A eucharistic procession across northeast Minneapolis will mark its 17th year June 12, with organizers hoping to draw 500 or more as concern and precautions ease around the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Certainly, we’re looking forward to a good year,” said Father Spencer Howe, pastor of Holy Cross, in an interview with Practicing Catholic radio show host Patrick Conley. “Last year was a slightly smaller procession as we were coming out of the pandemic.” But efforts are being made to spread the word and “get the churches engaged once again in this great occasion,” he said.
Holy Cross joins with congregations from six nearby churches: Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Boniface, St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church, St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church and All Saints.
Ethnic and faith traditions are part of the mix, including Polish, Slavic and German, Lebanese and Ukrainian, and more recent changes such as growing Hispanic and African populations. The procession will begin at 3 p.m. at Holy Cross and proceed along University Avenue to each church before ending at about 5 p.m. at All Saints with Benediction. Refreshments follow at St. Maron’s Cedar Hall, with shuttle service back to Holy Cross.
“We’ve had some wonderful traditions in Northeast, and I do want to just say that this eucharistic procession really expressed a kind of unity across a number of parishes,” said Father Howe, who was joined by Sam Backman for the 9 p.m. June 3 show on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, which repeats at 1 p.m. June 4 and 2 p.m. June 5.
Backman, director of sacred music at Holy Cross, said he’s been at the parish for about three years, when the pandemic impacted turnout. This year promises to bring more participants, and certainly a larger group than other eucharistic processions he has been part of, Backman said.
Catch the Practicing Catholic on Relevant Radio to hear more about the procession, including some of the spiritual benefits of participating. Procession details can also be found on the web at ourholycross.org.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest Practicing Catholic show includes interviews with Jen Messing of Into the Deep Retreats, who discusses enriching summer time getaways, and Angela Franey, executive director of Abria Pregnancy Resources, who addresses the kind of life-saving help that is available to women in crisis pregnancies as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a major abortion case.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
