Pilgrims on the northern Marian route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP) processed from the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul to the Minnesota State Capitol building May 28, where Father Joseph Bambenek, director of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for the Renewal of Structures, prayed for Minnesota legislators with a group of about 20 pilgrims.
The procession also paused to pray at a memorial for fallen soldiers near the Capitol building.
The procession was preceded by 7:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul, celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Hebda. He met the pilgrimage group outside the Capitol, where he said that he was “delighted” that the pilgrimage visited the home of the Minnesota Legislature.
“How blessed we are that the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is here in our archdiocese,
and this morning to have the opportunity for this pilgrimage from our Cathedral to our
Capitol, reminding us of the importance of prayers for those who lead us in public life, and for the same kind of Eucharistic renewal in our society as well, that we might grow in our appreciation for the need for sacrifice and the need for care for our brothers and sisters,” Archbishop Hebda said.
The need for prayers for the Minnesota Legislature is especially pressing now, as legislators recently wrapped up a divisive session with several pieces of legislation on the table that were opposed by the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC).
One such piece of legislation, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), would have
enshrined “gender identity” as a protected class, with no religious exemption. The proposed constitutional amendment ultimately failed to pass both the Minnesota House and Senate as the session ended before midnight May 20.
Catholics opposed a proposed End-of-Life Options Act (HF1930/SF1813), also known as the Assisted Suicide Act, which circulated through legislative committees this spring but failed to gain enough traction to become law.
Shantel Schallenkamp, 39, who works as a liturgy coordinator at Transfiguration in
Oakdale, walked in the May 28 pilgrimage to pray for lawmakers.
“We need Minnesota to be transformed by the Eucharist,” Schallenkamp said as she walked behind the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. “The Eucharist will transform all of us,” she said. “That steeple (of the Cathedral) is just a tad higher than the Capitol. God is in control.”
Full schedule of NEP events
The Marian Route of the NEP launched May 19 from Lake Itasca. On the same day, three other processions departed from the East, West and South. All four groups will converge in
Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21.
While members of the public accompany the Eucharist at various points on each of the
four routes, including the May 28 procession, a group of 24 perpetual pilgrims — six on
each route — are tasked with accompanying the Eucharist for the entirety of the pilgrimage. They travel by foot or in their support vehicle when walking is not possible.
The NEP continued May 28 to Assumption, St. Matthew and Our Lady
of Guadalupe, all in St. Paul; St. Joseph in West St. Paul and St. Peter in Mendota. The NEP will remain in the archdiocese through Friday, May 31.
