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This weekend, Catholics will bring Jesus in the Eucharist, the Prince of Peace, in procession through downtown Los Angeles, which has been wrought with division, riots, and protests this month.
Organizers with the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) had planned the route of the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP), which traces from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, well in advance. The Pilgrimage, which kicked off in May, will conclude June 22 — the Solemnity of Corpus Christi — in downtown Los Angeles with Mass, an outdoor Eucharistic Procession, and a festival.
When planning out the route and events, the organizers could not have known the pilgrims would be arriving amid such a tumultuous climate in the city, which has recently seen anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protests, violence, the deployment of US Marines and the National Guard, and a curfew to quell looters and tension on its streets.
But God, of course, knew, and there is something providential about that timing, says Jason Shanks, NEC’s president.
“Arriving in Los Angeles during this particular time in our country’s history is significant because it shows us the Lord’s Divine Providence in His Plan to bring the Eucharistic Heart of our Lord to a place that is desperately seeking the hope, healing, and peace that only our Lord can provide,” Shanks told CatholicVote in a June 13 emailed statement.
“It is not lost on us that our Eucharistic Lord will be walking through streets experiencing incredible turmoil and fear, particularly during the Corpus Christi Procession at the Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles,” he continued. “And yet, this only proves how God desires to be with His people and is determined to come personally to bring healing and joy to hurting souls.”
Shanks urged the faithful to participate in the pilgrimage’s concluding events to share a message of faith and hope with the world.
“We are living in a defining moment for the Catholic Church in America and I’m calling on all Catholics to show up for Jesus,” Shanks said. “This is our moment to stand in faith, walk in unity, and proclaim that Christ’s Presence changes everything. We want our brothers and sisters to join us and fan the flames of revival as we offer a public witness to our faith.”
CatholicVote also confirmed that as of June 13, the Pilgrimage’s scheduled private and public events in Los Angeles are still set to proceed as planned. Stephanie Mahoney, the NEC’s senior director of marketing and communications, told CatholicVote in a June 13 statement that the organizers have been working with law enforcement and security personnel to keep the pilgrimage safe for all participants. She said if anything on the official schedule does need to be changed or altered, the public would be made aware ahead of time.
