Before you read any further, please mark this date on your calendar: May 21, 2024. At 8pm that evening, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will arrive to the Church of St. Cecilia. The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is an initiative of the bishops of the United States. Four groups of pilgrims will be journeying from different places in the country, mostly on foot, processing with the Blessed Sacrament to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, which begins in July. One of the four starting points is New Haven, where Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. On their way to Indianapolis from New Haven, the pilgrims will pass through the Diocese of Bridgeport, including Stamford. After making stops at St. Mary’s on Elm St. and the Basilica of St. John, the Haitian community will welcome the pilgrims at St. Gabriel Church around 7pm on May 21. From there, they will process up Newfield Avenue to St. Cecilia, where the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar for adoration until early the next morning. Over the course of the evening, there will be several important periods of prayer that you won’t want to miss.
8pm – We will welcome the arrival of the pilgrims, who will be led by Bishop Frank Caggiano. This is the most important moment of the evening and I ask that everyone please try to be there for it. The pilgrims will be tired from their journey, and we will want to support and encourage them with a big turnout. The Bishop will lead a Holy Hour, during which he will preach about the Eucharist.
9:30pm – After the Bishop’s Holy Hour, there will be an hour of prayer organized by the Catholic Young Adult community of Stamford. The young adults will provide “praise & worship” style music, and there will be a talk on the Eucharist by Fr. Justin Cinnante, the Carmelite chaplain of Iona Prep in New Rochelle. Many of you might remember him from the beautiful talks he gave at last year’s Lenten mission. Fr. Justin will conclude the hour with night prayer.
At 10:30pm I will lead a quiet guided meditation in the presence of the Eucharist, which will conclude at 11:30am with the Office of Readings. Adoration will continue in silence throughout the night until 6:30am when Fr. Mariusz will lead Morning Prayer. The Eucharist will be placed in the tabernacle at 7am in anticipation of Mass at 7:30. At 9am, Bishop Caggiano will return to celebrate Mass with the students of the Catholic Academy of Stamford. The school Mass will end with the pilgrims processing with the Eucharist back to St. Gabriel Church, where it will be greeted by the students of Mater Salvatoris and Cardinal Kung Academy. Please know, these events are public, so all are welcome to attend them. From there, the pilgrims will make their way to Greenwich and then into the Archdiocese of New York. To host the pilgrimage is a great privilege and will be source of blessing in our parish and beyond. Let’s be sure to take full advantage of it!
posted 4/20/24
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 