Along with the traditional fireworks over the National Mall and a patriotic concert on the U.S. Capitol’s lawn for the July 4th weekend, the commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C., will also include a Grand Prix IndyCar race through the city’s streets and UFC mixed martial arts matches on the White House grounds.
But on June 5 and 6, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington, D.C., to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The pilgrimage included a special blessing of America near the Washington Monument on the evening of June 5 and a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Washington the next day.
“Today we walk with Jesus Christ our Redeemer, our Savior. We walk with him in the streets of our nation’s capital,” said Father Charles Trullols, the director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, in his homily during a Votive Mass of the Eucharist outside the downtown center on June 6 before he led the center’s fourth annual Eucharistic procession through the city, which was held this year in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s arrival in Washington.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage – with the theme “One Nation Under God” – began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will wind through most of the 13 original colonies, traveling about 2,200 miles before arriving in Philadelphia on July 4 to commemorate with prayer and Eucharistic devotion the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of the Independence. The pilgrimage’s St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route is placed under the patronage of the woman religious and Italian immigrant who in 1946 became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. The saint who built schools, hospitals and orphanages was known for her outreach to immigrants.
Father Trullols, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei who is a native of Spain, leads the Catholic Information Center, a corporation of the Archdiocese of Washington which through its downtown Washington location offers daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Confession, spiritual and intellectual programs and a bookstore.
An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended the June 6 Mass outside the Catholic Information Center and then prayerfully processed through the city, following Father Trullols and other priests who held the Eucharist aloft in a monstrance beneath a canopy, passing the city’s office buildings, public squares and landmarks.
In his homily at the Mass, which was held the day before the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christ Sunday, Father Trullols said the phrase “one nation under God” should be more than a patriotic slogan.
“A nation remains ‘under God’ only if its people place God first,” he said.
The priest said that ways Catholics can put God first include through daily prayer, attending Mass, receiving the sacrament of Confession, caring for the poor, remaining faithful in marriage, and pursuing holiness in everyday life.
“Today’s procession is not a parade,” he said, emphasizing that it would offer a public witness to the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist.
Father Trullols said early Christians understood that the Eucharist is not just a symbol – it is Jesus, the Bread of Life who transforms people’s lives. He noted how Mother Cabrini worked tirelessly to minister to poor immigrants, drawing her strength from praying before the Eucharist in the tabernacle, and he also pointed out how Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who evangelized millions through his radio shows and TV programs, prayed before the Eucharist in a daily holy hour, no matter how busy he was.
Noting the importance of such Eucharistic devotion, Father Trullols said, “There is where saints are made.”
The priest noted that in today’s world, people are hurting, some have drifted from faith and are seeking truth, and he hoped that people would be inspired to encounter Christ after witnessing people walking with faith and joy in the procession.
Concluding his homily, Father Trullols said, “May this Eucharistic procession renew our hearts and strengthen our Church in America,” that Jesus may reign in people’s hearts and in the country, so it will remain “one nation under God” for the next 250 years.
During the June 6 Mass and later at altar stations during the procession, hundreds of people knelt reverently on the sidewalk and on closed-off sections of streets, on blue foam pads provided by the Catholic Information Center. At the Mass, the intentions included a prayer that this country and its people would respect the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death, that God would fill the hearts of those who despair with hope, and that the Eucharistic devotion that day would inspire people to carry Jesus to those whom they meet.
On the evening before, Father Trullols had received the Blessed Sacrament at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia. Then he joined the nine young adult “perpetual pilgrims” accompanying the Eucharist in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, as their Ford Transit Van crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge to Washington, D.C. A press statement from the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage noted that bridge, “long recognized as a symbol of national unity and reconciliation between North and South, serves as a fitting gateway for bringing Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, into the heart of the nation’s capital.”
At a press conference on June 6, John Paul Flynn – one of the “perpetual pilgrims” who is a student at The Catholic University of America and a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie, Maryland – said bringing the Eucharist across that bridge into Washington “was really meant to be a unifying moment, rededicating our country to Christ.”
After the pilgrimage vehicle arrived on the National Mall on the evening of June 5, Father Trullols led a Eucharistic procession toward the grounds near the base of the Washington Monument, and he offered a symbolic blessing for the nation within sight of that illuminated monument and the U.S. Capitol in the distance.
