A young man kneels and bows his head during the July 1, 2024 Eucharistic procession in Auburn, Ky., which was held for 4.8 miles down the highway during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. RILEY GREIF | WKC

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Maria Molina felt her faith grow after the combined efforts of not just her fellow parishioners, but her “whole diocese,” welcomed the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to western Kentucky during the first week of July.

“I’m grateful and blessed that this came together,” said Molina, a parishioner of St. Mary’s in Franklin, Ky., which was the pilgrimage’s first stop in the Diocese of Owensboro. “Without the community, we couldn’t have done it.”

The diocese of 78 parishes and 32 counties hosted the pilgrims of the St. Juan Diego Route, which was focused on the southern portion of the United States. A total of four routes, coming from the four corners of the U.S., are set to converge in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21.

A team of Catholic young adults, given the title of Perpetual Pilgrims, were assigned to each route and have been traveling across the country since the Pilgrimage began in May. Their journeys have included a combination of processing through regions with the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance and driving in a van designed with a special altar for the monstrance to be displayed.

Br. Simeon Synoski, CFR, and Joshua Velasquez, a Perpetual Pilgrim for the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the Pilgrims’ van on July 1, 2024, after a period of Adoration and confessions at the Fathers of Mercy motherhouse chapel in Auburn, Ky. The St. Juan Diego Route came to the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., from June 30-July 1, 2024. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Molina coordinated the hospitality and meals served during the June 30 and July 1 pilgrimage events at St. Mary’s, which included a Eucharistic procession from the town square to the church; evening Mass in Spanish; a Holy Hour and Benediction; a communal dinner in the parish hall; and an early morning Mass and breakfast the following day with another Eucharistic procession downtown.

She said she was thankful to all who helped prepare the meals, and credited nearby St. Joseph’s in Bowling Green for their parishioners’ skills in creating the alfombras (which translates as “carpet” in Spanish and depicts religious imagery in sand and sawdust), outside St. Mary’s for the processions.

“It was a great experience… it was just a blessing,” said Molina.

Felipe Campos – whose wife, Nancy, served as one of the cooks in the parish kitchen – said his parish came together because of the leadership of their pastor, Fr. Tom Buckman.

“This is a faith that has been growing for many years,” said Campos, adding that he and his wife have witnessed their faith bear fruit in the vocation of their son, who is a recently-ordained priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Ind.

While many from around the diocese participated in the celebrations, it was common for visitors to attend as well.

A Kentucky state flag waves in the wind as Fr. Tom Buckman, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Franklin, Ky., leads a Eucharistic procession through downtown Franklin in the morning of July 1, 2024, during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

One visitor was James Armstrong III, a youth minister from Charlotte, N.C., and member of the Youth Apostles, a mixed Public Association of Christian Faithful.

Armstrong had attended several of the events in Franklin – including the morning procession in which he helped carry the canopy over the priest bearing the monstrance.

Armstrong told The Western Kentucky Catholic that he had recently learned his heritage included being Chaldean Catholic, and that he has been on a spiritual journey to connect with his roots. A few weeks ago, he had attended a conference in Michigan for Chaldean Catholics, and decided to extend his travels by visiting several stops along the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

“We are a Eucharistic people,” said Armstrong, and emphasized that the Pilgrimage was a natural “opportunity to exercise our Catholic faith.”

After the celebrations concluded in Franklin, the Pilgrims traveled to Sacred Heart Parish in Russellville, Ky., for a luncheon and panel discussion in the parish hall. There, the St. Juan Diego Pilgrims formally introduced themselves to the community: Camille Anigbogu, Shayla Elm, Issy Martin-Dye, Charlie Mccullough, Joshua Velasquez, Mackenzie Warrens, and seminarians Noah U’Ren and Dylan James Young.

They were also joined by two Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: Fr. Dismas Kline, CFR; and Br. Simeon Synoski, CFR. The friars were traveling with the team for several weeks, per an arrangement with the CFR community to assign friars to accompany the Pilgrims on every step of the journey.

Volunteers outside St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, Ky., prepare the alfombras (which translates as “carpet” in Spanish and depicts religious imagery in sand and sawdust), in the morning of July 3, 2024, during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Karen Critchlow and Denise Robey were two parish volunteers who helped prepare the luncheon in Russellville that day.

Critchlow was excited to assist, having participated in the diocese’s Acts 2:42 small group initiative, in which parishioners gathered each month to watch videos from Bishop William F. Medley and discuss topics relating to the Eucharist.

“I’m hoping (the Revival) opens our eyes to what we miss because of our own goals,” said Critchlow, adding that sometimes “what God has in store for us” is “probably not as complicated as (humans) can make it.”

Robey said the main theme she would take away from the Pilgrimage’s visit was that, after encountering the Perpetual Pilgrims, “that the young people are still here (in the Church). If you can see their faith and their witness, there’s hope! It means a lot to me.”

Following the luncheon, the Pilgrimage continued to Auburn, Ky., where a Eucharistic procession took place along the highway for about 4.8 miles. While high heat indexes and severe humidity had been increasing for the past few weeks in Kentucky, that day hovered between the 70s and 80s – providing a welcome respite for those participating in the procession.

The walk included three stops along the way, in which a priest offered Benediction to the faithful and water bottles were provided by volunteers.

