OLPH’s fourth eucharistic procession, set for June 21, ‘speaks to the heart’

Thuy Strong says a eucharistic procession is a “great testament to what the Holy Spirit can do,” and she’s confident her Howard County parish will be part of another such moving experience.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City will host its fourth annual Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession June 21. The event begins with Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. vigil Mass and the procession begins at approximately 5:30 p.m. after the end of holy Communion.

The Ellicott City procession, which began with 70 participants in 2022, is expected to draw more than 200 this year. The OLPH event was initiated to coincide with the three-year National Eucharistic Revival, which hit a high note July 17-21, 2024, with a gathering of more than 60,000 in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

OLPH’s 2024 event attracted 200 people and featured 15 people making their first holy Communion, three clergy, a 12-person choir and eight altar servers. This year, it will feature a procession to outdoor altars at the four corners of campus and 14 recent first communicants have committed to serve as flower girls and banner carriers.

“The numbers have gone up and our parishioners love this event,” said Strong, the principal organizer since its inception. “The overwhelming response I’ve received is that it is beautiful and spiritually uplifting.

“It is a powerful public witness to the growth of our eucharistic love, the beautiful images of our love poured out for our eucharistic Lord and evidence that the three-year Eucharistic Revival has moved hearts,” said Strong, a mother of five who traveled with her family of seven to the NEC event in Indianapolis.

Father Michael Triplett, pastor of OLPH since 2019, said the enthusiasm from the eucharistic celebration has “funneled down” to the entire church.

“The expansion has been more than expected,” Father Triplett said. “People in the last couple of years have really taken the Eucharistic Revival seriously. We had several people from the parish attend the National Eucharistic Congress, and it really has funneled down to the parish.

“It surprised me in some ways,” he said of the enthusiasm of OLPH’s annual event on the Feast of Corpus Christi. “We have a lot of children who get involved and get excited.”

Father Triplett said that regular eucharistic adoration at the parish has also brought more attention to devotion to the Eucharist. 

“Emphasis on the Eucharist, both in the Mass and carrying that into our week, has a lot to do with contributing to the growth,” Father Triplett said.

Strong, who personally sewed the canopy that is used at the event, said a procession can have a lasting impact.

“I strongly believe that if someone sees a reverent procession that they will never be the same again,” the optometrist said. “At Mass, most of our movements are part of the routine. It’s very different with an outdoor procession where many people’s actions are more spontaneous. To see someone kneel or bless themselves reverently on their own can speak to the heart.”

Strong said a large parish team works on the event, starting with planning the liturgy and recruiting volunteers. The group tackles tasks including music, building, crafting, decorating, sewing, food preparation, operating audio-visual systems, hospitality, photography and advertising.

The main volunteers, in addition to Strong and Father Triplett, include Theresa Fernandes, Bill Babcock, Michael Harrison, Gilbert Connor, Steve Lucas, Ellen Vizzini, Scarlet King, Eli Roberts, Lisa Sliker-Davis, Marilyn Sanchez-Henry and David Harris.

“It is amazing what can happen when we just make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit,” said Strong, an OLPH parishioner for nearly two decades. “What started as a little whisper in my heart in October 2021 has grown exponentially over the years to the extent that this procession has become a favorite event for many in our parish.”

Father Triplett said it has become a moving parish event, which includes food and fellowship following the procession.

“The community builds each other up,” he said. “Seeing the motivation and the encouragement from others has been terrific. It is all about what our parish community should be – centered on Christ and  building off that enthusiasm, walking and accompanying each other into fellowship. The eucharistic procession includes all of it. … We are meant to bring Christ into the world.”

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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