SW News:

Catholics from four different states in the USA will embark on a two-month journey to mark the start of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress next year. It will begin on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024, and end on July 16, at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. 

The pilgrimage will travel roughly 6,500 miles and visit 65 dioceses along four separate itineraries as part of the United States bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival initiative that has already got underway. The National Eucharistic Congress has laid out the itinerary and logistics for the pilgrimage. 

The spiritual journey will traverse San Francisco, Bemidji, Minnesota, New Haven, Connecticut, and Brownsville, Texas. 

The routes were inspired by the patron saints of their various departure points. The Serra Route is named after Saint Junipero Serra, while Bemidji is known as the Marian Route owing to the city’s great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

The Seton Route is named after Saint Elizabeth Seton, whereas the Juan Route follows San Juan Diego, the visionary who witnessed the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. 

Twelve travelers or young Catholics between the ages of 19 and 29, will monitor each journey, with priest chaplains visiting each route once a week. The National Eucharistic Congress, on the other hand, has said that these pilgrims would not walk the whole distance and that there will be a backup vehicle for “parts of the route where safety, geography, or weather may cause concerns”. 

Parishes along the route will host Mass, adoration, 40-hour devotions, praise and worship sessions, 

Eucharistic lectures, testimonials from pilgrims, refreshments, and fellowship as the pilgrimage passes. Pilgrims will be accommodated in the homes of local parishioners and other diocese-affiliated facilities to rest their tired feet. 
Will F. Peterson, president of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, said in a press release on Wednesday, 

“It is a stirring vision to see Christ actually present in the Eucharist going throughout the country, calling groups of ravenous souls to come and be fed.” The bishops believe that this campaign would revive the nation’s commitment to the Eucharist as a form of Jesus Christ’s closeness to the community of believers in the Blessed Sacrament.