June 16, 2026

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to visit Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Stanislaus Basilica June 19

REGIONAL
Staff report

Msgr. Jay F. O’Connor carries the Blessed Sacrament past the Washington Monument in Baltimore June 10, 2026, as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s leg of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, themed “One Nation Under God.” The procession began at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, stopped for a blessing at the monument and then returned to the basilica. (OSV News photo/Kevin J. Parks, Catholic Review)

SPRINGFIELD – After arriving in the Diocese of Springfield on Thursday, June 18, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will visit Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Friday June 19, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. This will be one of several stops the pilgrimage will make in the diocese June 18-20.

The pilgrimage is in honor of the 250^th birthday of the founding of the United States. A spiritual journey, it began on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, in St. Augustine, Fla., near the site where the first Catholic Mass was celebrated in what later would become the United States.

The pilgrimage, made by van with nine young adults, has been traveling up the East Coast making stops in most of the 13 original colonies, concluding in Philadelphia Independence Day weekend.

It will make its way through New York to The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge on Thursday, June 18.

“We are very excited to be the first stop in New England. Several parishes will be welcoming the pilgrimage, including Mt. Carmel. The events planned give us the amazing opportunity to shine the light of Christ in western Mass with eucharistic processions, holy hours, the Ignite event at Forest Park, all-night adoration, the closing Mass in Northfield, to name a few. What a privilege it is to be able to welcome the pilgrimage and to be part of this mission, Christ’s mission, to bring his love and mercy to our neighbors, in a beautiful, public way,” said Joe Austin, the director of the Office of Missionary Discipleship. His office is coordinating the local visit.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. St. Frances Cabrini was an Italian born nun and first U.S. citizen to be canonized. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Springfield was built by Italian immigrants.

“I was very excited and most grateful St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patroness of the pilgrimage because I have a lifetime devotion to her,” said Michael DiVenuto, a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish.

The parish will show a DVD produced by DiVenuto, a catechist, and Deacon Robert Farrell. Some of the images in the video include a pelican feeding her young carved into the altar. Early Christians associated this image with the Eucharist.

 “The Eucharist is not just about private prayer and devotion. It is something with a capital E that should strengthen us and that’s what we hope to do here at Mt. Carmel,” said Stigmatine Father Robert White, the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. “That’s typical of the Italian community to reach out to those who are need.”

The parish will be assembling blessing bags for the homeless as part of their participation.

Also on June 19, the pilgrimage will stop at St. Stanislaus Basilica in Chicopee with the recitation of the rosary at 11:30 a.m., a noon Mass and eucharistic procession. From there, the pilgrimage heads to Northfield for a procession from St. Patrick Parish to Thomas Aquinas College for all night adoration and a closing Mass on Saturday, June 20.

The pilgrimage will also make stops on June 18 at St. Paul Parish in Springfield, Forest Park for the “Ignite” event and St. Michael’s Cathedral Parish. For the route, go to diospringfield.org.