After beginning their trek May 24, in St. Augustine, Fla., pilgrims participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage spent four days in Georgia.
Founded in 1874 by Benedictine missionaries to serve Savannah’s African American Catholic community, Our Lady of Good Hope served as the starting point for the approximately 1-mile Eucharistic procession through rain-soaked streets beneath Spanish moss and along Savannah marshlands before arriving at Villa Marie Center, established in 1967 as a Catholic summer camp for children in largely Protestant Savannah.
The May 26 procession included clergy, Knights of Columbus members, families and pilgrims carrying the Blessed Sacrament beneath a canopy despite heavy rain that later cleared during the route.
The next day, May 27, pilgrims processed with the Eucharist through historic downtown Savannah from Forsyth Park to the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. The procession passed notable Savannah landmarks including Forsyth Park and the Confederate Memorial before arriving at the cathedral for prayer and worship.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage makes it way to Charleston, S.C., May 28 where it will remain until departing for Charlotte, N.C., May 31. After that it will continue to make its way up the northeast corridor of the United States.
