The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut – the former Knights of Columbus Museum – currently has two exhibits in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Revival: “Do This In Memory of Me,” a juried exhibition of sacred art created to draw God’s people into deeper intimacy with our Lord in the holy Eucharist, and “True Presence: The Eucharist in History and Art,” a celebration of Christ’s promise of salvation and eternal life through his body and blood.
The exhibition opened May 11 and runs through August 25. Admission and parking at the McGivney Center are free.
“Across the ages, visual arts have turned hearts and minds towards the sacred,” the center said in promotional materials. “With timeless beauty, sacred arts reach deeper into the soul than words. They show us what is holy so that we might encounter the Source of all holiness.”
“Do This in Memory of Me” presents images that draw the faithful into the mystery of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is organized and curated by St. Edmund’s Sacred Art Institute in Mystic, Connecticut. The National Eucharistic Revival has provided financial support. Some of the works will be brought to Indianapolis for the Congress.
“Many traditional methods showcased in this exhibit would be lost if not for devoted sacred artists who have toiled in isolated spaces around the country to preserve these ancient techniques,” the McGivney Center said.
True Presence
Another exhibition inspired by the National Eucharistic Revival opened March 23. Titled “True Presence: The Eucharist in History and Art,” it features numerous components related to the adoration of the Eucharist, including its origins, its appearance and influence in works of art, its celebration and reverence throughout history, and its associated miracles. This exhibit runs through September 8.
In addition to the art exhibits, the McGivney Pilgrimage Center presented a lecture by Fr. Roger Landry, the only priest who is scheduled to walk the entire National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which started this weekend. Fr. Landry discussed “The Christian Life as a Eucharistic Pilgrimage." The priest, who is the Catholic chaplain at Columbia University, is accompanying the Perpetual Pilgrims on the Seton Route, from New Haven to Indianapolis.
The session included introductions of the Perpetual Pilgrims who will process with the Eucharist along the Seton route.
Archbishop Christopher Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, then celebrated Mass at St. Mary's Church, launching the Seton Eucharistic Pilgrimage. St. Mary’s is the church where Fr. Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1892. The fraternal order’s world headquarters is in New Haven.
The McGivney Pilgrimage Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
