Dear Friends,
Soon we will begin the Lenten Season, a time set apart for prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Make this Lenten Season special and life changing by making the Eucharist the center of your spiritual life.
Jesus invites us to sit, watch and pray (Mt 26:41). Let us make a point of visiting Jesus in our churches during this Lent of the Year of Parish Revival. Perhaps we can carve out even a little time each day or each week. If that is not possible, let us at least visit Him in our hearts. He is dwelling among us so that we can abide with Him (John 15:4).
In less than six months, pilgrims from across the United States will gather for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21. Prior to this event, the largest Eucharistic pilgrimage in history will take place from May 19, 2024, to July 16, 2024. The pilgrimage will commence from four corners of the country on Pentecost Sunday while stopping at important shrines along the way. The 6,500-mile procession with Our Eucharistic Lord, accompanied by pilgrims traveling from these four corners, will converge in Indianapolis for the Congress.
The outdoor processions with the Eucharist will start from four geographic locations: San Francisco in the West, Minnesota in the North, Connecticut in the East and Texas in the South. These four routes through a total of 27 states and 67 dioceses will form a cross over the map of the United States.
The northern or Marian route will begin at the headwaters of the Mississippi with a stop at the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Green Bay, WI, the only approved Marian apparition in the United States. The eastern or Seton Route will begin in New Haven, CT, near the birthplace of Bl. Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, and proceed through Emmitsburg, MD while stopping at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American saint. The procession along the Juan Diego or southern route will go through Corpus Christi, TX, a city named in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. The Junipero Serra or western route honors the Franciscan priest who brought to Catholic faith to the west and southwest U.S. This is the longest route of the procession.
In addition to the thousands of pilgrims joining the pilgrimage at various stops along the four routes, eight young adult perpetual pilgrims will accompany the Blessed Sacrament. Each evening the Blessed Sacrament will be reposed in a chapel or church. While not everybody will be able to physically participate in these processions, EWTN will provide up to date coverage of the pilgrimage as well as coverage of the Eucharistic Congress.
The National Eucharistic Congress is one of the most important events in the US in the past 83 years. In these tight economic times, the cost of attending might be concerning. The Congress website: provides several options for making attendance more accessible: day and weekend passes at a reduced rate, no cost for children under 12, and scholarships.
Jesus continuously invites us into friendship. Through prayer and adoration this relationship will grow and Jesus will inspire us to invite others into a personal relationship with Him.
Wishing you God’s abundant blessings as we strive to deepen our relationship with our Eucharistic Lord. If we have Him, we have all! Enjoy a fruitful Lenten Season!
Prayerfully in the Holy Family,
Sr. M. Marcella Louise Wallowicz, CSFN
