Gulf Pine Catholic

10 Gulf Pine Catholic • July 5, 2024 Traversing the U.S., Eucharistic pilgrimage plants seeds of mission on Gulf Coast BY TERRY DICKSON DIOCESE OF BILOXI -- After more than two years of prayer, planning and anticipation, pilgrims on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage recently made their way across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And for organizers and participants, it was truly a week to remember. “This has been an amazing week. I think the Holy Spirit has had a humon- gous hand in it,” said seminarian Ricky Molsbee, a member of the diocesan Eucharistic Revival Committee. “Listening to the pilgrims’ testimonies has been one of the biggest gifts. To see the youth of our Church mixed in with members of the religious communities and how they are filled with the Holy Spirit and how they want to share and evangelize with everybody has been an incredible thing to witness. “You can just feel their love for the Eucharist.” Molsbee said the highlight of the week for him was participating in all three days of the walk, which started on day one at Our Lady of the Gulf Church in Bay St. Louis and continued to St. Paul Chapel in Pass Christian. On day two, the pilgrims walked from St. Paul to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Long Beach and, on day three, they started at St. James Church in Gulfport and walked to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Biloxi. “I was privileged to walk all 22 miles,” he said. It was tough. It wasn’t easy. We baked a lot in the hot sun, but having the opportunity to walk with our Lord was something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.” Molsbee said he was in awe observing the Sisters of the Eucharist on the pilgrimage. “Just their power and love for the Eucharist while they were by the Blessed Sacrament the whole time, praying whenever we stopped,” he said. “That’s something that really touched my heart. “And I was just touched by the willingness of everybody to go the extra mile. I saw a lot of people for whom it was a struggle, but they went the extra mile for Christ. They really did, offering it up and praying to our Lord. That was one of the most spe- cial things and it gives you strength in your own spiritual journey.” Deacon William Stentz, who also served on the committee, agreed with Molsbee. “Our Church is alive,” he said. “Beyond the beauty of the people who attended all the special Masses and especially those who processed -- some were with walkers and canes, some were children, some were parents, some were single people, some were from religious orders, and some were clergy -- what was most surprising was the number of pass- ersby who would just fall to their knees when they got a glimpse of the Monstrance containing Jesus. “Cars would stop in turn lanes or park on the grass along Hwy 90. People would honk their horns lovingly as they passed by, people would just stand and stare from their yards, people would stare from their windows, construction workers and delivery truck drivers would stop and try to take it all in. If they didn’t know what was going on, we have to pray that the Holy Spirit has sparked curiosity in them and they’ll reach out, wondering what do those Catholics have that I don’t have?” Chantel Normand, a parishioner of Our Mother of Mercy Parish in Pass Christian, said she felt “a sense of won- der” as she saw Jesus being carried in procession along the Gulf Coast, com- paring it to the thrill she gets when she rides her favorite Disney ride, Animal Kingdom’s Avatar Flight of Passage. “It offers a remarkable view, often described as heavenly,” she said. “I felt a similar sense of wonder [during the pilgrimage]. Witnessing the magic of the Holy Spirit bringing families, par- ishes, and cultures together in solidarity was truly profound, and I can only com- pare it to the joy felt by a child on Christmas morning. To witness the plea- sure of seeing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and experience the same feelings I felt as a child took me to a new level of magic, a magic that could only be found in the Kingdom of Heaven. “I am so blessed to be a part of the magic of Jesus and share in something so remarkable that words could never truly describe how one feels to see Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing my family to gaze upon your face and feel your magical presence through the blessings of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Procession. There isn’t any- thing on this earth that could compare to this feeling.” Normand’s pastor, Father Rofinus Jas, SVD, called the pilgrimage “a truly beautiful and moving experience.” “It was very moving for me to witness Jesus, who was present in the real and simple way in the human form; walking, holding, touching, talking, praying, chanting, singing, and reflecting that our Lord Jesus was with us,” he said. “It was a joyful experience for me to see Jesus personally by touch- ing and holding Him in my hands during procession. I prayed a lot and asked Jesus to help me in my ministries as a priest and heal me of all my sickness, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. SEE EUCHARISTIC PILGRIMAGE, PAGE 11 Father Charles Arthur, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Biloxi, carries the Blessed Sacrament in procession to Nativity of the Bless- ed Virgin Mary Cathedral on June 13, as part of the final leg of a nine-mile procession that began earlier that morning at St. James Church in Gulf- port. The procession was part of the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. Photo/Terry Dickson