, who represented Franklin D.

"[12] On the morning of September 24, a Mass celebrated in the Cleveland Public Auditorium included a choir of 3,000 local Catholics and a sermon preached by archbishop John McNicholas, OP of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

[15] At 11 pm, an evening program for men began with a Holy Hour in the stadium presided over by bishop Joseph Ritter of Indianapolis.

[20] While it had originally been planned that twenty other Masses would be simultaneously celebrated to provide enough Eucharistic hosts for distribution by 500 priests, the crowd was deemed too large to do so and a spiritual communion was encouraged.

[4] With 110,000 inside the stadium and 250,000 standing on the streets and shore of Lake Erie, a grand total of 360,000 listened to Pope Pius XI pray for peace in the world and the deprecation of the "unspeakable material and moral havoc of wars and their dire aftermath.