A Eucharisitic procession sponsored by the Napa Institute heads through the streets of New York City on Oct. 15, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

New York City, N.Y., Oct 16, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

New Yorkers on Oct. 15 gathered in droves within the vaulted ceilings of one of New York City’s most famous churches, St. Patrick Cathedral, many from New York City and others driving in from nearby Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester County before spilling out into the streets for a Eucharistic procession.

Organized by the California-based Napa Institute, officials estimated that 3,500 people gathered for a Holy Hour and rosary with New York City Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat as well as Mass with Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and homilist Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in North Dakota. 

Afterward the congregation filed out into Midtown Manhattan for a procession that took Jesus in the Eucharist past Radio City Music Hall and into Times Square and surrounding areas.

This was the fifth annual Eucharistic procession in New York City organized by the Napa Institute, a Catholic leadership organization.

Espaillat, of Dominican descent, gave a meditation during the Holy Hour in English and Spanish.

“As a society, what are we passionate about? Then I ask individually, what are you passionate about, personally?” Espaillat said. 

“My sisters and brother in Christ, we were Christ’s passion. We are Christ’s passion. Jesus was, is, and continues to be passionate about his Father and his kingdom.”

Espaillat spoke about the need to not only be hearers of the word but also doers of the word.

“Most Catholics like to come to church for 30-40 minutes. Then boom! Out the door. Are we really creating community? Are we really creating family? Are we really passionate about Christ and his kingdom?” he asked.

“If we really believe that that’s Jesus — then we need to proclaim it! We can’t keep it to ourselves anymore. We need to shout it from the mountain tops! We need to declare it with how we live,” he said. 

“Some of you took half days off from your jobs. I commend you,” the bishop said. “That’s why we come here today to church. Your boss sees it, your co-worker sees it. And guess what: Today the city of New York will also see it!”

Espaillat ended his meditation by calling everyone’s attention to the upcoming election and a New York state ballot proposal called Proposition 1, or the “Equal Rights Amendment.”

“This proposition should be called ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing,’” he said. “We cannot allow abortion on demand with no restrictions up to nine months.”

He also said the proposal aims to “take away your rights as parents: to make decisions for minors in regards to gender-affirming surgeries and transitions. In other words, your children, without your permission, can take certain medications and pills without you even knowing it.”

The Mass, celebrated by Coakley, was offered for the intention of peace in the Holy Land.

Shea during his homily spoke about the irony of how many people want to fully trust in God’s promise but don’t. 

“God says I will fulfill all your desires. Come to me. I will fill you up. I will slake your thirst and satiate your hunger. Come to me. We want to believe it but will not. What if it isn’t true?” Shea said.

This lack of trust in God leads Catholics to hold back in the way they live their faith.

“This is why we play the trick that was invented on this island. We hedge the investment of our lives. We hold back. But what if we didn’t? What if we threw everything into it? What if we hedged nothing?” she said. 

“What would that mean for us? It would mean great suffering and tremendous joy. It would mean that Jesus — suffering and triumphant — would be here with us in our lives. That we could depend upon him for everything.”

Shea also spoke about St. Isaac Jogues, the first Catholic priest to set foot on Manhattan Island in 1643. His statue is on the door of St. Patrick Cathedral.

“A year after his arrival, he wrote a letter stating: ‘We must always keep in mind that everything we do, we do for God for his glory,’” he said.

After Mass, the Eucharistic procession walked through several city blocks in one of the most tourist-filled areas of New York, bringing traffic to a standstill.

“What struck me was the respect you received for walking with the Eucharist,” Debby Kruszewski from Mamaroneck, New York, told CNA.

Looking up, she saw windows filled with bystanders gazing down at the procession. “I wonder who among them is a believer, and who was drawn to the window by his presence,” she said. 

“I pray for the nonbelievers in those windows and on the street to have a life-changing moment from this experience. Being part of it, you don’t realize just how impactful it is to walk with a couple of thousand people in Manhattan, alongside Jesus.”

Kristy Schade from Larchmont, New York, agreed.

“Here we are, walking in the middle of New York City. What struck me was the peace and the power of walking in this procession. Everything came to a standstill,” Schade said.

She recalled how she noticed a policeman holding back traffic.

“I saw a bystander wanted to get through and pleaded with a cop, asking, ‘How long will this take?’ The cop said, ‘It’s Jesus. It will take as long as it needs to.’”

Maria Baldi, from Italy, said the procession reminded her of processions she has seen back in her home country.

“It was amazing. Seeing all the people in the cathedral and then walking into the streets together. You could feel the pulse of the city in Times Square. And in the middle, you had people singing and praising God,” Baldi told CNA.

She also noticed the strong presence of Hispanic Catholics.

“The Hispanics were really leading many of the songs and prayers. It was very moving,” she said.

Many people noticed that, in general, New Yorkers were very peaceful about the procession.

“It is not every day that we get to walk down Fifth Avenue and Time Square, waving at people and praying. Yet there was no acrimony at all. I expected there to be some bad reactions, but I did not see any,” Baldi said.

The procession ended with a benediction by New York archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan and veneration of a first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Officials said the relic was a piece of the young blessed’s heart.