Walking for Jesus

On Saturday, May 25, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage arrived at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Five “perpetual pilgrims” will walk the entire 1,100-mile eastern route to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this July, and they came to celebrate Mass as they initiated their Manhattan trek. The Shrine was one of only four stops in Manhattan.

Over 500 people turned out to attend the bilingual (Spanish/English) Mass. Enthusiastic worshipers filled the Shrine to the rafters and down the hallways. Fr. Roger Landry, the celebrant, gave a passionate homily about Mother Cabrini’s devotion to the Eucharist.

Eight Missionary Sisters were on hand to welcome visitors: Sr. Yolanda Flores, Sr. Antonina Avitabile, Sr. Pat Dunleavy, Sr. Renee Kittleson, Sr. Genet Henok, Sr. Albertina, Sr. Bernadette Anello, and Sr. Alfonsina Gomes provided warm greetings for all who attended.
Following Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and then brought in procession through the streets of Manhattan. The group left the Shrine and proceeded down Fort Washington Avenue, singing with passion and devotion in both Spanish and English. Their goal: Central Park, for Benediction.

Please pray for the faithful pilgrims who are committed to public witness to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Shrine donated the collection from the Mass to support the expenses they face as they sacrifice three months and many blisters as witnesses to Jesus.

Even if a picture says a thousand words, sometimes words tell a richer story. Thus, I offer the following vignettes of the impact Saturday’s National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Mass and procession.

Note: When the procession left the Shrine, its destination was the bandshell in Central Park, 7.7 miles away.

On Sunday, Vasilisa, a 70+ year old woman from the Dominican Republic who comes to daily Mass and Adoration came up and gave me a huge hug. “Oh, that was so beautiful!” she exclaimed in broken English, “Thank you! Thank you! I walked all the way to Central Park!”

“What?” I gasped.

“Oh yes! My legs hurt and hurt so much, and I kept saying, ‘Jesus, I am doing this for you!’ And I did it!” She practically glowed.

Irma and Margarita, both Mexican, came to set up for the Spanish Mass. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned, as Margarita hobbled into the sacristy. She could barely walk

“Yes, but the bottoms of my feet are covered in blisters,” she explained, “We walked the whole way yesterday.”

Irma chimed in, “It was wonderful! That was the best thing we’ve ever done here! We sang to Jesus the whole way! The whole world knew! We should do this more often!”

Margarita nodded, and, smiling, continued to prepare for Mass.

Maria, a Filipina, knocked on my office door Tuesday morning.

“I was here Saturday,” she said, shyly, “I’d never been here before. That was a bit of heaven on earth!”

She’d brought some pamphlets of a newly-approved Litany to the Blessed Sacrament that she bought and wanted to offer the Shrine for free. Because the Shrine can become easily overwhelmed with outside literature, it’s a daily task to quietly remove what people leave behind. Thus, I’m generally averse to accepting donations of this sort. But the pamphlets were beautiful, the prayer fitting, and the intention splendid. So, I accepted the gift gladly. It seemed a suitable thank offering for a spectacular day that honored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

And by the end of the day the first stack of 25 was half gone.