WILLIAMSBURG 一 Williamsburg will serve as the final Virginia stop on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a nationwide Catholic journey that will pass through the city June 5 before continuing to Northern Virginia.
The pilgrimage will travel through the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, visiting five Virginia cities in four days before continuing its route up the East Coast.
The pilgrimage is part of the Nationwide Eucharistic Revival , an initiative launched in 2022 by U.S. Catholic leaders to encourage devotion to the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the presence of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Eric Ayers, pastor of St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, said the parish is looking forward to hosting pilgrims as the journey makes its final stop in the Richmond diocese.
“We are excited to welcome the pilgrims and pray together for the unity and health of our country, through our devotion to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, in the place where our nation was founded,” said Ayers.
This is the third national Eucharistic pilgrimage in the U.S., and the first time the Diocese of Richmond will serve as a host. The pilgrimage began May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and will travel along the Eastern Seaboard, stopping in 18 dioceses and ending in Philadelphia over the Fourth of July weekend.
Events on the Peninsula begin June 4 with an evening Mass and praise-and-worship service in English and Spanish at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Newport News.
On June 5, a Eucharistic procession will travel from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Williamsburg through the William & Mary campus. Organizers describe the procession as a public witness of faith.
The pilgrimage will then move to St. Bede Catholic Church for a presentation on the saints and a closing Mass before departing the Diocese of Richmond and continuing north.More information about the events is available on the organization’s website.
