Plan Your Own Pilgrimage to the Historic National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA on July 16, 2024. The pilgrimage will begin Next Year on May 17th, 2024, from 4 different starting points across the USA.
A Journey TO Jesus
A pilgrimage is “the simultaneous movement of the feet and the soul”—a journey made both externally and internally. The pilgrim travels to a location of spiritual significance, stepping outside of themselves in order to encounter God in places where he has revealed himself. This action mirrors the interior journey of the pilgrim, who uses this experience to draw closer to Our Lord and seek him more intentionally.
CLICK the Image to See the 7 Point Mini-Guide!
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The value of a pilgrimage is not in the distance traveled but in the disposition of our own hearts and the zeal with which we seek God. Many saints have had life-changing experiences while on pilgrimage, and the practice has been a part of Christianity from the beginning.
A Journey WITH Jesus
Jesus doesn’t want us to walk alone. At the Incarnation, Christ entered directly into our human experience, allowing him to accompany us through life in a more intimate way. But physically walking with Jesus is not a privilege restricted to Christians from the first century!
When Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist, he gave us a new way to walk alongside him. Catholicism now has a vibrant history of Eucharistic processions! In this tradition, the Eucharist is carried through the streets, accompanied by the faithful. We walk publicly with Our Lord so that others may encounter him personally, just as they did 2,000 years ago.
What Is a Eucharistic Pilgrimage?
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a truly unique initiative. This is something NEW—a beautiful fusion of the journey TO Jesus and the journey WITH Jesus. What’s more, it is an adventure that all Catholics can do together, either by interior disposition or physical accompaniment.
This is the birth of something remarkable. Join us as we accompany Jesus in the Eucharist from the north, south, east, and west edges of our country, stopping at many holy sites and churches along the way. Together we will journey with Christ on his way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, where he comes to encounter his people anew.
The Pilgrimage will be a powerful, once-in-a-lifetime witness of how Jesus Christ comes close to us and invites all to encounter him in the Eucharist.
BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS, INC.
Why Join Us?
We know travel is difficult, but that is what makes pilgrimages so sanctifying! Pilgrims will undertake this life-changing journey both as an act of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and to witness publicly that Jesus is a King worth following.
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The value of a pilgrimage is not in the distance traveled but in the disposition of our own hearts and the zeal with which we seek God. Many saints have had life-changing experiences while on pilgrimage, and the practice has been a part of Christianity from the beginning.
A Journey WITH Jesus
Jesus doesn’t want us to walk alone. At the Incarnation, Christ entered directly into our human experience, allowing him to accompany us through life in a more intimate way. But physically walking with Jesus is not a privilege restricted to Christians from the first century!
When Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist, he gave us a new way to walk alongside him. Catholicism now has a vibrant history of Eucharistic processions! In this tradition, the Eucharist is carried through the streets, accompanied by the faithful. We walk publicly with Our Lord so that others may encounter him personally, just as they did 2,000 years ago.
What Is a Eucharistic Pilgrimage?
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a truly unique initiative. This is something NEW—a beautiful fusion of the journey TO Jesus and the journey WITH Jesus. What’s more, it is an adventure that all Catholics can do together, either by interior disposition or physical accompaniment.
This is the birth of something remarkable. Join us as we accompany Jesus in the Eucharist from the north, south, east, and west edges of our country, stopping at many holy sites and churches along the way. Together we will journey with Christ on his way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, where he comes to encounter his people anew.
The Pilgrimage will be a powerful, once-in-a-lifetime witness of how Jesus Christ comes close to us and invites all to encounter him in the Eucharist.
BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS, INC.
Why Join Us?
We know travel is difficult, but that is what makes pilgrimages so sanctifying! Pilgrims will undertake this life-changing journey both as an act of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament and to witness publicly that Jesus is a King worth following.
Catholics Invited To Participate In Coast-To-Coast
2024 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
Unprecedented multi-route nationwide pilgrimage kicks off as part of 10th National Eucharistic Congress
Washington, D.C, May 17, 2023
—On the Feast of St. Paschal Baylon, patron saint of Eucharistic
Congresses, the executive team for the National Eucharistic Congress is excited to invite Catholic
communities across the country to be part of the historic movement to set hearts ablaze along four
distinct routes that are part of a Eucharistic pilgrimage destined for the 10th National Eucharistic
Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Rooted in daily celebration of the Mass and modeled after the Gospel
account of Jesus’ journey to Emmaus two millennia ago, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will kick off
May 17-19, 2024 during the Feast of Pentecost.
The routes, named for saintly significance corresponding
to the geographical starting point, will pass through many major U.S. cities beginning in San Francisco, CA
(Serra Route); Bemidji, MN (Marian Route); New Haven, CT (Seton Route); and Brownsville, TX (Juan
Diego Route).
Modern Catholic Pilgrim, a non-profit organization established to deepen faith and build community
across the U.S. through walked pilgrimage in the Catholic tradition, has partnered with the National
Eucharistic Congress to organize and manage all routes. “It is a stirring vision– Christ truly present in the
Eucharist, traveling across our nation inviting crowds of hungry souls to come and be fed,” said Modern
Catholic Pilgrim President and Founder Will Peterson. “The pilgrimage is modeled after the road to
Emmaus and is an invitation for pilgrims to encounter the risen Christ on the journey and in the breaking
of the bread before being missioned back into their local communities to spread the fire.”
Spanning a combined distance of 6,500 miles through cities, along highways, mountain ranges, and rural
towns, each pilgrimage route will be accompanied by a consistent group of “perpetual pilgrims,” a priest
chaplain, and a support vehicle for legs of the journey in which safety, terrain, and/or climate may
present obstacles. The support vehicle will also allow pilgrims to get to their destinations according to
schedule for areas in which the distance is too great to travel on foot.
A general schedule for each pilgrimage route will be followed consisting of Mass and major solemn
procession on Sundays, with Mass and smaller processions at parishes during the week. Pilgrims will
travel 10-15 miles each day while taking part in a minor Eucharistic procession. Along the routes,
parishes will host Mass, Adoration, 40 Hours devotions, praise and worship services, lectures on the
Eucharist, pilgrim testimonies, meals, and fellowship.
Biblical hospitality will be offered via host families,
parishes, religious orders, schools, shrines, retreat centers, and everything in between.
“We have encountered tremendous excitement from all corners of the country. People cannot wait to
join the route near them, and for those who cannot join a route, we will have free resources for making
their own Eucharistic pilgrimages starting this summer so that all Catholics in the U.S. can participate,”
noted Peterson.
A special cross-diocesan pilgrimage from Fort Wayne to South Bend, IN will be held this June 4-11, 2023.
Following the projected pattern of the four national routes that will embark upon this cross-country
pilgrimage beginning in May 2024, it will celebrate the upcoming Feast of Corpus Christi, coinciding with
the transition to the Year of Parish Revival as part of the multi-year strategic plan being carried out by
the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. in support of the National Eucharistic Revival.
To discern involvement in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, all Catholics are encouraged to visit
https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/ to view a map of the routes and a schedule of cities each
pilgrimage travels through, explore detailed FAQ, learn about the patron saint for each route, and sign
up to receive updates about specific routes.
For a complete press kit, visit https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/press-kit.
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