The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes began in four "corners" of the United States on May 17th of this year. They continued to their final destination in Indianapolis on July 16th before the National Eucharistic Congress began there on July 17th.
Though Allentown, Pennsylvania, was not on the eastern National Pilgrimage Route to Indianapolis, which began in Connecticut, Catholics across the nation were encouraged to lead their own pilgrimages and processions preceding the National Eucharistic Congress to stir sparks of "Eucharistic Revival" in their communities.
On Monday, July 8th, during the second day of the Quo Vadis and Fiat retreats, a procession was led by Father John Maria, Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Allentown, and Father Mark Searles, a member of the College Formation Faculty at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Lower Gwynedd Township, from Egner Chapel at Muhlenberg College in Allentown to the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena Parish less than a mile away.
Onlookers watched as priests and seminarians led sixty Quo Vadis and Fiat teens, religious sisters, and lay retreat leaders in this unique liturgical form of worship down Chew Street in Allentown.
Once at the Cathedral, Father Aaron Scheidel, Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral, led the youth in Eucharistic Adoration and a guided reflection teaching the teens how prayer is essentially a “conversation with God.”
Several other priests heard confessions during a Holy Hour for the youth, ending with benediction.
While the Allentown pilgrimage was smaller and shorter than the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, it remained distinctively impactful for many of the teens who took part in it.
One of the teens was Nathalia Calero from Holy Trinity Parish, Columbia, who was invited by her sister, Estefania Pierce from Holy Infancy, Bethlehem, to attend this Diocesan vocations retreat.
"My sister really wanted me to come here. I was not sure about it, but now I think – yes, this is wonderful and beautiful," said Calero. "I am so thankful that my sister invited me to be here."
Calero took part in a Eucharistic Procession before, but vaguely remembers it. This experience was different for her because she believes she has "spiritually matured.” She was thankful to "connect" with Our Lord in this way during Adoration.
Calero explained that during the procession and especially during Adoration, "I felt His presence and heard Him talking to me. For a long time, I have not felt His presence," but this retreat provided a unique opportunity for her to grow in her faith and discernment.
Pamelfe Maichema from St. Margaret Parish, Reading, shared similar sentiments about the procession and Adoration: "It was amazing because we have the opportunity to see God in front of us. We can talk with Him. We can pray. We can feel Him among us."
Processions have long been a part of liturgical worship in Scripture. A famous example is the procession of Christ through the streets of Jerusalem, which we commemorate on Palm Sunday. Many priests within our Diocese led Eucharistic Processions on the feast of Corpus Christi.
Father Maria and Father Searles would later join Bishop Schlert in Indianapolis to attend the National Eucharistic Congress from July 17th through July 21st, and participated in a National Eucharistic Procession along with two thousand priests, deacons, bishops, and fifty-thousand lay people on Saturday, July 20th through the streets of Indianapolis.
The next National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be in 2025 and will go from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Los Angeles, California. The end date is set for the feast of Corpus Christi on June 19, 2025.
To learn more about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, go to https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/.
