by Katie Vasquez
These feet have walked hundreds of miles.
For the past 60 days, perpetual pilgrim Zoe Dongas has been traveling the country, a journey that began in Connecticut and is ending at the National Eucharistic Congress.
“We met so many people along the way that are like, ‘Oh, see you at the Congress,’ and our joke has been like, I’ll wave to you in the crowd of 50,000 people,” Dongas said. “But I really do think that this is going to be really unexpected for all of us.”
She’s seen sights others could only dream of: walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, through cornfields, and even visiting a men’s prison. But Zoe said the most beautiful sight of the 1200-mile journey was seeing people’s reaction to the Body of Christ.
“That was really moving for me to see their heart for Jesus,” Dongas said.
Her pilgrimage was one of four routes traveling from four points of the nation heading to the Congress.
Natalie Garza was the team leader for the Eastern Seton Route, ensuring that it went smoothly for the pilgrims.
“It has been nothing short of a real lived experience of the scriptures, the lived experience of hospitality, and a real great joy to be in so much time for prayer,” Garza said.
After traveling north, south, east, and west, the four routes finally converged, praying together at St. John the Evangelist in downtown Indianapolis.
The two dozen perpetual pilgrims bonded together over a shared experience seeing Christ work in the hearts of others.
“Grounded in the ways that, like just knowing all the ways that he’s moved in all the places we’ve been,” Dongas said.
“I really learned how trustworthy God’s Word is. Whenever Jesus says, ‘This is my body,’ He meant it,” Garza said.
It’s a faith they can’t wait to share at the Congress’ opening event.
“To anticipate it spiritually and physically for the past 60 days, it feels like a real joy and maybe a foretaste of what heaven will be like,” Garza said.
And one they will carry with them when they finally return home.
“I’m really, really excited to go back to New York City to bring the zeal that I’ve experienced on pilgrimage to my local parish community,” Dongas said. “Yeah, find all the ways that we can continue to foster Eucharistic faith and love and adoration.”