As part of the Eucharistic Revival in the Catholic Church in America, please join the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in celebrating the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and welcoming pilgrims from the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to our diocese on June 9, 10, and 11, 2024.

Join pilgrims from the Seton Route, who will be making their way to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, for three days of special Masses, witness talks, Eucharistic processions, and other spiritual opportunities here in our diocese.

The faithful are invited and encouraged to be part of this special opportunity in our Diocesan Church. The diocese extends a special invitation to 2024 First Holy Communicants to attend the Masses and join the Eucharistic processions wearing their First Holy Communion attire, along with their families. Please contact Catholic school principals or parish directors of religious education for more information.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9
LORETTO

• 5:00 PM – The Sacrament of Reconciliation at the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of the Alleghenies Shrine, with various priests available to hear Confessions
• 7:00 PM – Outdoor Mass at the Our Lady of the Alleghenies Shrine with Bishop Mark as celebrant (If it rains, Mass will be celebrated inside the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel)
• 8:00 PM – Eucharistic procession around the grounds, followed by a witness talk by one of the national pilgrims and Benediction​

MONDAY, JUNE 10
JOHNSTOWN

• Noon-3:00 PM Confessions at Saint John Gualbert Cathedral, 117 Clinton Street, Johnstown
• Noon-3:45 PM Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at Saint John Gualbert Cathedral
• 3:45 PM – Vespers at Saint John Gualbert Cathedral
• 4:00 PM – Eucharistic Procession through downtown Johnstown with witness talks by national pilgrims at Central Park in Johnstown
• 5:30 PM – Mass at Saint John Gualbert Cathedral with Bishop Mark as celebrant

TUESDAY, JUNE 11
ALTOONA and DUNCANSVILLE

• 9:00 AM – Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona with Bishop Mark, followed by a blessing of the city
  
• 10:30 AM – The Sacrament of Reconciliation at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Duncansville, with various priests available to hear Confessions until Noon
  
• 11:00 AM – Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Duncansville with witness talks from national pilgrims occurring during exposition
  
• 12:30 PM – Eucharistic procession around the outdoor shrine behind Saint Catherine of Siena parish, concluding with Benediction

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE

The executive team for the National Eucharistic Congress announced it would be launching a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the summer of 2024. The pilgrimage will consist of four cross-country eucharistic processions, collectively traversing the entire continental United States over a two-month period.

The pilgrimage is being organized by the National Eucharistic Revival campaign in conjunction with Modern Catholic Pilgrim, a Catholic nonprofit dedicated to deepening the faith across the country through pilgrimages.

The organizers are calling it “our national Emmaus moment,” after the biblical passage in which Jesus walked with two of his disciples along the road to Emmaus. 

“The pilgrimage is modeled after the road to Emmaus and is an invitation for pilgrims to encounter the risen Christ on the journey and in the breaking of the bread,” Modern Catholic Pilgrim President Will Peterson said in a Wednesday press release. “It is a stirring vision—Christ truly present in the Eucharist, traveling across our nation inviting crowds of hungry souls to come and be fed.” 

All of the faithful are invited to join in for portions of the pilgrimage to walk with the Eucharistic Jesus in cities and through the countryside across the nation.
 
                                                                                                                        How Will It Work?
The pilgrimage will begin during Pentecost, May 17–19, 2024, from four origin points: San Francisco in the west; Bemidji, Minnesota, from the north; New Haven, Connecticut, from the east; and Brownsville, Texas, from the south.

Each route of the pilgrimage has a specific patron saint who holds a special significance to the regions the pilgrims will be passing through. 
Along the way, the pilgrims will make stops in major U.S. cities, churches, Catholic colleges and holy sites. Parishes along the routes will host Mass, adoration, devotions, praise and worship, lectures on the Eucharist and more.

Major solemn Eucharistic processions will take place on Sundays, and smaller processions from parishes will occur during the week. All events will be free and open to the public.

The four pilgrimage processions will ultimately converge in Indianapolis on July 16, 2024, to participate in the National Eucharistic Congress.
Though everyone is invited to join the pilgrimage, four dozen full-time pilgrims from each corner of the U.S. will make the entire journey.
Peterson told CNA that these full-time pilgrims will be young-adult Catholics ages 19 to 29.

The individuals have not yet been selected and will have to undergo an application and interview process.

Peterson also shared that the pilgrimage is working with the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors and plans to work with female religious orders to select seminarians and young women religious to join.

According to the National Eucharistic Revival’s website, approximately 100,000 Catholics are expected to participate. 
Here’s how you can participate

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s official website details each of the four routes along with the cities and dates.
More information on specific events will be posted as the pilgrimage draws closer. For now, those who are interested in participating, by either attending an event or walking along with the full-time pilgrims, can find which dates the pilgrimage will be passing through their area.
Though not a comprehensive list, below is a list of some of the major cities and locations along the four routes of the national pilgrimage.

                                                                                                                             West
Named the “Serra Route,” after St. Junipero Serra, the patron saint of California, the western route is the longest of the planned pilgrimages and will begin in San Francisco. The pilgrimage will then pass through Salt Lake City; Denver; Omaha, Nebraska; and St. Louis, before ending in Indianapolis.

For more information on the western route, click here.

                                                                                                                            North 
Since this route will stop at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion — the first Marian apparition site in the U.S. — it has been dubbed the “Marian Route.” The northern pilgrimage will start from Bemidji, Minnesota, and pass through Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Notre Dame, Indiana.
For more information on the northern route, click here.

                                                                                                                             East 
The eastern route has been named the “Seton Route” after the first American-born saint to be canonized, Elizabeth Ann Seton. It will begin in New Haven, Connecticut, and pass through New York City; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Steubenville, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Cincinnati.

For more information on the eastern route, click here.

                                                                                                                             South
St. Juan Diego, to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in 1531, is the patron saint of the southern route. This pilgrimage will begin in the city of Brownsville at the far southern tip of Texas. The pilgrims on this route will then pass through Houston; New Orleans; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and Louisville, Kentucky, before converging with the other pilgrimages. 

The shrine founded by Mother Angelica in Hanceville, Alabama, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, is a stop along the way.
For more information on the southern route, click here.

More information on how to register to participate will be posted on the pilgrimage website soon.
To sign up for updates on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, click here.

If you are a young adult interested in applying to be a full-time pilgrim, email [email protected] to be notified when the application goes live this summer.
 
                                                                                                                   Why a Pilgrimage?
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is being organized in conjunction with a three-year-long Eucharistic Revival campaign by the U.S. Catholic bishops.

Through this campaign, the bishops plan to rededicate the country to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Peterson told CNA that they hope the pilgrims will help to sanctify the nation as they process across the country.

“One hope is that this pilgrimage serves the larger revival goal of increasing belief in the Real Presence and increasing Mass attendance among Catholics,” Peterson said. “We would also hope that people from across the spectrum, from spiritual seekers to devout Catholics, will all have encounters with the risen Christ through the Blessed Sacrament and be pulled another level deeper into faith, missioned to make a difference right in their own communities.”