The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP) this week cancelled its outdoor festival and changed the route of its procession through downtown Los Angeles scheduled for June 22 to increase safety for participants in the city, which has recently faced riots and protests.
“Based upon our conversations with [the Los Angeles Police Department] this week, we feel confident that this new plan ensures the safety of all involved while still bringing the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord to downtown LA in this intentional way and providing an opportunity for the people of God to come together in prayer and community,” National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) President Jason Shanks stated in a June 18 emailed press release. “We trust in the Lord’s Divine Providence and are confident that He still has many graces and blessings in store.”
The final Mass of the pilgrimage is still going to take place June 22 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at its original start time of 3 p.m. Cardinal Christophe Pierre will celebrate the Mass, Archbishop José Gomez will give the homily, and all of the bishops of Los Angeles will concelebrate.
The Eucharistic procession will take place after the Mass. The procession route originally was set to go through the public downtown streets of Los Angeles; the new route remains on the property of the cathedral, where the faithful will make several stops in the plaza.
The release stated that the bishops will process into the city street adjacent to the property “and bless the city with prayers of peace that can only come from the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.” The bishops will return inside the cathedral for prayer and final Benediction, which will officially bring the 2025 NEP to a close.
However, Shanks emphasized in the release that this does not mark the end of the National Eucharistic Congress.
“The flames of Eucharistic faith continue to spread nationwide,” he said. “Now more than ever, we are calling Catholics across the country to become Eucharistic Missionaries: to carry the fire of revival into your homes, your parishes, and your communities. The work of revival is just beginning. Your witness, your invitation, and your personal love for Jesus in the Eucharist are the next step.”
He also said that the changes in the pilgrimage’s schedule are “a sign that revival can’t be stopped by circumstance.”
CatholicVote reported that in the last month, downtown Los Angeles has been grappling with anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protests, riots, and a multi-day curfew aimed to dispel looters and tensions between US law enforcement and protestors. The Associated Press reported June 18 that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass this week lifted the curfew, saying it facilitated “successful crime prevention and suppression efforts” and improved safety for businesses and residents.
Stephanie Mahoney, the NEC’s senior director of marketing and communications, told CatholicVote June 13 that the pilgrimage’s organizers had been working with law enforcement to ensure the final day of the pilgrimage would be safe for participants.
The NEC stated in the June 18 release that the changes were “made out of deep pastoral concern for the safety of the faithful and the city of Los Angeles.”
More than 3,000 people from over 30 states have registered to attend the Mass and procession, according to the release.
“This is a beautiful sign of hunger for Jesus in the Eucharist,” Shanks stated. “That hunger does not go away. It strengthens our resolve to continue the mission.”
Shanks told CatholicVote in a June 13 statement that the Congress recognizes God’s care in the timing of the NEP coming to Los Angeles this weekend, saying that “it shows us the Lord’s Divine Providence in His Plan to bring the Eucharistic Heart of our Lord to a place that is desperately seeking the hope, healing, and peace that only our Lord can provide.”
The procession taking place in the city’s downtown amid such conflict, Shanks said, “only proves how God desires to be with His people and is determined to come personally to bring healing and joy to hurting souls.”
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Author: McKenna Snow
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