National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes converge in Indianapolis completing historic journey
By Mary Powers
On an early muggy morning in Indianapolis, the streets were quiet as the first pilgrims of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes made their way to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. A small group walked with the St. Junipero Serra Route perpetual pilgrims, finishing their more than 2,500 mile procession that began in San Francisco.
The group was greeted by Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chairman of the USCCB advisory committee for the National Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress, as well as Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, and others who came to welcome the pilgrims.
The pilgrimage route ended with a Eucharistic blessing at the entrance of the church after which the doors were closed and people outside waited for the next pilgrimage route to arrive. A short time later, the southern St. Juan Diego Route arrived, followed by the eastern Seaton Route and then the northern Marian Route. As each group arrived, more and more people lined the streets waiting in anticipation. Bishops also joined the crowd as did Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery of Evangelization and papal delegate to the National Eucharistic Congress.
The arrival of the Marian Route signaled the end of the pilgrimage. The Eucharist was brought into the church where benediction took place followed by a closing Mass celebrated by Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson.
The church was filled to capacity with families, young people, religious sisters and other lay faithful celebrating the Mass.
“Today having made the way through the crossroads of America, all four Eucharistic pilgrimages converged on the circle city of Indianapolis to spark the kick-off of the National Eucharistic Congress,” said Archbishop Thompson in his homily. “We gather in the synodal spirit of communion, participation, and mission. We gather to accompany, celebrate, discern, encounter, pray, and proclaim what it means to be church, to be Catholic in the 21st vcentury. We are called to be pilgrim people of God. Missionary disciples of Christ, the living Body of Christ, transforming the world in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.”
Speaking on the nature of pilgrimage as an inner conversion to Christ, Archbishop Thompson spoke on the witness of the pilgrims and the larger Eucharistic Revival in fostering that change first in ourselves and then the larger world.
“Proclaiming, fostering, empowering, and embracing missionary discipleship has been a hallmark of each level of the Revival—diocesan, parish, and national,” the Archbishop said. “Along the path of each pilgrimage trail, the four pillars of the National Eucharistic Revival have been enshrined by the witness of those participating along the way, namely, personal encounter with Jesus Christ, reinvigorating devotion, deepening formation, and missionary sending. At the core of these four pillars is our firm belief in the goodness, the truth, and the beauty of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist.”
Bishop Cozzens delivered remarks at the end of the Mass thanking those who made the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage possible, especially those at the beginning who believed in the idea that four pilgrimage routes to the Congress were possible, something Bishop Cozzens thought might be logistically impossible. With the encouragement of Patrick Kelly, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, Fr. Roger Landry and Fr. John Anthony, CFR, Will Peterson with Modern Catholic Pilgrim, among others, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came together, converging in Indianapolis at the start of the Congress.
Bishop Cozzens encouraged the faithful, saying “Don’t go home yet, because the best is yet to come.”
Glemkowski echoed Bishop Cozzens when speaking with Catholic San Francisco, “It’s amazing what God has done!” They have sold more than 54,000 tickets for the event as of Tuesday morning for the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years.
Photos: Jacob Bentzinger, National Eucharistic Revival
