Joy Uy is preparing her heart and walking shoes to experience Christ like never before.
“I actually dreamt of having to have something like this as a diocese before,” said Uy. “And I just realized that now that it’s about to happen without me doing anything about it. But just by the Providence of God.”
Uy will join more than 2,000 others on the streets of Queens on April 20 as they walk to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival.
She will be on the pilgrimage with Our Lady of Sorrows, where she teaches social studies and religion. She’s leading her students toward a deeper relationship with Christ in class.
“I show them some videos about Eucharistic miracles and just always constantly remind them that it’s really the presence of God that was really present there with us, for us,” Uy said.
St Leo’s and St. Michael’s will also be walking, meeting Our Lady of Sorrows along the way. Pastor Fr. Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez says this is a chance for renewal.
“And in this time of Easter, it’s kind of a motivation to continue living out the values of our Catholic faith, especially centered in the Eucharist, as that’s the core of our spiritual life,” said Fr. Manuel.
The National Eucharistic Revival, launched by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is a response to a 2019 Pew Research poll showing that only 31 percent of American Catholics believe in Jesus’s real presence in the Eucharist.
“Remember that we are living in times of disbelief, so this is an opportunity for us to really boost this essential dimension of our faith,” said Fr. Manuel.
On April 20, these pilgrims won’t be able to hide their feelings about their faith.
“We are here showing up for Jesus, not afraid and not ashamed of our faith of who we are,” said Uy.