Once finished, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP) spanned a combined distance of more than 6,500 miles. Traveling through Catholic dioceses all across the country, the NEP joined local participants with a core group of “perpetual pilgrims” to make the journey. Pilgrims traveled 10-15 miles each day while taking part in local Eucharistic processions. Along the routes, parishes hosted Mass, adorations, 40-Hour devotions, praise and worship services, lectures on the Eucharist, pilgrim testimonies, meals, fellowship, and more.

The route in our area began in New Haven, Connecticut, and was called the Seton Route after Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was the first American-born saint recognized by the Catholic Church. From Connecticut, the pilgrimage crossed into the Archdiocese of New York. DeSales Media Group’s External Affairs Department assisted the Archdiocese of New York’s participation and managed the logistics for the Diocese of Brooklyn’s participation for the following processions:
• Friday, May 24 – Westchester County to the Bronx
• Saturday, May 25 – New York County (Manhattan)
• Sunday, May 26 – New York County (Manhattan) to Kings County (Brooklyn)
• Monday, May 27 – Kings County (Brooklyn) to New Jersey

The work involved coordinating with the relevant NYPD Patrol Borough Chiefs (Bronx, Manhattan North, Manhattan South, Brooklyn North, and Brooklyn South), the Counterterrorism Bureau, and the Community Affairs Bureau. This was necessary to ensure that the NYPD could accompany the pilgrimages throughout New York City, as well as to make any adjustments to the routes to ensure the safety of all pilgrims and make sure all necessary permits were filed. Preparation work included planning and conducting site walkthroughs in advance, testing the routes in vehicles, and creating documents that illustrated the routes for the participants and logistics coordinators to use during the processions.

This project involved collaborating directly with Father Peter Martyr Yungwirth from the Archdiocese of New York and Father Joseph Gibino from the Diocese of Brooklyn, who had connected External Affairs with Father Yungwirth to ensure a seamless transition from the Archdiocese of New York to the Diocese of Brooklyn. Across the days listed above, these processions crossed into the Bronx from Westchester, traveled through the Bronx into Manhattan, then down the length of Manhattan from Washington Heights to the Financial District, over the Brooklyn Bridge, where the monstrance was transferred from the Archdiocese of New York to Bishop Brennan in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and then from Dumbo all the way down to Bay Ridge, then back to the Brooklyn waterfront to take a boat to New Jersey.