6,500-mile pilgrimage to travel through Xenia and Lebanon, making way to Cincinnati

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, themed “Jesus Is Here,” will walk through Xenia on July 1 and 2 and Lebanon on July 2 and 3 before going through Cincinnati communities. The group began its pilgrimage in New Haven, Conn., and will end its more than 6,500-mile journey in Indianapolis on July 16.

There will be a procession from 4:30 p.m.-5 p.m. July 1 at the Greene County Expo Center to St. Brigid Church in Xenia. There will be a Holy Hour from 5-6:30 p.m. which will include a national Eucharistic speaker along with praise and worship music according to a press release from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

There will be a community meal open for all after the Holy Hour with a display of Eucharistic Miracles by St. Carlo Acutis. Adoration and confession will be available overnight until 7 a.m. July 2.

There will be a morning Mass at 7:30 a.m. July 2 before the group goes to Xenia Station while stopping at Greene County Jail to pray outside. The group will leave from Xenia Station at 9:30 a.m. to walk to Walton Park, Spring Valley. The 6.8-mile walk will take an estimated five hours.

Afterward, a Holy Hour is planned at St. Francis de Sales Church in Lebanon from 6-7 p.m. It will include music, a Rosary led by the Holy Family School of Faith and Benediction and a parish potluck.

There will be a morning mass July 3 at the St. Francis de Sales Church that will be followed by a continental breakfast. A Eucharistic procession will then travel to Bicentennial Park where a walk to the Kings Mills Bike Trail Access will start. The route is 6.3 miles long and will take an estimated 4.5 hours from start to finish. Participants can return to St. Francis de Sales Church with a provided shuttle.

The group will then conduct an evening prayer vigil for the nation during Eucharistic adoration at St. Gertrude Church in Maderia from 5:30-9 p.m. There are no events planned for July 4.


More details

The pilgrimage will continue through Madeira July 5, Oakley and Mount Adams July 6 and Price Hill July 7-8.

To see the whole route go to https://catholicaoc.org/jesus-is-here.

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