Catholics gather this weekend in downtown Cincinnati for national pilgrimage

Thousands of Catholics are expected Saturday in downtown Cincinnati for a procession and festival connected to one of the largest Catholic gatherings in the United States in years.

The events in Cincinnati begin at 10 a.m. with a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, followed by a procession to a festival at Fountain Square at 11:30 a.m. The events here are part of a nationwide Catholic pilgrimage to Indianapolis, where as many as 40,000 people are expected to worship, pray and sing for five days this month at the National Eucharistic Congress.

The Eucharistic Congress, which runs from July 17 to July 21, is the first national gathering of its kind in 83 years and has been touted by Catholic bishops as a way to revitalize the church in America.

Four groups of pilgrims from across the country began traveling in May to Indianapolis for the Congress. The group that started its journey on the East Coast will pass through Cincinnati this week, which prompted the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to organize the Mass, procession and festival.

Participants Saturday will be asked to walk a small part of the route to Indianapolis with the pilgrims, marching with them from the cathedral to the square.

The American bishops revived the National Eucharistic Congress to energize Catholics and invigorate the church, which for decades has suffered from declining Mass attendance, a persistent shortage of priests and a clergy abuse scandal that harmed thousands of children and angered many Catholics.

The focus of the congress and the pilgrimage is the Eucharist, the bread that Catholics believe becomes the literal body of Christ during the sacrament of Holy Communion. Each group of pilgrims is carrying the Eucharist with them on their journey to Indianapolis.

"This kind of pilgrimage is special because a journey with the Eucharist is a journey with Jesus," said archdiocese spokeswoman Jennifer Schack. "Every place visited becomes a holy place."

The congress will feature guest speakers and musicians, a replica of the Shroud of Turin, holy relics from several saints and an exhibit about Eucharistic miracles. The goal, according to the website for the congress, is to "bolster your faith and leave you in awe of the very real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist."

The first Eucharistic Congress took place in Lille, France in 1881, followed by several other international gatherings and at least nine such meetings in the United States. But no national congress has been held in the United States since before World War II.