The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring the second diocesan-wide “Source and Summit Tour” on Thursday, Aug. 3, in promotion of the National Eucharistic Revival.
This year, pilgrims will travel to the western side of the diocese, making stops in Sauk Centre, Long Prairie, Verndale, Perham, Underwood and Battle Lake.
The pilgrimage will begin with a blessing from Father Gregory Paffel at St. Paul in Sauk Centre. Then, pilgrims will spend the day traveling to different parishes, spending time in adoration, prayer and listening to talks from parish priests. The tour also includes lunch in Perham. The day will begin at 7:15 a.m. and conclude around 7 p.m.
“I know it’s going to be a long day, but it’s just so hard to pass up these churches,” said Jean Zwilling, church commission chair for the St. Cloud DCCW.
The DCCW hosted the Source and Summit tour for the first time in 2022, where pilgrims from across the diocese traveled to Foreston, Isanti and Elk River for adoration, talks and prayer.
Zwilling spoke fondly of the 2022 pilgrimage, saying it was an “awesome experience.”
“The parishes were so receptive and grateful to have us come to their parishes and see the eastern part of our diocese,” she said. “You had to have been touched, no matter where you are, no matter what stage of faith that you have — there was a lot to be learned, a lot to think about later. It was just an awesome experience.”
Zwilling said her hope for this year’s pilgrimage is that participants can take a step further in their faith and devotion to the Eucharist.
“Most of us understand what the Eucharist means, but sometimes we have to remind ourselves of what it really means, and in order to do that, we have to sit back and take the time to do that,” she said.
The Eucharistic Revival kicked off on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ in 2022 as an effort from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to promote understanding and devotion to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Now in its second year, the Revival will focus on promoting the Eucharist at the parish and ACC level.
Zwilling spoke of her own strong devotion to the Eucharist, saying she is in “awe of Jesus’ inexhaustible love that he has for me and for all of us.”
“It’s real mind-boggling sometimes to understand that he loves us so much that he chooses to remain in every tabernacle in the world,” she said. “I want to grow in that love by spending more time in his presence and I’m hoping this pilgrimage will help.”
Underwood is the mailing address of St James Parish, which is in the town of Maine. A withering place can lose its school, cafe, and even its post office, but there is still a “there” there.
I also have to defend the distinction between Otter Tail , the county, and Ottertail, the hamlet against the Fergus Falls Daily Journal proofreaders.