Road Journal: The End… and the Beginning

We want to see

We want to see

We want to see Jesus lifted high

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We want to see

We want to see

We want to see Jesus lifted high

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Joyful pilgrims sang these lyrics at the top of their voices as the Marian Route of the Pilgrimage entered the city of Indianapolis, on its way to meet the other three routes at St. John the Evangelist Church for the closing Mass of the Pilgrimage. Across the street, volunteers at Lucas Oil Stadium were setting up for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, where the four Pilgrimage routes will officially converge in the opening ceremony of the Congress.

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Where We’ve Been

One of the largest Eucharistic processions in history is now complete as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has drawn to a close. This unprecedented journey has been an incredible public witness to our faith across our nation. Pilgrims have literally accompanied Jesus in the Eucharist from the four edges of the United States, forming the shape of a cross over the country and spreading bountiful graces in its wake. Here are just some of the amazing Pilgrimage stats:

• Over 6,500 miles traveled
• Hundreds of churches visited
• Hundreds of liturgies
• Thousands of lives touched

Our Lord has gone to some of the biggest cities and most rural areas; affluent neighborhoods and those ridden by poverty; nursing homes and prisons; and Catholic churches of multiple rites and ethnic backgrounds. Catholics and non-Catholics alike have experienced the graces of Jesus drawing near to them, physically present in the Eucharist—even to bystanders who did not recognize him at the time.

Shayla Elm, one of the Perpetual Pilgrims on the Juan Diego Route, shared with Catholic Courier that this journey has shown her that “the church is alive and hungry.” Marina Frattaroli, a pilgrim on the the Seton Route and recent convert to the Catholic faith, told The Tablet that “I have just seen so many people, so many churches, so many liturgies, so many bishops, so many faithful—just all in the most packed amount of time possible, and on a very deep level… I feel like God is rolling out the red carpet.”

Perhaps that’s exactly what God was doing, in preparation for the first Eucharistic Congress our nation has experienced in 83 years!

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What’s Next

While the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has officially ended, it’s just the beginning of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. Over the next five days, we eagerly anticipate Our Lord pouring out even more graces on his people, preparing us for what’s to come: the Year of Mission! This evangelism-focused year of the National Eucharistic Revival will take root in the fertile soil tilled by all the blisters, sweat, prayers, and steps covered in the past two months of the Pilgrimage. And the entire Church in the United States—even those who cannot be at the Congress in person—will be called to go out on mission, sharing Jesus’ love in the Eucharist “for the life of the world.”

And that mission includes YOU! How is Our Lord calling you to participate in it? Whether or not you were able to attend any part of the Pilgrimage or Congress, as a member of the Church, you’re a vital part of this mission. Spend time before Our Eucharistic Lord in prayer about this. Go on a pilgrimage of your own. Watch the Congress livestream. Then, get ready to be a part of one of the most grace-filled years the Church in the U.S. has known in our lifetime as we embark upon the third year of the National Eucharistic Revival!