The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage concluded in Los Angeles on June 22 after covering 3,300 miles across ten states, stopping in 20 dioceses and drawing thousands of Catholics to public acts of devotion.
The pilgrimage began in Indianapolis on 18 May, the site of last year’s National Eucharistic Congress, and ended 35 days later at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. It formed part of the US bishops’ three-year Eucharistic revival, aimed at strengthening belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress, told the Catholic News Agency (CNA) that the pilgrimage had been warmly received across the country.
“The pilgrims who have turned out have been in good spirits,” he said.
The closing Mass in Los Angeles was celebrated by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, with Archbishop José Gómez preaching the homily. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, who has overseen the Eucharistic revival endeavour, also participated along with the auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles.
The cathedral, which seats 3,000, was full for the concluding event, and Archbishop Gómez blessed the city in four directions at the end of the procession.
In Los Angeles, the pilgrimage visited parishes affected by January’s wildfires, including Corpus Christi in Pacific Palisades, which was destroyed, and Sacred Heart in Altadena, which survived. It also stopped at historic missions founded by St Junípero Serra, San Gabriel and San Buenaventura. Father Parker Sandoval of the Los Angeles archdiocese coordinated the local events, describing the sites as significant both historically and pastorally.
Eight young adults travelled the entire route as “perpetual pilgrims” from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, hosted along the way by parishes, retreat centres and religious houses.
One of the pilgrims, Ace Acuna, a campus minister from Princeton University, told CNA that the experience had shown him the joy experienced by Catholics in welcoming the Eucharist.
Events at official stops along the pilgrimage route included Mass, adoration, catechesis, processions and Confession. In Tulsa, a Eucharistic procession drew 1,800 people.
At times, the pilgrims faced opposition: a group from the so-called Churchof Wells – accused by some of being a cult – staged protests along the route, including a demonstration in Oklahoma City. Shanks said this hostility did not derail the pilgrimage, calling it instead “our Way of the Cross”.
The journey also included visits to places of service and suffering, such as a soup kitchen, a prison ministry, the Oklahoma City bombing site and shrines dedicated to Bishop Fulton Sheen and Blessed Stanley Rother.
Though the pilgrimage has ended, Shanks said the National EucharisticCongress would continue to train missionaries and prepare for future gatherings, including the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in 2029.
Bishop Cozzens said the revival had fulfilled their hopes, explaining: “We wanted to start a fire, not a program. Today that fire of the Holy Spirit is burning brightly.”
Photo: screenshot from eucharisticpilgrimage.org.
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