Pilgrims ‘take Jesus to the streets’ in tough trek to eucharistic congress
They walked for two months.
Through big cities and small towns. In comfortable spring conditions, sweltering 90-degree summer heat, and rain. They saw the skyscrapers of New York City, the Rocky Mountains, the Gulf Coast and the grassy plains of Kentucky.
The eucharistic pilgrims who set out from four different starting points in the United States on May 19 slept with host families, as well as in monasteries, retreat centers and convents. Accompanying the Eucharist exposed in monstrances, they walked up to 19 miles on some days on a journey that will end with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
“The two biggest challenges are the heat and exhaustion. We have a very busy and physically demanding schedule,” said MacKenzie Warrens, who lives in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. She walked the St. Juan Diego Route — which began in Brownsville, Texas — of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.