On June 21, Heaven came to the streets of Lancaster. On that day, the annual Eucharistic Procession celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi carried Jesus in the Eucharist through the city streets. The event is the joint project of three parishes in downtown Lancaster and follows a mile-long route between those three parishes – St. Joseph’s, Historic St. Mary’s and San Juan Bautista.
Some 350 people turned out on a warm and sunny morning to attend Mass at St. Joseph’s celebrated by Father Pang Tcheou, pastor, and concelebrated by Father Brian Olkowski, pastor of St. Mary’s; Father Luis Rodríguez, pastor of San Juan Bautista; Father Allan Wolfe, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Chambersburg; and Father Deogratias Rwegasira, A.J., Chaplain at Lancaster General Hospital.
The procession started following the morning Mass and proceeded to St. Mary’s, where it halted for benediction. The procession then continued through Lancaster’s Penn Square to the Lancaster County Courthouse. Here, the procession again stopped for another brief benediction. From the courthouse, the procession proceeded to San Juan Bautista, where it concluded and the Eucharist was reposed. Following the event, the parish held a reception for those who took part, offering a selection of wonderful treats. The procession was live-streamed by San Juan Bautista Parish.
All who took part indicated that the event was a great success. St. Mary’s parishioner Fran Sescilla commented, “The Mass and procession were absolutely phenomenal. Heaven came to the streets of Lancaster.”
Lancaster residents and visitors along the route, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, watched with interest, with Catholics who understood what they were seeing “taking a knee.” Many residents watched, recorded and photographed the event. As they share those images, the impact of the procession will be amplified.
The event was the culmination of cooperation between many volunteers and groups. The overall event is coordinated by the St. Padre Pio Prayer Group of Lancaster.
Prayer group vice president, Kristin Young, emphasized that “the Eucharistic procession is a wonderful opportunity for many groups in the Catholic community to work together and get to know each other. Without the help of all of these groups, the event would not occur.”
Among the groups who worked on or otherwise supported the event were the Knights of Columbus, St. Michael’s Guard, Knights of Malta, the San Juan XXIII Movement, the St. Mary’s Youth Group, and many individuals at each of the parishes who helped make the procession the success it was. Parishioners provided and operated a sound truck from which a group of volunteer musicians and speakers led hymns and prayers. Another group worked with the Lancaster City Police to help control traffic. Individuals helped distribute flyers to the churches in the Lancaster Deanery, notify people and businesses along the route about the event, coordinated volunteers at each church, and created the reception at the end of the event.
The organizers are already looking forward to next year’s procession. They want to extend an invitation to church members from all around the Diocese to put the event on their calendars and come out to emulate the disciples on the road to Emmaus and “take a walk with Jesus.”
For more information on the Padre Pio Prayer Group of Lancaster and to follow its event, visit https://pmm999.wixsite.com/padrepiolancaster.
(Story and photos by Patrick McSherry, President of the Padre Pio Prayer Group of Lancaster.)
By Patrick McSherry, Special to The Witness
