By Shawna Hanson
Eucharistic Revival Point Person

Fr. Grant Gerlach, pastor of parishes in Philip, Midland and Milesville, said he was moved both by Fr. Luke Spannagel’s preaching and Sr. Sara Kowal, SCTJM’s reminder that Eucharistic processions can be an important element in creating a culture of Eucharistic belief and devotion.

He was inspired to be creative in bringing a procession to the small prairie parish in Milesville. The church sits at an intersection of two country roads. There are no streets, no town to process through. It occurred to Father Gerlach that it would be possible to process from the church using country roads and intersections to form a cross.

In this way, the procession would form a cross and “stamp” the land with the cross of Christ, in Father Gerlach’s words. In his heart, he realized the beauty of consecrating this small rural community in western South Dakota with the sign of the cross “written” by the Lord himself present in the Eucharist.

“May the Lord continue to bless us with his creative Spirit and may all of us continue to listen to his promptings as he works to bring the Eucharistic Revival to every corner of our diocese,” said Shawna Hanson, point person for the Eucharistic Revival in this diocese.