Top Photo: Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., blesses pilgrims July 17, 2024, during Adoration at the opening revival night of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. OSV News photo/Bob Roller
By Christina Leslie |Correspondent
Two years after the spiritual success of a nationwide procession, and inspired by the United States of America’s 250th year, pilgrims will once again walk hundreds of miles to keep the Blessed Sacrament at faith’s forefront.
The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, themed “One Nation Under God,” will begin Memorial Day weekend with events slated for St. Augustine, Fla., and continue through Independence Day up the Eastern Seaboard to Philadelphia.
This year, the pilgrimage will make numerous stops in two New Jersey dioceses – Camden and Paterson – and faithful from the Trenton Diocese, as well as those from throughout the Garden State, are invited to participate.
The event’s patron saint is the first American citizen to be canonized a saint: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. The Italian native of Italy arrived in New York in 1889; founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and worked to ensure that immigrants and orphans in New York City received shelter, food, Catholic education classes and medical care.
The Eucharistic Pilgrimage route begins on Memorial Day weekend in the Diocese of St. Augustine, Fla., then stretches north along the Eastern Seaboard. Pilgrims will walk, worship and celebrate their faith, pausing for events in the dioceses of Savannah, Ga. (May 25-28); Charleston, S.C. (May 28-30); Charlotte, N.C. (May 30 – June 2); Richmond, Va. (June 2 – 5); and Arlington, Va. (June 5 – 7). Scheduled stops within the Archdioceses of Washington (June 5 – 6) and Baltimore, Md. (June 9 – 11), are next, followed by events in the diocese of Wilmington, Del. (June 11 – 12), before the pilgrims’ arrival in the Diocese of Camden on June 12.
The Camden Diocese will host numerous pilgrimage events over the course of three days; though all are free and open to the public, organizers request prior registration online to plan numbers and resources for all who attend. The events include:
June 12: Mass and Eucharistic procession in St. Mary, Gloucester City
June 13: Morning Mass and neighborhood walk in St. James, Ventnor City; a multicultural evangelization event in Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lindenwold
June 14: Mass and Eucharistic Procession in Christ the King, Haddonfield
Following its stay in the Diocese of Camden, the Eucharistic Pilgrimage will travel north through the Diocese of Trenton to the Diocese of Paterson for events to be held there June 14 and 15. They include:
June 14: Bilingual talk in Passaic at Holy Rosary (English) and St. Nicholas (Spanish), then a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Passaic to Boverini Stadium and Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney
June 15: Liturgy with Byzantine Catholic community in St. Michael Chapel, Woodland Park, and Eucharistic Procession to Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
Additional pilgrimage stops include the (arch)dioceses of Springfield, Mass.; Manchester, N.H.; Portland, Maine; Boston; Fall River, Mass., and Providence, R.I. The pilgrimage will conclude in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia July 2-5, with a closing Mass to be celebrated on July 5 in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, followed by a final Eucharistic Procession through downtown Philadelphia.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Bishop of Crookston, Minn., issued a special invitation to all Catholics to gather in Philadelphia as the pilgrimage coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“This journey is not simply a commemoration of our nation’s founding; it is an act of intercession for our country,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We desire to place our nation once again before the Lord in gratitude, humility, repentance, and hope.
For further information on the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and to register for individual events, see their website at eucharisticpilgrimage.org.