By Tyler Arnold
Nashville, Tenn., Jul 2, 2024 / 11:35 am
More than 1,000 Catholics processed with the Eucharist through the boisterous streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, passing by tourists, party buses, and backed-up traffic to bring Christ to the Music City and pray at its historic churches.
“I think it’s a beautiful opportunity to be witnesses to our faith,” one of the attendees, Katie Carney — the assistant principal of St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee — told CNA.
The four-mile procession brought Christ through several neighborhoods in and around the downtown area on the hot morning of June 28. Despite temperatures surpassing 90 degrees, the procession brought out families with young children, high school students, both young and older adults, and Dominican sisters from the local St. Cecilia Motherhouse.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to see the young people and the families here [showing their] love for Jesus,” Sister Mariana Thayer told CNA.
“I hope that souls will see [the procession] and be moved [by it],” said Jeanne Robinson, a Nashville resident who attended the procession with her husband, Mark.
Some of the processors prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet during the event. Some also sang hymns while processing, which was often led by the sisters, including the hymn “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All.”
“Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore,” the faithful sang. “Oh, make us love thee more and more.”
People stopped to take photos and videos of the procession as it passed. At one point two groups of young children accompanied by a few adults stopped and waved as the procession went by them.
As the procession passed slow-moving traffic along U.S. Route 41, some passengers waved, while one semitruck driver hauling a trailer honked to the crowd when prompted by some of the young children.
The procession passed by iconic downtown Nashville locations, such as the famous Printer’s Alley, a popular nightclub spot, and went down First Avenue, which runs parallel to the Cumberland River and intersects with Broadway — the heart of the Music City bar scene.
While downtown, the procession also caught the attention of people on several party buses and party bikes on which people drink and blare music. Most of the partiers waved and cheered as they continued to sing along and dance to music while the procession went past. One young woman on one of the party buses appeared to genuflect while passing the Eucharist.
Thayer noted the intrigue of the onlookers, telling CNA: “It was definitely a very positive interaction [with the community] that I saw.”
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Phillip Baker, a lifelong resident of the area, told CNA the turnout was “extraordinary.” He said the interactions with the community during the procession were “one of overwhelming joy and peace and real welcome.”
Noting that central Tennessee is located in the Protestant-heavy Bible Belt, Baker said: “I think people were more curious and flabbergasted than anything.”
He added that “people hear about us but they don’t really see us.”
In addition to going downtown, the procession brought the faithful to three Catholic churches that are more than 130 years old: St. Mary’s of Seven Sorrows, which was constructed in 1845; Assumption Catholic Church, which was constructed in 1858; and St. Patrick Catholic Church, which was constructed in 1889. The procession stopped for adoration at all three locations.
The procession also walked up Capitol Hill in Nashville, passing near the Tennessee State Capitol.
Friday’s procession was part of the broader National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which is an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival — an effort to help foster a greater understanding and devotion to the mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The pilgrimage began on Pentecost along four routes launched from the East and the West coasts and the northern and the southern border.
The pilgrimages are leading hundreds of events along their routes before meeting in Indianapolis on July 16 for the National Eucharistic Congress.
The route that stopped in Nashville is the St. Juan Diego Route, which began in Texas and has traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The route left Tennessee and is now making its way through Kentucky before heading into Indiana.
