On June 7, 2024, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be stopping in Baton Rouge on its route to the National Eucharistic Congress taking place on July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis.
The day will begin with 8 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Baton Rouge followed by a 1.5-mile Eucharistic Procession beginning at 9:30 a.m. from Sacred Heart to St. Joseph Cathedral.
At the cathedral, pilgrims will hear from Bishop Michael G. Duca of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, learn more about the call to service in our communities, eat lunch and hear testimonies from the National Eucharistic pilgrims from 10:20 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. At 2 p.m., a Eucharistic Prayer Service will begin at Christ the King Catholic Church and Student Center on LSU’s campus featuring Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship, prayer ministries and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) with priests from throughout the diocese. The event will end at 4 p.m.
"Throughout this time of Eucharistic Revival in our national and local Church, I have reflected often on the Road to Emmaus narrative found in the Gospel of Luke,” said Bishop Duca. “The Gospel recounts the story of two disciples who have encountered the Risen Lord by walking with Him on their journey to Emmaus and recognizing Him at table once He breaks bread with them. As they walked with Him, their hearts burned, and that is my desire for those who attend this pilgrimage: that their hearts leave on fire with a deeper love of the Eucharist and a renewed commitment to be Christ’s disciples in the world,” the bishop said.
All events during the Baton Rouge stop of the Pilgrimage are free and open to the public. Parking before mass and the Eucharistic Procession will be divided between St. Joseph Cathedral (401 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802) and Sacred HeartChurch(2250 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802). Downtown parking at the Cathedral is limited, but more free parking is available at Sacred Heart. For those who wish to leave their vehicles at the Cathedral in the morning, there will be a free shuttle making trips between the Cathedral and Sacred Heart beginning at 7 a.m. The shuttle will run again starting at 1:30 p.m. for those who wish to leave their vehicles at Sacred Heart. (This portion of the news release has been updated to reflect changes to transportation information originally posted by the diocese.)
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will begin on May 19, 2024, in four locations across the United States: California, Minnesota, Connecticut and Texas. Spanning a combined distance of 6,500 miles through cities, small towns, highways and back roads, each pilgrimage route will be accompanied by “perpetual pilgrims.” On July 17, 2024, all four routes will meet in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress, a pivotal moment for the Catholic Church in the United States.
The Pilgrimage is an initiative of the National Eucharistic Revival, a movement which began in the summer of 2022 and will conclude in the summer of 2025. It is the hope of the Revival that members of the Catholic Church in America can be healed, converted, formed and unified by an encounter with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine.
“The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our faith, and we are incredibly blessed, as a diocese, to be able to partake in this National Pilgrimage,” says Fr. Mathew Dunn, the chairman of the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s Eucharistic Revival. “It is the hope of the national and diocesan team that men and women of all ages in the Diocese of Baton Rouge can encounter Jesus Christ in a profound way through the Eucharist on June 7th.”