National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary

(LifeSiteNews) — A National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will begin next month to mark the United States’ semiquincentennial, which will see the Holy Eucharist processed across the original 13 colonies and several notable landmarks as an invitation to prayer.

The pilgrimage will begin May 24, Memorial Day weekend, in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, home of the first Catholic colony and where the first Mass was celebrated in the modern-day United States, and conclude the weekend of July 4, Independence Day, in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The pilgrimage will pass through 18 dioceses and two eastern Catholic eparchies as well as several noteworthy landmarks along the way.

Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, citing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) National Eucharistic Revival Impact Study, told LifeSite that the pilgrimage will serve as a powerful witness to America’s renewal of Eucharistic faith and a call to live as one nation under God ahead of its 250th birthday.

“The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is one of the most visible expressions of that renewal. As Catholics carry Jesus in the Eucharist through streets and communities, it becomes both a public witness of faith and a personal invitation for people everywhere to encounter Him,” he said.

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the pilgrimage also offers a moment of reflection about the deeper foundations of our country,” he added. “Faith has always been a vital part of the American story, and this journey reminds us that our ultimate hope and unity come from God. By praying together and carrying the Eucharist across the nation, we are asking the Lord to renew His Church and to bless our country so that we may truly live as one nation under God.”

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Shanks highlighted several of the key stops along the pilgrimage route between St. Augustine and Philadelphia, including the Baltimore Basilica, the first cathedral built in the U.S.; where Mass will be celebrated, a blessing over Washington, D.C., atop Arlington Memorial Bridge, followed by a Eucharistic procession through the nation’s capital; and another procession along the historic Freedom Trail in Boston, culminating with an outdoor Mass celebrated on Lexington Battle Green.

He noted that the pilgrimage route will also include several significant Catholic shrines, including the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia, where the pilgrims will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament, and the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

READ: Bishop Conley leads Eucharistic procession outside Planned Parenthood in Lincoln

Finally, Shanks emphasized the symbolism of concluding the pilgrimage in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, during the semiquincentennial weekend.

“Just as the nation will be celebrating 250 years since the drafting and signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, Catholics will gather in the city where that history unfolded to pray for the future of our country,” Shanks said.

For more information about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, click here.