Two Stories of the Real Presence in the Real NY
On October 20-22, 2023, the Diocese of Albany hosted thousands of people at a New York State Eucharistic Congress. This effort to inform and inspire Catholics about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is part of the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival initiated by the Bishops of the United States. The Catholic belief, which is essentially shared by the Anglican and Lutheran Churches, holds that, through a miracle, the bread and wine blessed in the liturgy become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of the risen Jesus while the bread-wine appearances remain unchanged.
Pilgrimage: A Trek in Nature Brings NY State of Mind to Shrine
Published Oct. 28, 2023, in The Tablet, the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
ALBANY — Days before some 8,000 Catholics gathered for the New York State Eucharistic Congress, an intrepid team of about three dozen assembled to briefly transform the scenic Empire State Trail from an upstate hiking and cycling route into a local path of pilgrimage.
Previewing the Congress’ goal to deepen devotion to Jesus as really present in the Blessed Sacrament, these New Yorkers walked 57 miles to share their faith in tangible ways, visiting parishes for Eucharistic adoration, meals, and overnight accommodations. They helped communities focus on two destinations — ultimately heaven, and the weekend event at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, New York.
Their journey began on Tuesday, Oct. 17, with morning Mass at the Diocese of Albany’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. They received a special blessing from Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, who reminded everyone, “The Lord Jesus is walking with us.” He urged the travelers to “be open” to reflect on the gifts God constantly bestows and to “tell stories” that affirm we are never alone.
This “Way of Martyrs” pilgrimage, traversing towns named Watervliet, Cohoes, Schenectady, and Amsterdam, concluded Friday as many cars and buses were also arriving at the hillside site of the congress. During their days on a road less traveled, those walking viewed neighborhoods, nature’s panoramas, autumn leaves, and the waterways of the Mohawk Valley, evoking historic times of martyred missionaries and the “Lily of the Mohawks,” St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
