Catholics journeyed from church to church, adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament during the annual Seven Churches Pilgrimage, organized by the diocesan office of Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries March 28.
The pilgrimage is a church tradition that commemorates Jesus’ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane from Holy Thursday night to Good Friday morning. After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the priest places the Eucharist upon an altar of repose surrounded by flowers, representing Gethsemane. People remain with Jesus and pray until midnight on Good Friday. During the pilgrimage, the faithful travel to seven local churches and pray at each altar of repose.
The Youth, Campus and Young Adult Ministries office worked with more than 35 diocesan parishes to provide six self-guided pilgrimage routes in Sterling, Manassas, Fairfax, Arlington, Tysons and Alexandria. The office created several meditation guides for adults, teens and parents of young children, as well as an interactive Google Map to guide pilgrims.
