The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has opened registration for its 2026 journey and released the schedule for public events, according to a March 18 announcement.
The pilgrimage is part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary and will follow the theme “One Nation Under God.” Organizers say the events are designed to bring people together in prayer while reflecting on U.S. history.
Pilgrims will travel along the Eastern seaboard from Pentecost through Independence Day weekend on the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route, named after the first U.S. citizen to be canonized. Nine Perpetual Pilgrims will carry the Blessed Sacrament through several of the original thirteen colonies, eighteen dioceses, and two Eastern-rite eparchies. The faithful are invited to join public processions and other scheduled activities.
“In the past few years we’ve witnessed a powerful renewal of Eucharistic faith across the country,” said Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress. “The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is one of the most visible expressions of that renewal, as believers bring Jesus in the Eucharist out into our streets and communities and inviting people everywhere to encounter him,” he said.
Highlights include stops at historic sites such as Our Lady of La Leche Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida; Christ the King Catholic Church with testimony from Monsignor James Boddie Jr.; presentations about Georgia martyrs in Savannah; Mass at Richmond’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart; a procession near Baltimore’s Washington Monument State Park; and adoration at Boston’s Plymouth Memorial Park and Bunker Hill. The pilgrimage concludes over Independence Day weekend in Philadelphia with 24 hours of adoration, film showings, and a closing Mass.
“It’s my joy, and that of the Church in Philadelphia, to host the closing events of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will be held in what I affectionately call the City of Saints,” Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia said in a press release. “As the only diocese in the country that houses two saints, St. Katherine Drexel and St. John Neumann, this is the place that Catholics can reference to remember our history in this great country and the future we are building here,” Perez said.
For those unable to attend in person, organizers encourage participation by submitting prayer intentions or spending time in Eucharistic adoration with a goal to gather 250,000 Holy Hours for national renewal. An online lecture series exploring faith and culture will also be available weekly on an app.
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, this pilgrimage is a powerful reminder that the deepest foundation of our country is our dependence on God,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota said. “By carrying the Eucharist across our nation and gathering in prayer, we are asking the Lord to renew the Church and to bless our country so that we may truly be one nation under God,” he said.
