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.”

Here’s one final look at the pilgrims from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton route who walked miles across several states to the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

By Katie Vasquez

They are getting ready for the trip of a lifetime.

This group of 25 faithful from the San Damiano Mission in Greenpoint is preparing to head to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress.

“My rosary, my Bible, my journal are all ready to go,” said Ibelin DeLeon, a parishioner at San Damiano Mission. “And I’m super excited.”

While packing started Monday, July 15, they have been spiritually preparing for the congress for months.

They have been keeping up with the four groups who have been journeying to the congress on foot.

“Just seeing the pilgrimage that started months beforehand and seeing the lines of people, the multitudes, and knowing we’re all just going to gather up there,” DeLeon said. “It speaks to the excitement that people hold in their hearts already.”

They are diving into the heart of the years-long revival campaign.

“I feel like this is really the core of our faith, the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and being part of the Eucharistic revival,” said Angela DiLalla, a parishioner at San Damiano. “These last three years, this is a beautiful culmination of all the Catholics gathered together for this beautiful reason.”

James Keefe said the connections formed in the Diocese of Brooklyn during this time, and the ones he will make in Indianapolis, will only bring him closer to God.

“I feel like this will be a very important step to strengthening my faith and to growing a community with the whole church,” Keefe said. “It’s really good to go out and see everybody from the country coming together like this.”

The pastor of the San Damiano Mission, Father Cristiano Pinheiro, will be leading them at the congress.

He said he wants to receive as much as his parishioners.

“I’m also going there to be fed as well,” Father Pinheiro said. “Not only as a shepherd to bring the people, but I am also a disciple and a son of the church. It’s very beautiful for me to be restored in my priestly vocation as well.”

No matter how they get there, whether by plane or by car, they are all traveling for one reason.

“The sacrament of the Eucharist,” said Elmer Maldonado, a parishioner. “We’ve been under-appreciating it, or misunderstanding it. I think this is exactly what the country needs.”

Those members of the San Damiano Mission will be arriving in Indianapolis Tuesday, July 16, and Wednesday, July 17.

Their first official Congress event as a group will be the kick-off happening Wednesday evening.

A common question the pilgrims often get: How many of those miles did they actually walk?

Those on the Elizabeth Ann Seton route in the East are answering that question.

This was a 1,200-mile journey, but they actually walked 380 miles.

The longest hike happened on day six, when they walked over 18 miles in Westchester County, New York, with the shortest, an almost two-mile pilgrimage in New Oxford, Pennsylvania.

They racked up some miles while in the Diocese of Brooklyn, traveling 24 miles in two days.