As Fr. Bruce Fogle (left), pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Paducah, Ky., leads a July 1, 2024, Eucharistic procession for 4.8 miles down the highway in Auburn, Ky., cows are seen to turn and begin following along. RILEY GREIF | WKC

Brandi Besand, a member of St. Leo Parish in Murray – which is about two hours from Auburn – had come to the procession with her husband on their parish’s Knights of Columbus-sponsored bus trip.

Besand said she became Catholic about 20 years ago, after experiencing the example of a Catholic friend and taking religious studies classes at Murray State University.

“Something drew me to the history and tradition of our faith, and still draws me,” she said, adding that she hoped to take what she experienced with the Pilgrimage “to step out of my comfort zone” and get more involved in parish life.

Ella Freels, a middle schooler whose family belongs to St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro, had the opportunity to serve as a candle bearer for the Eucharistic procession that day.

“It was very special to lead the way for Jesus and see other people follow along,” said Freels. “I saw people kneeling as we were walking by on the roads, and it was an honor to be there.”

She added that she was excited to go to Indianapolis later that month for the Congress, and “to see everything come together!”

The Eucharistic procession passed by numerous farms with crops and livestock, including a field of sheep that ran to the fence and began following along. Later, a field of cows was seen to do the same.

The interior of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, Ky., is seen during a morning Mass prior to a Eucharistic procession on July 3, 2024. RILEY GREIF | WKC

The faithful concluded the procession at the motherhouse chapel of the Fathers of Mercy religious congregation, which is based in Auburn. There, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament took place; a homily was given by Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM; and many of the faithful lined up for confession.

After a period of prayer, the Perpetual Pilgrims journeyed out to Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center, where they formally processed with the Blessed Sacrament onto the property – surrounded by the fifth and sixth-graders who were attending camp that week. Several children had the opportunity to serve as candle bearers and to ring the processional bells.

Fr. Kline led the procession into the chapel within the camp’s Boone Lodge, and the campers knelt for a period of quiet Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

The following day – July 2 – was a rest day for the Perpetual Pilgrims, but they joined the campers in the afternoon for a question-and-answer panel, and later for dinner in the dining hall.

July 3, as the final full day for the Pilgrims within the Diocese of Owensboro, began with 7 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green. It was followed by a Eucharistic procession through the city’s downtown, toward St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Newman Center at Western Kentucky University. The Newman Center hosted a period of Adoration, as well as the rosary led Edana LeRoy, a member of the diocesan Marian Shrine Committee. The group then processed back to St. Joseph Parish.

Issy Martin-Dye, a Perpetual Pilgrim with the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, speaks to a crowd at Sacred Heart Parish in Russellville, Ky., on July 1, 2024. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Throughout this procession, local people stepped out of their offices or peered out their windows to watch the group walk down the street. One man, smoking a cigarette outside the county jail, removed his hat; other people were seen to pull out their cellphones to take pictures or video of the procession.

Check Ledford, the grand knight for the Fr. Ben Powers Council #1315 of the Knights of Columbus and a member of St. Joseph Parish, told the WKC that “this is the day the Lord has made – and what a day it is!”

“This day was like a day I’ve never seen in my life,” said Ledford, who had walked in the procession. “I’m so glad to be a part of this, to witness this. This is a day I will always remember and cherish.”

That afternoon, Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green hosted a Eucharistic Revival retreat day led by Sr. Cheryl Clemons, OSU. In the evening, the Perpetual Pilgrims joined the faithful of Holy Spirit – plus many visitors – for one last procession in the diocese, which began at the parking lot entrance and led to the open doors of the church, where Bishop William F. Medley awaited.

A Eucharistic procession takes place at Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green, Ky., as part of the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

The bishop presided at the following Mass, which was celebrated in English and in dialects from Myanmar, in honor of the parish’s flourishing Myanmar Catholic population.

Nicholas Haw Paw, the parish’s music director for the Myanmar Catholic choir, said the day was “wonderful.”

“We should have celebrations like this every year, so the young people can see how important the Eucharist is,” said Haw Paw, who is part of a delegation from Holy Spirit that will attend the Asian and Pacific Island National Encounter in Indianapolis, to be held prior to the Congress.

Bernadine Naing, a leader in the parish community who also participated in the celebrations that day, said that the Eucharistic is the center of the Catholic faith and that “for me, if there was no celebration of the Mass, I would not be Catholic.”

“No matter what language you speak, everyone can participate in the Mass,” said Naing. He said it is helpful for Catholics to grow their faith with religious books and films, but emphasized that “we must also experience Christ in the Eucharist – such as in Adoration.”

“It’s really simple, but so deep,” he said.

Fr. Ben Cameron, CPM, passes a cornfield while leading part of the July 1, 2024 Eucharistic procession in Auburn, Ky., during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Fr. Ryan Harpole, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, Ky., leads a Eucharistic procession in downtown Bowling Green on July 3, 2024, during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. RILEY GREIF | WKC

As Perpetual Pilgrim and seminarian Dylan James Young carries the canopy, Fr. Dismas Kline, CFR, leads a Eucharistic procession into Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center on July 3, 2024, as part of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s visit to the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Bishop William F. Medley presides at Mass, assisted by Dcn. Dale DePoyster during a July 3, 2024, evening Mass at Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green, Ky., which was celebrate while the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed through the Diocese of Owensboro. RILEY GREIF | WKC

A woman kneels before the Blessed Sacrament amid a Eucharistic procession in downtown Bowling Green, Ky., on July 3, 2024, during the visit of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Diocese of Owensboro. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC