Bishop Michael McGovern leads the procession with the Holy Eucharist following devotion, music and prayer at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows Amphitheatre on the evening of July 7 (David Wilhelm photo).
Bishop Michael McGovern welcomed the Holy Eucharist to the Diocese of Belleville on July 7 as it continued on a 2,200-mile, 60-day trek from San Francisco to the National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21 in Indianapolis.
Eucharistic Pilgrims on the St. Junipero Serra Route, one of four routes in the country converging in Indianapolis, brought the Blessed Sacrament to St. Augustine of Hippo in East St. Louis, where parishioners gathered for prayer, reflection and adoration.
The Eucharist then traveled the short distance to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, where a procession looped through the Stations of the Cross, past the Millennium Spire and to the amphitheatre for two hours of devotion, music and prayer. More than 1,500 people attended on a warm, humid evening.
Following the service, a candlelight procession took the Eucharist to its overnight location at Christ The King Chapel, where adoration and reconciliation opportunities continued through the night.
On July 8, the Blessed Sacrament arrived for Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville. A procession around the church followed.
“This was an important public manifestation of our Catholic faith and a reminder to us all that we cannot just practice our faith within the four walls of a church building, but must ‘live the Mass’ in our daily lives,” Bishop McGovern wrote of the procession around Cathedral.
The Eucharist then traveled north to Ss. Peter & Paul in Collinsville, where Bishop McGovern handed it off to Diocese of Springfield Bishop John Paprocki. Following Mass, the Blessed Sacrament visited the communities of Alton, Quincy, Springfield, Effingham and Teutopolis.
Suzan Knese, a parishioner at Ss. Peter & Paul in Waterloo, attended activities on July 7 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows with several members of her family.
Knese said it was an “incredible honor” to be among the spectators that witnessed such an inspirational event.
“Witnessing the procession and being in the presence of Christ was profoundly humbling,” she said. “I was deeply inspired by the faithful who showed up to experience this extraordinary event, despite the heat.”
Knese said Emmaus Days galvanized Catholics in a unique way.
“The reverence displayed and the sense of unity in living our faith together was truly amazing,” Knese said. “The two days I participated in the pilgrimage has reinforced for me the eternal hope and vitality of our faith. I can’t wait to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.”
One of the most impressive scenes along the procession at the Shrine was the 3,000 colorful tiles on display under the Millennium Spire, just outside the amphitheatre grounds. The tiles were made by diocesan youth, symbolizing what the Eucharist meant to them, and were visited by most of the people who attended.
The tiles were made by students in first through eighth grades. Many of them were constructed in Parish School of Religion classes throughout the Diocese of Belleville.
