Eucharistic Rosary Procession Scheduled for Holy Hill

Due to the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival, Men of Christ and Women of Christ have changed their annual September event at Holy Hill.

Instead of the annual Men of Christ 5K Run, this year the groups will host a Eucharistic Rosary Procession as part of a day filled with activities.

The Sept. 9 event is open to all and will support seminarians and pregnancy help centers, such as Life’s Connections. The event will also help to raise funds to offset construction costs for St. Mary of the Hill’s new worship space.

Bishop Donald Hying of the Diocese of Madison will lead the Eucharistic Procession. The $30 registration fee ($20 for kids) will also include lunch, confession, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction.

There will also be kids’ games, a Rosary tent, complimentary root beer floats, munchies and snacks.

Event Organizer Tim Dunne said he was thinking a lot about the upcoming Eucharistic Congress and had a “Holy Spirit moment”: to transition the event into a Eucharistic Procession rather than the 5K run/walk.

“I truly believe grace pours forth to all and it is incumbent upon us to simply cooperate with that grace, which is what I endeavor to do each year at our Men of Christ Holy Hill event,” Dunne said. “We really need to change the mindset of so many nonbelievers. The fact that less than 33 percent of Catholics understand and accept the fact that this is the true presence of Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity are tragic.”

Dunne said a positive effect of changing the event to a procession rather than a run/walk is that more individuals who couldn’t go the 5K distance will be able to participate.

“The course is absolutely majestic, as it winds through some of the Ice Age Trail at Holy Hill and we are going to make a special stop at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine and present flowers to our Blessed Mother before making our way to St. Mary of the Hill,” Dunne said. “We will then have Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction with Bishop Hying.”

St. Mary of the Hill will host 4 p.m. Mass and there is a 4:30 p.m. Mass at the Holy Hill Basilica.

Dunne said coming to the Eucharistic Procession is another opportunity for Catholics or anyone to manifest their faith.

“As Matthew Kelly described, ‘The Genius of the Catholic faith is tantalizing,’ and the presence of our Lord on such sacred grounds with so many holy people is going to be powerful indeed,” Dunne said. “I have the utmost confidence that in the coming 12 months, there’s going to be a metamorphosis in our country, and our humble Eucharistic Procession at Holy Hill on Sept. 9 will just be a part of how all roads will lead to Indianapolis next July 17-21.”

Registration is open and participants are asked to register early so the annual T-shirts can be ordered. The back of the shirt will feature the artwork of Diane St. Germain, an artist based in Slidell, Louisiana.

Registration for the event at the Holy Hill Lower Stations of the Cross will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Angelus will kick off the day’s activities at noon, followed by Reconciliation (noon to 2 p.m.), the kiddie run for kids 12 and younger at 12:30 p.m., the Eucharistic Rosary Procession at 2 p.m., and Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary of the Hill Parish from 3 to 3:45 p.m. Lunch will be served from noon to 1:30 p.m. and a Vigil Mass will be held at 4 p.m. at St. Mary of the Hill Parish.

Sign up at www.active.com/hartford-wi/running/distance-running-races/men-of-christ-eucharistic-procession-2023 or by contacting Tim Dunne at tdholyhill@gmail.com.