BY FR. DAN THELEN

For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD — On Monday, June 10, Marshfield welcomed the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. God blessed this day with incredible weather and the joy of His presence. More than 500 faithful processed the four miles along Veterans Parkway from the Park and Ride off Heritage Drive to St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish.

Parishioners, both young and old, and from all the surrounding deanery parishes, joined in the celebration. Visitors from as far away as Florida and Ohio also attended. Leading the procession were many of our First Communicants throwing flower petals along the route to mark the joyous day. In addition, flag bearers, Knights of Columbus members and servers holding lighted candles, a cross and incense thuribles filled out the lead of the procession. Priests and deacons from all of the deanery parishes took turns processing with the Eucharist, pausing at various altar stops along the way. A beautiful canopy held by four men sheltered the Eucharist during the entire route. Songs and prayers were offered as the pilgrims walked. Scriptural passages were proclaimed at each altar stop highlighting key moments of Jesus’ life and the Eucharist. Intercessions were then offered, including prayers for laborers and workers, teachers and community leaders. In addition, special prayers for our military and especially for our fallen service men and women were offered next to the Veteran’s memorial.

Clergy participating in the day included the Most Reverend Douglas Robertson, Dean of the Marshfield deanery and pastor of Our Lady of Peace and Sacred Heart Parishes; Fr. Barry Saylor, pastor of Christ the King and Corpus Christi Parishes; Fr. Greg Michaud, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Neillsville; Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam, pastor of St. Andrew and St. Joseph Parishes; Fr. Dan Thelen, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish; Fr. Jared Clements, chaplain of Columbus Catholic School and Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Peace and Sacred Heart Parishes; Fr. Arturo Vigueras, Associate Pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish; Deacon Ray Draeger of Christ the King and Corpus Christi Parishes; Deacon Jeff Austin of St. John the Baptist Parish; and Deacon Nate Mueller of Our Lady of Peace and Sacred Heart Parishes.

Marshfield was one of the stops on the northern route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. On May 17 the pilgrimage began at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota, passing through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois and concluding in Indiana. This is one of four national pilgrimages crisscrossing our country, leading up to the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN on July 17. Taken from the official website of the National Eucharistic Congress, “The first International Eucharistic Congress was held in Lille, France, in 1881. It was organized by a laywoman, Marie-Marthe-Baptistine Tamisier, in response to the decline of the Catholic Church in France following the French Revolution. Since 1895, the U.S. has been host to nine National Eucharistic Congresses and two International Eucharistic Congresses (1926 & 1976).” https://eucharisticrevivalindy.org/history 

The Eucharistic Congress in 1926 was held in Chicago and in 1976 in Philadelphia. The current Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis marks the first time in our nation’s history that four concurrent Eucharistic pilgrimage routes are being coordinated across our nation.

Following the 4-mile procession in Marshfield, a potluck was held at the St. John the Baptist school. Many wonderful cold and hot dishes, along with desserts, were made available for the hungry pilgrims. Displays on Catholic missions and Eucharistic miracles were also available for visits. Talks were then given on the lives of Brother James Miller and Father Joseph Walijewski by Fr. Alan Guanella and Fr. Woody Pace, respectively. Adoration of the Holy Eucharist continued all night with a 3 a.m. prayer service and then a 7 a.m. Mass. The 3 a.m. prayer service was especially fruitful, with nearly 100 people in attendance offering special intentions seeking the intercession of the Servant of God Father Joseph Walijewski. Following the 7 a.m. Mass, the pilgrimage team continued onto Colby and Abbotsford for the next leg of their journey. Special thanks to all who helped organize this special day. Also a very big thank you to our police force for all their assistance and coordination in managing traffic.