Hundreds of Catholics process through South Bend, following National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- One of the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed through Michiana Friday on its way to Indianapolis in a historic religious event.
Hundreds of Catholics followed a procession through South Bend that ended at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.
"I had flown out to Chicago basically without a plan," said Danny Tran. "I had, like, a backpack."
Tran, a devout Catholic, flew in from Fort Worth, Texas to join the "Marian" route" of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
"I also had heard that this is the biggest pilgrimage in terms of distance ever attempted," Tran said. "And I wanted to be part of history in that way."
Tran is taking it day by day.
"I really have to lean on the charity of others to get me through this," he said. "You know, where am I going to stay tonight? How am I going to get to the next location which could be two hours away sometimes?"
He's following one of four vans on one of the four pilgrimage routes, all coming together next week in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, the first event of its kind in 83 years.
"The pilgrimage is once in a lifetime, in that, no one has ever walked this far with Jesus since the time of the apostles," said Matthew Heidenreich, one of eight "Perpetual Pilgrims" on the Marian route.
"We're a team of 8 catholic young adults who started in Bemidji, Minnesota, and we've been traveling with the Blessed Sacrament all the way down to Indianapolis," he continued. "We're now in South Bend, and we're about a week out from our destination. We've been traveling for the past seven weeks to get to this point, putting on Eucharistic processions, holy hours, visiting lots of local churches and communities."
In the spirit of pilgrimage, local Catholics participate in processions with the Eucharist, or church communion, a key sacrament in Catholicism. In that sacrament, Catholics believe the true body and blood of Jesus Christ is present after the bread and wine are consecrated by a priest.
While the pilgrimage is hosting plenty of processions, including one Friday afternoon from St. Therese the Little Flower to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the travel is primarily done by road. Each van leading the pilgrimage routes is equipped with a Tabernacle, a sacred space to hold the Eucharist. The vans have large, untainted windows, making the Eucharist visible to passerby on the road.
"The Marian route is unique in we get to go through many small towns, many small parishes," said Megan Zaleski, Marian route team lead. "So, sometimes we have crowds like this, anywhere from 50-100 people, sometimes we have less than that. Sometimes we've had thousands when we're in bigger cities."
The pilgrimage and the 10th National Eucharistic Congress are all part of the larger "Revival" movement" organized by Catholic church leaders in the U.S. since 2022 to bring more people back to the Catholic Church.
"We're kind of missionaries and pilgrims at the same time," Heidenreich said.
The following schedule of local events from the Diocese of South Bend Fort Wayne can be found below:
FRIDAY, JULY 5
8-9:30 p.m. – Panel on Eucharist, hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life, at Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame
SATURDAY, JULY 6
8-8:30 a.m. – Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame
10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Service project hosted by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, where volunteers will tend to the newly created Miami Village Unity Garden at St. Matthew Cathedral and hand out free hygiene kits to the public while supplies last
1-3 p.m. – Performance of “Behold God’s Love: A Eucharistic Musical” at O’Loughlin Auditorium at Saint Mary’s College
7-9 p.m. – Performance of “Behold God’s Love: A Eucharistic Musical” at O’Loughlin Auditorium at Saint Mary’s College
SUNDAY, JULY 7
10-11:30 a.m. – Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame
11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. – Procession on the campus of the University of Notre Dame
1-2 p.m. – Potluck lunch at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Bristol
2-3 p.m. – Adoration at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Bristol
4-5 p.m. – Adoration at St. Joseph Parish in LaGrange
6-7:30 p.m. – Dinner at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Angola
7:30-9 p.m. – Adoration at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Angola
MONDAY, JULY 8
8-8:30 a.m. – Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Angola
8:30-9 a.m. – Procession at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Angola
9:40-10 a.m. – Adoration at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Waterloo
11 a.m.-4 p.m. – Procession from St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Waterloo to Immaculate Conception Parish in Auburn
4-4:15 p.m. – Benediction at Immaculate Conception Parish in Auburn
6-7:30 p.m. – Potluck dinner at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne
7:30-8:30 p.m. – Adoration at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne
TUESDAY, JULY 9
7:30-9 a.m. – Mass and procession with Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne
9:45-10 a.m. – Adoration at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Pierceton
10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Procession from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Pierceton to Sacred Heart Parish in Warsaw
2-4 p.m. – Lunch and prayer at Sacred Heart Parish in Warsaw
6-7:30 p.m. – Dinner at St. Michael Parish in Plymouth
7:30-8:30 p.m. – Adoration at St. Michael Parish in Plymouth
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10
8-8:30 a.m. – Mass at St. Michael Parish in Plymouth
8:30-9 a.m. – Procession at St. Michael in Plymouth