Two hundred and fifty years after the founding of the U.S., young-adult “perpetual pilgrims” carried Our Lord in the Eucharist throughout most of the original 13 colonies — and Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the U.S., is sending a heartfelt personal message for the end of their trek.
The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage saw the group of perpetual pilgrims walking with the Blessed Sacrament from St. Augustine, Florida—the site of the first Mass in the Americas—up the Eastern Seaboard to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. United in the theme “One Nation Under God” for America's 250th anniversary, the pilgrimage lasted from Memorial Day weekend to the closing Mass on July 5.
Now, there’s a major announcement for the ending of the pilgrimage. His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will offer a special video message to pilgrims gathered in Philadelphia, virtual participants, all Catholics throughout the U.S., and viewers around the world. His message will mark the anniversary, addressing his countrymen at a time of great significance to all Americans.
How to watch the Pope’s message
The Holy Father’s message will be shared on Sunday, July 5, at the opening of the closing Mass and Eucharistic procession in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It will be made available on the National Eucharistic Congress’s Manna app and you can find it at the Vatican web site (www.vatican.va).
Pope Leo XIV’s message comes at a time of great significance for U.S. Catholics.
“To receive a message from Pope Leo XIV at the culmination of this journey, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, is more than a landmark moment,” said Jason Shanks, President of the National Eucharistic Congress. “It is a call to renewal for the Church in our country.”
The heartwarming saintly connection
The pilgrimage route was named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized, and Mother Cabrini seems to be guiding both the pilgrims and the pope in a personal way. The saint’s guidance seems to be at the heart of this moment in American history.
In a remarkable detail that seems more than a coincidence, Pope Leo recently visited Sant'Angelo Lodigiano — Cabrini's birthplace — to venerate a relic of her heart, brought from the saint's motherhouse in nearby Codogno. That same week, the nine perpetual pilgrims made a private retreat at the Mother Cabrini National Shrine in Manhattan, where the saint is buried.
During his visit, Pope Leo pointed out his own connection with the beloved Italian-American saint. Cabrini spent the final years of her life in Chicago, the city where he was born and raised.
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, thanked the pope for sending his personal greetings, saying, “This message from Pope Leo XIV will be a profound gift to the Church in the United States — and to all who seek peace, unity, and hope.”
