“As you know, pilgrimages are deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition and are often undertaken to mark significant anniversaries as the community comes together in prayer…”
– Pope Leo XIV video message on the conclusion of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (July 5, 2026)
A few weeks ago, on Sunday and Monday, June 14 and 15, our diocese was privileged to host the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a journey of faith and prayer, asking God’s continued blessing upon our nation, leading to Philadelphia and the celebration of the 250th anniversary of our independence, on July 4, 2026. It was a beautiful and uplifting “surprise” when Pope Leo sent a video message upon the conclusion of the Pilgrimage, on July 5, 2026.
I encourage all readers to take the time to watch and listen to the Holy Father’s (5-minute) message, as he thanks all those who participated in the pilgrimage (in person or virtually) and encourages us to remain close to Jesus in the Eucharist. He also reminded us of our country’s “Eucharistic heritage,” which “far from being forgotten, must continue to serve as source of both renewal and unity…” and that, “through the gift of the Eucharist … the Church in the United States will find strength to carry on her charitable service to the wider society, especially in the areas of education, healthcare and basic social services, while at the same time continuing her mission to evangelize.”
Can you recall hearing the phrase (or the song), “We are a Pilgrim people”? Three years ago, I used that phrase as a headline for a column in which I invited and encouraged readers and priests, consecrated religious, and all the faithful of the diocese to be part of the Diocesan Marian Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
I write today with a similar “personal” invitation.
In the column I wrote three years ago, reflecting on my own experiences on many pilgrimages, I offered three reasons that I hoped would be helpful in encouraging as many as possible to register and participate in the diocesan Marian pilgrimage. You can read more in the original column, but the three reasons I offered then (and offer again) to consider participating in our upcoming diocesan pilgrimage are:
- Spiritual Graces and Blessings
- A great experience for young people and families
- We are a pilgrim people; we are the Church of God – a pilgrimage can help us to “put into practice” what we believe. It is a “lived experience” of “faith in action.”
Pope Leo also reminds us that pilgrimages are “often undertaken to mark significant anniversaries as the community comes together in prayer.” Having a diocesan pilgrimage in this year of 2026 allows us to continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our independence, give thanks for the blessings, rights, and freedoms that we share as Catholics living in the United States, and continue to pray for our country, asking the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States of America.
Having the diocesan pilgrimage in 2026 can also remind us of the graces and blessings that we experienced and shared in the Great Jubilee and Holy Year of 2025, when we responded to the call of our beloved Pope Francis to be Pilgrims of Hope. That call and our response did not “end” with the closing of the Jubilee Year. The tradition and custom of celebrating Jubilee (or Holy) Years every 25 years and at other “extraordinary” moments has a deep, spiritual connection to what it means to say, “We are a pilgrim people.”
A pilgrimage is similar to a Holy Year, jubilee, or anniversary in the sense that it is an opportunity to prayerfully focus on and recommit ourselves to the daily call to conversion, to live lives of holiness. Pope Leo reflected on this in his video message: “As the country marks the anniversary of the founding of its earthly homeland, it is my hope that this experience as pilgrims will also help you to fix your eyes on the heavenly one (cf. Hb 11:16) and likewise serve as a reminder that the Eucharist is an invaluable gift, our indispensable sustenance…”
At this point, I hope you might be thinking or saying, “I’m in!! – I want to go on the pilgrimage, when is it?” Good question, the diocesan pilgrimage will take place on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17, 2026. There are two options for those who would like to participate. You can go to our diocesan website for more information and to register (individually or as a parish) and you will learn more about the two (one-day or two-day) options:
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 & 17 includes bus transportation, lunch, a visit to the Museum of the Bible, banquet dinner, and hotel overnight. $325pp/dbl; $395pp/sgl
Saturday, Oct. 17 includes bus transportation, pilgrimage to the Basilica with several options for spiritual nourishment while there, concluding with Mass. $70pp
If you have questions, please contact Father Michael Rodak, director of diocesan pilgrimages, at pilgrimages@patersondiocese.org
If you have not already made the decision to register and attend the pilgrimage – or if you have registered and would like to learn more about the spiritual value, meaning and history of Christian pilgrimage – I will close with a beautiful quote from Pope Leo XIV given during the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025: “A pilgrimage has a vital part to play in our life of faith for it removes us from our homes and our daily routines and gives us time and space to encounter God more deeply. Such moments always help us to grow, for through them the Holy Spirit gently fashions us to be ever more closely conformed to the mind and the heart of Jesus Christ.”
I hope that we will see each other “on pilgrimage” and that we will be together on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, with the Church of our diocese on our diocesan Marian pilgrimage.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
