MIDDLETOWN – With the theme, “One Nation Under God,” the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage arrived in the Archdiocese of Baltimore June 9 at the site of the nation’s first monument to George Washington – a stoic stone tower just off the Appalachian Trail in Middletown.
As the nine pilgrims – all young adults in their 20s – followed behind the baldacchino to the monument, they were joined by 130 followers from all over the archdiocese and beyond to watch Father Jeffery Dufresne of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis take the holy Eucharist to the top of the monument and down, before presenting it on the altar.
“It was extremely beautiful to see Jesus overlooking the valley that he created,” said Zachary Robinson, a resident of Westminster and a parishioner of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City, as he hiked back. He called it “an experience of God just delighting in the beauty of his creation.”
Tessa Robinson, his wife, added that she grew up in the area.
“It was special to see Jesus overlooking the area I grew up,” she said “That was really beautiful.”
Since its beginning in St. Augustine in Florida May 26, the pilgrimage has been “a beautiful experience,” Cheyenne Johnson, 26, a pilgrim from Indiana, said. They have seen many people come back to the Church and others excited “to welcome Christ into their community,” she said.
“One of the great things,” Johnson said, is that it is “not the same thing over and over again,” adding that the hike to the monument was the first the pilgrims had done in a state park.
“The beauty is embracing the local culture and history. It’s what we’re talking about with ‘One Nation Under God,’ remembering our roots,” Johnson said. “Being able to be out here praising God and this land and all he has done for and continues to do now.”
Betty Bensel, 78, traveled from Columbia, where she is a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist.
“I didn’t want to drive myself, but the Good Lord took care of me,” Bensel said. “I love Jesus and the Eucharist. It’s just wonderful.”
From Boonsboro, the pilgrimage traveled to Hagerstown, where close to 450 people attended Mass at St. Mary downtown before joining a procession on the streets around the church.
In his homily, Father Dufresne said the Eucharist is an “inexhaustible source of spiritual sustenance.”
“It (the Eucharist) is spiritually a jar of flour that will not run dry, that will never be empty. Because in the Eucharist, we receive our Lord as infinite,” he said. “So we come, once again to the altar … to receive the spiritual sustenance which fuels us.”
Lucille Bentugan, a parishioner of St. Ann in Hagerstown, said the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in Indianapolis two years ago was the “most favorite event of her life.” She was excited to be part of the Catholic Church’s movement to refocus more on the Eucharist.
“I want to be part of this,” Bentugan said, as she joined the procession.
Since encountering Jesus through the Eucharist while in high school, Sharon Phillips, a pilgrim from Seattle, has made it her mission, she said, “to hopefully bring other people into that same encounter.”
“It’s just a great mercy to be here. The Eucharist challenges your senses. You look at that and it’s hard to see the God of the universe there,” Phillips said, 24, of her faith journey. “Every moment is just an invitation to grow deeper in the faith.”
After the procession, everyone was invited to a luncheon of salads, pizza, sliders and “steamers,” Mary B. McNeil, a volunteer, said with a chuckle.
“It’s a local thing,” McNeil said of the sloppy joe-like sandwiches. “I thought it would be fun.”
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
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