National Eucharistic Pilgrimage registration opens; schedule released

The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will bring the faithful together in prayer and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has opened registration for the 2026 pilgrimage and announced the schedule for its public events.

In celebration of the 2026 theme, “One Nation Under God,” and the nation’s 250th anniversary, many of the events will not only bring the faithful together in prayer but also will reflect U.S. history.

The journey will take place from Pentecost through Independence Day weekend. Pilgrims will travel the Eastern seaboard on the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route, named for the first U.S. citizen to be canonized.

A group of nine Perpetual Pilgrims will carry the Blessed Sacrament through several of the original 13 colonies, 18 dioceses, and two Eastern-rite eparchies. The faithful are invited to join the public processions and other events.

“In the past few years we’ve witnessed a powerful renewal of Eucharistic faith across the country,” said Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress.

“The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is one of the most visible expressions of that renewal, as believers bring Jesus in the Eucharist out into our streets and communities and inviting people everywhere to encounter him,” he said.

Schedule highlights

The procession will pass through the dioceses of St. Augustine, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond and Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Wilmington, Delaware; Camden and Paterson, New Jersey; Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; Boston, Springfield, and Fall River, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Philadelphia.

The events hosted by the dioceses will offer opportunities for Mass, prayer, and community service.

In St. Augustine, the faithful can walk the grounds at the Our Lady of La Leche Shrine, the oldest Marian shrine in the U.S., while learning about the Florida martyrs’ cause for canonization.

There will also be a testimony from Monsignor James Boddie Jr., the first Black diocesan priest ordained in Florida, at Christ the King Catholic Church.

In Savannah, the faithful can learn about the Georgia martyrs who will be beatified on Oct. 31. Father Pablo Migone will share the story of the martyrdom of Friars Pedro de Corpa, Blas, Miguel, Antonio, and Francisco during a bilingual presentation.

The faithful can attend Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, celebrated by Bishop Barry Knestout. There will be a Holy Hour with prayers and songs of praise led by Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s Grupo Carismatico.

There will also be a presentation on the theme of mosaics and the communion of saints at St. Bede Catholic Church. Attendees can learn about a few of the saints who are being highlighted in St. Bede’s mosaic project.

The nation’s capital will serve as the halfway point for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. On June 6, the pilgrimage will partner with the annual Catholic Information Center Eucharistic procession that brings the real presence through Washington, D.C., near the White House and past the U.S. Capitol.

Near Baltimore, there will be a procession and hymns on the grounds of the Washington Monument State Park, which has the country’s first monument to President George Washington.

There will be a Mass in the Basilica of the Assumption celebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori. The basilica is the first cathedral constructed in the United States and was designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe under the guidance of Bishop John Carroll, America’s first bishop.

The final mainland procession will be from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine, to the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal. The diocese chartered a ferry to make multiple trips to Peaks Island so passengers can travel while adoring the Eucharist.

In Boston there will be adoration available at multiple historic sights including  Plymouth Memorial Park and Bunker Hill.

The pilgrimage will conclude over Independence Day weekend in Philadelphia. There will be 24 hours of Eucharistic adoration in the Cathedral Basilica, showings of the feature film “Cabrini,” and a solemn closing Mass and Eucharistic procession through the city.

“It’s my joy, and that of the Church in Philadelphia, to host the closing events of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will be held in what I affectionately call the City of Saints,” Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia said in a press release.

“As the only diocese in the country that houses two saints, St. Katherine Drexel and St. John Neumann, this is the place that Catholics can reference to remember our history in this great country and the future we are building here,” Perez said.

For the full list of events and detailed schedule, those interested can visit the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website.

Other prayer opportunities

For the faithful who cannot attend in person, people can participate by submitting prayer intentions and spending time in Eucharistic adoration. The pilgrimage aims to gather 250,000 Holy Hours of prayer for the renewal of the nation, which will be presented to national leaders.

People can also participate by utilizing the online lecture series. Every week, a new lecture will be released on the Manna app exploring the intersection of faith, culture, and what it truly means to be American.

“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, this pilgrimage is a powerful reminder that the deepest foundation of our country is our dependence on God,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, chair of the National Eucharistic Congress, said in a press release.

“By carrying the Eucharist across our nation and gathering in prayer, we are asking the Lord to renew the Church and to bless our country so that we may truly be one nation under God,” he said.