Thousands of Catholics are expected to gather in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday for processions and festivities tied to one of the largest Catholic gatherings in the U.S. in years.
Events in Cincinnati begin with Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains at 10 a.m., followed by a procession to the festivities in Fountain Square at 11:30 a.m. The events here are part of a national Catholic pilgrimage to Indianapolis, where up to 40,000 people are expected to worship, pray and sing over five days this month at the National Eucharistic Congress.
The Eucharistic Congress, which will run from July 17 to 21, is the first nationwide gathering in 83 years and has been promoted by Catholic bishops as a way to revitalize the American church.
Four pilgrims from around the country began their journey to Indianapolis for the conference in May. The group, which began on the East Coast, is scheduled to pass through Cincinnati this week, where the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has planned Masses, processions and celebrations.
Participants on Saturday will be asked to walk part of the route with the pilgrims to Indianapolis and march with them from the cathedral to the plaza.
U.S. bishops revived the National Conference on Divine Liturgy to invigorate Catholics and revitalize the church, which for decades has struggled with declining Mass attendance, a chronic shortage of priests and clergy abuse scandals that have harmed thousands of children and angered many Catholics.
The focus of the conference and pilgrimage is the Eucharist, the bread that Catholics believe literally becomes the body of Christ during the sacrament of Communion. Each group of pilgrims carries the Eucharist with them on their journey to Indianapolis.
“A pilgrimage like this is special because the Eucharistic journey is a journey with Jesus,” archdiocese spokeswoman Jennifer Shack said. “Every place you visit becomes a holy place.”
The conference will feature guest speakers, musicians, a replica of the Shroud of Turin, relics of several saints and an exhibit on Eucharistic miracles. Its goal, according to its website, is to “inspire faith and inspire reverence for the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.”
The first Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille, France, in 1881, and since then several international gatherings have been held, as well as at least nine similar gatherings in the United States. However, no national conference has been held in the United States since before World War II.