The Diocese of St. Cloud is hosting the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage May 22-24. The pilgrimage is a portion of a national event where four groups of pilgrims will travel, mostly by foot, from routes beginning in the north, south, east and west of the country, converging in the city of Indianapolis ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress, slated for July 17-21. The procession in the Diocese of St. Cloud is part of the Marian Route, which began on May 17 at the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress in Bemidji and will pass through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois before meeting the other routes in Indianapolis.
To kick off the events in our diocese, the perpetual pilgrims traveling the whole Marian Route gathered with Catholics from all over the diocese and beyond at the JC Baseball Fields in Mora for a procession to St. Mary Church. They then traveled by van to Gilman for a short procession and overnight Adoration and Confessions at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.
Day 2 of the saw the pilgrims visiting Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Mary’s in Little Falls, St. Mary of Mount Carmel in Long Prairie, Our Lady of Angels and St. Paul’s in Sauk Centre and finally St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud.
On the pilgrims’ last day in the diocese, a walking procession will leave mid-morning form St. Mary’s Cathedral and process to St. Marcus in Clear Lake. The 13-mile procession will occur over a 10-hour period of time on a route with water stations, porta-potties and designated bus stops for participants to return back to St. Cloud.
A woman scatters rose pedals on the sidewalk outside Our Lady of Lourdes in Little Falls.
Great pics of the procession! Thanks!