The Eucharistic procession through the streets of Washington the next day on June 6 likewise offered dramatic moments, including as Father Trullols held the Eucharist aloft and was followed by the prayerful procession of about 1,000 people as they passed Lafayette Square within sight of the White House and prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
The procession was led by a man and woman carrying the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage banner, and was followed by a crossbearer and candle bearers, about a dozen women religious, and several children dropping rose petals who had recently received their First Holy Communion. Also following the priest holding the Blessed Sacrament under the canopy were choir members and then the crowd of lay faithful, who included many young adults, and also senior citizens and families with small children. The procession stretched for more than a city block, and also passed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and by Farragut Square and McPherson Square named for Civil War heroes.
At the procession’s first altar station before passing near the White House, Father Trullols noted that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, offers hope to people seeking peace in their hearts, peace in their families and peace in their nation and world. He also emphasized how the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. “May our Eucharistic Lord bless our nation, guide our leaders, strengthen families and draw people to Himself,” the priest prayed.
At the procession’s third altar station back outside the Catholic Information Center, people knelt for the final Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, singing the Latin hymn “Tantum Ergo Sacramentum” (“Down in Adoration Falling”), and before departing, they were encouraged to bring Jesus to others through acts of love and service.
Voices from National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Washington, D.C.
People from all walks of life and from different parts of the country were among those who joined a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Washington, D.C., on June 6 after the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage arrived in the nation’s capital the previous evening.
The fourth annual Eucharistic procession in the city sponsored by the Catholic Information Center in Washington coincided this year with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is winding through the eastern United States with the theme “One Nation Under God” to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist during the nation’s 250th anniversary year.
Before a Votive Mass of the Eucharist outside the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington preceding the Eucharistic procession, some participants in interviews told why they would be walking in the procession that day.
“I believe that we need to pray for our nation’s repentance and turn toward Christ, and I also believe our youth are rising up and turning to Christ. I can see it,” said Debbie Stroupe of Rockville, Maryland.
Audrey Hubbard, a 22-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, who is about to become a postulant with the Salesian sisters, said she had come “just to be here for Jesus and the Eucharist.” She added that she hopes the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will spur a Eucharistic revival and help people know Jesus “is fully present with us in the Eucharist.”
Hubbard expressed hope that the Eucharistic devotion demonstrated by the participants will help “bring our nation back to loving God more.”
Ryan Bradel, a lawyer from Alexandria, Virginia, noted that he participates in activities at the Catholic Information Center, and in recent years, he has assisted the center in gaining necessary permits from the D.C. government and police so that the Eucharistic procession can be held in the city.
“There are so many great (Catholic) traditions that have been lost,” he said, adding, “We need to be out there embracing the uniqueness and mystery of Catholicism.”
Mark Babicke, who works at Arlington National Cemetery and is completing his service with the U.S. Army, said, “I think sometimes we’re a private religion and keep it to ourselves. It (the Eucharistic procession) is giving people an opportunity to see our religion… It’s almost (like) Adoration on a walk.”
Asked about what he hopes the impact of the procession will be, Babicke said, “Even if at least one person has questions about the faith and gets involved in the faith, it’s a win.”
Duke Megnauth, a project manager from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and his wife Ashley Ronnan, a teacher, attended the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s kickoff event in St. Augustine, Florida on May 24, and are spending their summer vacation joining the pilgrimage at its stops through June 12, driving to each location, including for the Eucharistic procession in Washington.
“It’s important to continue representing the Eucharist every day of our life, not just on Sunday. This is a great way to praise God outside of church,” Duke Megnauth said, adding that he and his wife also want to set an example for their young adult daughter and son as they leave home for college and prepare for careers. “They’re at a fork in the road… You can’t be with them and hope Christ will be with them,” he said.
His wife Ashley Ronnan said participating in the Eucharistic pilgrimage, and the procession that day, was important. “This is an opportunity to bring Christ into the community. It’s so important we live (our faith) outside of our church and show our country the power of the Eucharist and the power of love,” she said.
She added that “this is an opportunity to show what Jesus’s love is like. We love all of our neighbors, regardless of the color of their skin, their immigration status, or their gender. Their identity is in Christ.”
