Perpetual Eucharistic pilgrims reflect on 'being with Christ 24/7' as pilgrimage nears end

When John Paul Flynn, a rising junior at Catholic University, decided to do mission work, he did not realize he would be doing it with Christ himself.

Since May 24, Flynn has been part of a nine-person team taking the Blessed Sacrament across 18 dioceses as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will finish in Philadelphia on Sunday in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Pope Leo XIV will deliver a video message prior to the closing Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Perpetual pilgrim John Paul Flynn. Photo credit: Simple Heart Photography in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress.

The 2026 pilgrimage is under the patronage of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to be canonized. During Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Pavia on June 20th, he venerated a relic of the heart of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini brought from Codogno.

The pope’s veneration of St. Frances’ relic occurred the same week that Flynn and his fellow perpetual pilgrims accompanied the Eucharist to a private retreat at the Mother Cabrini National Shrine in Manhattan, where the saint is buried.

The procession…