By Fr. Mark McCormick

I was blessed to be the chaplain for the southern route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage from June 15-22. A friend of mine, Samantha Vargo, reached out to me when the initial chaplain scheduled was unable to be part of the pilgrimage. Trying to live with a Marian heart that is open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I said ‘yes’ to being the chaplain as the pilgrims traveled from Mobile, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia.

As St. John Paul II often said, “Life with Christ is a great adventure.” And believe me the words of St. John Paul II did not disappoint. Traveling for a week with eight perpetual pilgrims who were constantly before the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was an adventure.

We rode in a 12-passenger van wrapped on the outside with a colorful Monstrance and the wording National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and on the inside, a tabernacle bolted to the floor and the Monstrance securely fastened to the top of the tabernacle, proclaiming to everyone who saw it that this is no ordinary van and no ordinary ride. I loved driving through the streets of the towns and cities we went through, pulling up to stop lights with a big grin on my face saying, “Here is Jesus!”

One morning, outside a hotel, a gentleman approached Brother Damiano, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, and pointed to the word “Eucharistic” on the side of the van. He asked Brother Damiano what that word meant because he had never seen that word before. Brother Damiano, in a few short minutes, explained to him that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus. The gentleman called his wife on the phone, and the three of them had a conversation about the transformative power of Jesus in the Eucharist. The gentleman shared with Brother Damiano that his uncle had just died, and Brother Damiano was able to pray with the gentleman and his wife on the phone. In this brief encounter, Brother Damiano was able to give them a true sense of the peace of Jesus in the Eucharist.

One day, we pulled up to a big convenience store to get fuel. Jesus was exposed in the monstrance. I opened the van door, got out, and genuflected to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. As I did so, the people in the car right next to us, stepped out of their car and knelt on the hot asphalt in adoration and worship of Jesus. It was a remarkable sight; I did not expect to see such faith and love for Christ and the courage that enabled them to kneel right there in front of everyone. At that moment, it seemed like time stopped, and we joined them on our knees, thanking Jesus for the gift of himself to us in the Eucharist.

I will never forget pulling up to St. Mary Magdalene Church in Newnan, Georgia, where hundreds of parishioners walked out to meet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. As we processed the Blessed Sacrament to the Church, the sidewalk was lined on both sides with people kneeling. I was suddenly overcome by his Real Presence. So much that I could hardly breathe. I felt like I was hyperventilating, trying to catch my breath, tears rolling down my face, and in my mind declaring, “Here is Jesus, here is our God, here is our Savior, here is our Lord, here is our food, here is our love, here is our heart, here is our joy, here is our friend, here is our life.”

I shared this experience with the eight perpetual pilgrims as we drove to the next event. I asked them to pause and to ask the Holy Spirit to put other names of Jesus in their hearts. It was like popping popcorn, “Here is our victor”; “Here is our peace”; “Here is our bridegroom”; “Here is our salvation”; “Here is our hope”; “Here is our unity”; “Here is our everything”; “Here is our strength”; “Here is our light”; “Here is our sight”; “Here is our window”; “Here is our living bread”; “Here is our resurrection”; “Here is our revival.”

Lastly, when we were at Mother Angelica’s Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama, Brother Damiano and I were sitting at the breakfast table after Mass. Across the table was a woman who told Brother Damiano about the excruciating headache she had the night before. Her headache was so bad she could hardly drive to the Shrine; however, she knew she wanted to be part of the Mass, the Eucharistic procession, and the healing service. She explained that this was a condition she had been dealing with for some time and that her headaches were getting progressively worse, so she was scheduled for a CAT scan soon.

Right after the healing service, she found Brother Damiano again. She explained to him as the priest processed the Blessed Sacrament around the church, he stopped right in front of her. She said, “As I looked at Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I felt like running water flowing over my head, and immediately my excruciating headache was completely gone. Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament has healed me.”

I have many more stories of signs and wonders that I could tell of my short eight days on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. It truly has been a great adventure, and I realize how blessed and highly favored I am.