Journey tied to 250 years of American independence
Along an East Coast journey, pilgrims will travel through the Archdiocese of Baltimore in June to bring sacramental encounters with Christ through the Eucharist to a series of processions, public events and service projects.
Catholics and non-Catholics are invited to join the pilgrims at stops from June 9 to June 11 in Baltimore, Annapolis and Western Maryland.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will travel from Florida to Maine to Pennsylvania, completing the journey in Philadelphia over Independence Day weekend to honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The mission of the pilgrimage – under the theme, “One Nation Under God” – is to renew the Church by inviting Catholics to deepen their love and devotion to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
Archbishop William E. Lori enthusiastically welcomes the pilgrims to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, America’s first Catholic diocese. The Premier See was established in 1789 and comprises the City of Baltimore and Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard and Washington counties.
Archbishop Lori said the country’s independence is a moment of grace and responsibility.
“Anniversaries are not merely occasions for nostalgia or celebration. Authentic remembrance always orients us toward renewal,” Archbishop Lori said. “At the heart of this witness is a truth the Church never ceases to proclaim: The human person finds his or her full meaning and dignity only in Jesus Christ.
“… Our reflections on politics, culture, unity, and civic responsibility must therefore begin – and end – with Christ, who reveals both the dignity of the human person and the path to authentic freedom.”
A full schedule of public events will be released at www.archbalt.org in the weeks leading up to the pilgrims’ arrival in June.
The pilgrims will depart the Archdiocese of Baltimore on June 11 from Annapolis en route to the Diocese of Wilmington.
The 2026 pilgrimage follows others held in 2024 and 2025 under the National Eucharistic Revival. This year’s route is named in honor St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonized a saint. A national survey released in January by Vinea Research shows the National Eucharistic Revival has refocused Catholic clergy on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic and positively impacted faith and outreach in the Church.
For information on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, visit EucharisticPilgrimage.org.
