Perpetual Pilgrims make journey of a lifetime, bring National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese

Hundreds of faithful gathered in St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen, May 27, to welcome six Perpetual Pilgrims on their journey to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana which takes place from July 17 - 21. The national pilgrimage, the first in 83 years, consists of four walking routes from divergent parts of the country who will all meet in Indianapolis. Arrival in the Diocese of Metuchen, which is part of the Seton Route, marked day 11 for the pilgrims.

The World Apostolate of Fatima-Our Lady’s Blue Army pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which goes before the pilgrimage along the Seton Route, arrived at the Cathedral in late afternoon.

Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Father Luke Mary Fletcher, chaplain of the World Apostolate of the Blue Army shrine, Asbury, delivered a talk asserting the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima “was the most prophetic of all Marian apparitions” and had many links to her son, the Eucharistic Presence.

“Mary came to request a chapel to be built, and processions be held,” Father Fletcher said. “The last time Mary came was the time the sun could be seen dancing. The rising sun reminded them of the resurrection of Jesus. The miraculous dancing of sun in the sky was a miracle, and the Eucharist is THE miracle.” He added, “Even the beautiful tabernacle is not the final destination of the Eucharistic Jesus. It is us.”

The evening event was led by Bishop James F. Checchio, whose welcome letter expressed heartfelt thanks: “The Church of Metuchen receives you with open hearts and outstretched arms. Thank you for answering the call, ‘Come and follow me,’ as you journey with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in what might be the longest Eucharistic Procession in world history.”

The World Apostolate of Fatima-Our Lady’s Blue Army pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima was crowned at the outset of the evening. Bishop Checchio then welcomed Father Roger Landry, one of the six Perpetual Pilgrims and a National Eucharistic Preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival, to address the congregation about “The Pilgrim Church on Earth: The Christian’s Life-time Procession with the Eucharistic Lord.” He noted the revival’s focus on the parish, with four elements: the way we celebrate Mass, encounter with the Eucharist, charity, and mission, which is how to pass on the Word made flesh.

Expounding on these four elements, Father Landry noted that “every Mass is an Emmaus scene,” recalling when the resurrected Jesus encountered two disciples as they journeyed from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Jesus until that night at dinner when Jesus repeated the Last Supper Eucharistic service. He admonished them: “How slow you are to believe despite all the Old Testament evidence.”

The Crucifixion was a confirmation, not a contradiction, of the Old Testament, Father Landry stressed. “That same Lord Jesus is here. Mother Seton, after whom this leg of the journey is named, encountered Jesus in the Eucharist: ‘Help me if you are really there,’ she prayed, which saved her faith. She was thereby converted and went on to establish the first school for girls, the foundation of the American Catholic education system. An Emmaus journey is a Eucharistic journey.”

Regarding charity, “You can’t just write checks,” he said. “You can’t use charity as a way out of practicing love of the Lord.” Addressing mission, he proclaimed that “We share the gift of the Eucharistic faith because life with Jesus is so much richer! That’s why we share it”

Father Landry then united their walking pilgrimage to the entire Church community, noting that walking is a very important verb in Scripture, especially walking in truth and in light. “We are pilgrims in a strange land,” citing both St. Peter and Vatican II. “Parish” is from the ancient word for stranger in a foreign land. A parish is “a temporary home, a place to crash. The whole Church is a parish to feed us along the way, as we are always moving, a family journeying in time. But we are not alone. Jesus is with us, as he said: ‘I will be with you always.’ The Eucharist is the best way.”

Following Father Landry’s talk, pilgrims had the opportunity for personal prayer, followed by “Let’s go to meet Jesus in the Eucharist” with the diocesan Hispanic Charismatic Movement. The cathedral remained open for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a vigil of Eucharistic reparation offered by the World Apostolate of Fatima, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which continued throughout the night.

Morning brought the Rosary and Benediction, after which the Perpetual Pilgrims would be back on the road following breakfast, making their way in Eucharistic Procession to St. Peter the Apostle University and Community Parish, New Brunswick.

Raquel Chile, an attendee from Immaculate Conception Parish in Somerville, referred to Father Landry’s presentation as “awesome. I loved his teaching.” Mary Wolfrom, a daily communicant at the Cathedral, considered the talk “so powerful. I loved how he explained that Jesus couldn’t come in the flesh, but rather as bread and wine.”

The four-piece quartet, Marisel Rodriguez and Band, played at intervals during the evening, with harmonies, melodies, and rhythms that lent an especially aesthetic dimension to the evening.