PHOTOS: Thousands follow Blessed Sacrament in annual New York City procession

St. Patrick’s Cathedral erupted in laughter. The oil of annointing dripped down from now Bishop Joseph Espillat’s hairless head onto his smiling face as Cardinal Timothy Dolan joyfully handied a towel to him to clear his eyes.

At that time, Espillat would become the youngest bishop in the United States. And he brought with him a passion for evangelization and the Blessed Sacrament the likes of which would join an ever-growing movement, the Eucharistic Revival, that was in its infancy.

About a year later, after photographing a priestly ordination at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a photographer friend of mine nudged me and asked if I was going to the Eucharistic procession in Times Square. To which I glanced him and asked, “What procession?”

I was sitting on 51st Street with a sandwich and a cold cup of coffee, sorting photos and writing down a few thoughts. The procession wasn’t until late afternoon, and I was already pretty tired. I wasn’t planning to go. So I left it in God’s hands, which, once again, proved to be the best idea.

Hours later, I found myself in Father Duffy Square, surrounded by thousands of people praying before the Blessed Sacrament. And there at the center of…