National Pilgrimage Begins in New Haven
Knights help launch the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage from the Order’s birthplace
By Cecilia Engbert
5/30/2024
Escorted by Knights, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt of Hartford carries the Eucharist in procession from St. Mary’s Church to St. Joseph’s Church in New Haven, Conn., as the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage begins May 19. (Photo by Paul Haring)
More Photos
The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage officially launched May 18 in New Haven, Connecticut, the birthplace of the Knights of Columbus. Hundreds of people participated in a Pentecost vigil Mass at St. Mary’s Church, followed by a Eucharistic procession around the neighborhood, a Holy Hour and all-night adoration.
Members of San Salvador Council 1 in New Haven facilitated the kickoff events, welcoming pilgrims to the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, organizing adorers for the early morning hours and escorting the Eucharistic procession.
Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne of Hartford, who celebrated the opening Mass of the pilgrimage at St. Mary’s, encouraged the six perpetual pilgrims accompanying the Eucharist from Connecticut to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July to seek strength for the journey in the Holy Spirit.
“Our life as Christians is a pilgrimage along the path of salvation,” Archbishop Coyne said in his homily. “It is not a solitary one, it is one in which we walk together as the body of Christ, but it is also a pilgrimage in the power of the Trinity. … Let us pray each day, especially on your pilgrimage, that the Holy Spirit may free you to find where God’s will is taking you.”
Earlier in the day, Father Roger Landry, chaplain of the Seton Route, gave a presentation on “The Christian Life as the Eucharistic Pilgrimage” at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center.
Father Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River and a Knight, said that Father McGivney would have been happy to see that his parish — now a pilgrimage destination in its own right — is a departure point for this national pilgrimage.
Father Roger Landry gathers with the team of perpetual pilgrims walking the Seton Route after blessing their support vehicle outside the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Conn., on May 18. (Photo by Gregory A. Shemitz)
“Father McGivney had a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist, which is the heart of his priestly life,” Father Landry said. “No doubt, if we were having this pilgrimage in 1882, rather than in 2024, he would have been one of its most enthusiastic supporters.”
As the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage continued May 19, pilgrims traveled from New Haven to their next stop in Bridgeport by boat. Knights assisted with a Eucharistic procession that morning in New Haven and later escorted the monstrance as it moved through Bridgeport, where it visited five churches on Pentecost Sunday.
Meanwhile, the three other routes of the four-part pilgrimage launched the same weekend from Brownsville, Texas; Crookston, Minnesota; and San Francisco. The Eucharist will traverse 65 dioceses as the teams of perpetual pilgrims travel toward Indianapolis, and Knights will be present at many of the stops along the way to plan logistics, welcome pilgrims, provide honor guards and serve at liturgies.
“I’m very grateful for the work and the help of the Knights of Columbus, without whom this pilgrimage, like so much good that takes place in the Church, would not have been possible,” Father Landry said. “Most importantly, [they give] the example of manly prayer before the Lord Jesus, present before us and for us in the Holy Eucharist.”
*****
CECILIA ENGBERT is a content producer for the Knights of Columbus communications department.