(DCNF)—At least 1,000 Catholics gathered Saturday to publicly demonstrate their faith, participating in a Eucharistic procession near the White House ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
The procession was the highlight of the fourth annual event sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington’s Catholic Information Center (CIC), organized under a theme of “One Nation Under God.” Led by CIC Director Fr. Charles Trullols, Saturday’s event began with 9 a.m. Mass outside the CIC’s office before the 10 a.m. walking procession. It looped through northwest D.C.’s Farragut Square, Lafayette Square — passing the White House — and McPherson Square before concluding back at the CIC around noon. The procession occurred within a month of Rededicate 250, an event in which thousands of other Christians from across the nation gathered to engage in public prayer and worship.
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. A Eucharistic Procession, therefore, is a public witness of the veneration of the most holy Eucharist, conducted through public streets,” the CIC website states. “It takes place in this way: A consecrated host – that is, the real and substantial presence of Jesus Christ: body, blood, soul and divinity – is placed within a monstrance, which is then lifted and carried by a priest who leads the faithful in procession.”
“A Eucharistic procession is a public expression of our devotion and belief in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist,” a statement by Fr. Trullols sent to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) reads. “This year’s procession is especially meaningful to me, as Pope Leo XIV leads a Eucharistic procession this weekend in my home country of Spain, which historically suppressed Eucharistic processions in the 1930s.”
“As we approach America’s 250th birthday, we join the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in remembering and giving thanks for being One Nation Under God,” he continues. “We ask God to bless the United States and pray that hearts be set aflame with love for the Source and Summit of the Christian life.”
This year’s procession was part of a larger national effort, the 2026 Eucharistic Pilgrimage, involving nine people known as “Perpetual Pilgrims” who have dedicated a significant amount of their time and energy to “walk with Christ so that His love might draw our nation back to him,” the National Eucharistic Congress’s website states. It began May 24 in St. Augustine, Fla., and ends July 5 in Philadelphia.
The over 2,000-mile route — involving at least 18 Catholic archdioceses and dioceses in 14 East Coast states — being undertaken by the Perpetual Pilgrims is named for Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, a Catholic religious sister from Italy who became the first canonized American citizen. St. Cabrini established 67 hospitals, schools, and orphanages over 34 years.
The DCNF interviewed several attendees of the procession about their motivations for and experiences of participating in such a public witness of faith.
“I applied to be a Perpetual Pilgrim because I saw this as an opportunity to realign my own life under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and to put myself directly before His gaze,” Perpetual Pilgrim Mary Zakrajsek told the DCNF.
“This National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has deepened my awareness of Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament,” she continued. “As we as pilgrims drive with Jesus in the van from city to city, and walk behind Him on foot, or travel with Him by boat, I am reminded of His continual and loving Presence with us. He hasn’t left us. He is still here. In the Eucharist, Jesus allows Himself to be carried, exposed, and vulnerable before us.”
“As we take Jesus across our nation’s land, I am confident that God’s graces pour out,” Zakrajsek added. “In each Eucharistic procession, I pray that Jesus will bless, heal, and renew the community we journey through. And He will.”
Raymond Martinez II, a seminarian of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, told the DCNF his decision to become a Perpetual Pilgrim followed “[his] desire to spread devotion to our Lord in the Eucharist.”
“Throughout the pilgrimage I have been able to witness people showing up for Our Lord and their incredible devotion and love for Our Lord in the Eucharist,” he said. “The pilgrimage has taught me that no matter who you are or what stage in life you are, you can show up for Christ. We’ve seen people as old as 96 and as young as a few weeks old, people in walkers and wheelchairs as well as children in strollers and on scooters. Each person who has come has been able to encounter Our Lord.”
“No matter what you sacrifice to show up for the Lord, He will repay you a hundredfold for your sacrifice,” he added.
When asked what Americans can learn from St. Cabrini’s life, Martinez said, “People can take inspiration from St. Francis Xavier Cabrini by welcoming each and every person they meet into an encounter with Our Lord in the Eucharist.”
“St. Francis Xavier Cabrini was a woman who turned to God continuously, amidst setbacks and trials in this life, it was Jesus in whom she put her trust and found the strength to keep moving forward. I think our country can learn a lot of from her devotion to Our Lord, and even as we experience trials, to not lose our gaze on the One true thing that matters,” Zakrajsek likewise told the DCNF.
While the Perpetual Pilgrims are the only ones officially making the full journey, approximately 10,000 other people have participated in partner Eucharistic processions, according to the National Eucharistic Congress.
The Perpetual Pilgrims also accompanied Fr. Trullols in an act of Eucharistic devotion Saturday at the Washington Monument to bless the United States ahead of the semiquincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is honored to visit our nation’s capital in partnership with the Catholic Information Center’s annual Eucharistic Procession,” a statement by National Eucharistic Congress President Jason Shanks sent to the DCNF reads. “In solidarity with Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope — who also carried the Eucharist through the streets of Rome last year for Corpus Christi, Catholics are bringing that same public witness to the heart of Washington. This procession is both an act of faith and a prayer for the country: that amid division and uncertainty, Americans remember that human dignity, freedom, and unity are rooted in something greater than politics or ideology.”
Gen Z conversions to Catholicism have recently skyrocketed, the DCNF previously reported.
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