Thousands Process with Jesus in Indianapolis

Indy Procession, no photographer name available

Thousands lined the streets of Indianapolis for a Eucharistic Procession on Saturday, July 20. (Photo courtesy of the National Eucharistic Congress)

For those who are not there in person, the scope of the National Eucharistic Congress is hard to grasp. Photos and videos can only convey so much.

The energy of tens of thousands of Catholics burning with love for their Eucharistic Lord — and agog with excitement over seeing their favorite speakers and Catholic media personalities in the flesh — animates the streets. From the jam-packed Expo Center in the Indiana Convention Center to the silent moments in adoration at St. John the Evangelist to the tearful, praise-filled nightly revivals at Lucas Oil Stadium, it’s an experience that can only be described as big in every sense of the word.

But then, there are also those moments where it’s so, so small. Where it seems like it’s just one heart and Jesus.

The Eucharistic Procession on Saturday, July 20, was like that — a bold public witness, but intimate. Joyful. Like a family gathering.

At the head of the procession were dozens of First Communicants and their parents, lay associates representing the Knights of Peter Claver, the Knights of Columbus, the Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. They were followed by dozens of religious brothers and 800 religious sisters and more than 2,000 seminarians, deacons and priests, as well as 200 abbots and bishops and one cardinal.

The Blessed Sacrament was given a place of honor on an altar set upon a platform pulled by a Dodge RAM truck. The altar was covered by a canopy. Archbishop Andrew Cozzens and Archbishop Charles Thompson knelt before the monstrance on the platform as the procession made its way along the one-mile route from the Indiana Convention Center to the American Legion Mall, where Benediction took place.

Onlookers knelt, burst into song, threw flower petals and cried, “He’s coming! It’s Jesus!”

“I am in awe,” said Emily LeClaire, a parishioner of St. Leonard in Muskego. “The future is Christian. We need Catholic processions like this and through residential neighborhoods as much as possible.”

Lora Benway, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish in Horicon, called the procession and Benediction “amazingly wonderful” and “an experience I’ll recall every time I go to Adoration in the future.”

“From the beginning with the First Holy Communicants — as a second-grade catechist, that really warmed my heart — to the sisters — so many different orders and all so joyful — and all the clergy, especially the bishops in their beautiful magenta vestments,” she said. “I’m always awed by how everyone drops to their knees when the monstrance arrives — so reverent!”

Lynn Rose, a parishioner of St. Charles in Hartland, said that she was impressed by how many people attended the procession. “More people must have come than were actually at the congress, which is great that other people came just to join in on it,” she said. The crowd around her was enthusiastic and jovial. “It was good to see so many families there who brought their little children.”

“While we were waiting for the procession to reach us, we were singing together and conversing — excited to get to know the other pilgrims,” said Mary Kate Missiaen, a parishioner of St. Leonard in Muskego.

Tim Morton, a parishioner of Christ King in Wauwatosa, said that the procession reminded him of Pope John Paul II’s Mass in Chicago in 1979.

“The unbelievable love for the Blessed Sacrament professed by thousands was a crossroads moment,” Morton said. “We are literally taking Jesus to the streets to spread the fire kindled by the NEC.”

“It was so amazing to see the reception the crowd gave the Blessed Sacrament” said Tim’s wife, Cynthia Morton. “I was especially pleased to see the joy in the faces of the religious sisters and brothers, deacons, priests and bishops. This confirmation of their lives’ work must be so encouraging.”

“It was amazing experience just to see the crowd, the people from different communities, different congregations, priests, nuns, and all that came together for this beautiful procession,” said Tien Pham, a parishioner of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Franklin. “And it just amazed me to see, no matter what ethnic group we are, no matter what race we are, we celebrate the same God.”

“The streets were overflowing with people in love,” said Laurie Ellis, a parishioner at St. Anthony on the Lake in Pewaukee.

Her husband, Matt Ellis, echoed the sentiments of others by saying how refreshing it was to see so many clergy and religious. “I have a new appreciation of their work for us,” he said. “And it was awesome to see such a huge crowd, and people in windows and parking garages watching. I did notice that many of the onlookers were from the NEC, so I hope that other people were curious and inspired about what all the fuss was about.”

Earlier in the day, addressing a group of Milwaukee pilgrims, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki spoke of Eucharistic processions as a crucial visible, public witness to Catholic faith.

“We used to process all the time,” he said. “I’ve said this time and time again: you’ve got to be intentionally Catholic. Today, we live in basically a pagan society, a post-Christian society. So, there’s a need for us to grab the message of Jesus, to hold him before everybody, especially in our great devotion to his Real Presence, and to be able to offer that and understand that that really is the hope of the world.”

Around 200 abbots, bishops and one cardinal participated in the Eucharistic Procession during the National Eucharistic Congress. on Saturday, July 20. (Photo by Colleen Jurkiewicz)