BRAINTREE -- During Corpus Christi weekend, June 21 and 22, Archbishop Richard G. Henning will lead the first eucharistic procession by sea in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston.

In honor of the feast, the archbishop will bring the Blessed Sacrament by boat down the North Shore to 11 towns, cities, and Boston neighborhoods for Mass, prayer, and adoration.

"It's a fresh approach, it's a novel approach," said Liz Cotrupi, director of Family Life and Ecclesial Movements for the Archdiocese of Boston. "Especially in the summertime, our coastal communities are our features."

"And it's Corpus Christi weekend. So we can put all of those things together, and it's a great fit," she added.

Archbishop Henning, who spent much of his life and ministry in coastal communities and is an avid boater, had the idea to do the procession by sea. Cotrupi said that in the Jubilee Year of 2025, titled Pilgrims of Hope, the archbishop wants to bring hope to coastal towns through the Eucharist.

"Couldn't we all use a little more hope in our lives?" she said, "To bring Jesus to the different communities gathered, it's an inspiring and hopeful moment."

Archbishop Henning will be traveling on a 36-foot boat fittingly named Shepherd's Pie, donated for the weekend by the Shepherd family of Winchester. The boat will be captained by Mark Shepherd, Winthrop Harbormaster Charles Famolare, and Father Dan Hennessey, pastor of St. Rose and St. Agnes parishes in Topsfield and Middleton.

Cotrupi said that local parishes and harbormasters have been accommodating to the archdiocese's planned procession.

"It's been a very exciting endeavor, but it's been challenging because there's a lot of moving parts," she said.

At least for this inaugural procession, individual boaters are urged not to follow the archbishop as he goes from port to port.

"We think it may not be the best idea to have a procession of boats for safety's sake and because this is our first time trying a eucharistic procession by sea. If you are boating in a harbor we visit, share an enthusiastic greeting with the archbishop," Cotrupi said.

As of May 27, the procession was scheduled to begin on June 21 at 8:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish in Gloucester, where the archbishop will celebrate Mass. He will then visit Reed Park in Manchester, where he will disembark for prayer and adoration. He will do the same at the Town Pier in Beverly and Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Archbishop Henning will then sail past Fort Sewall in Marblehead. He will not exit the boat but will pray and bless those gathered by the water. Archbishop Henning will disembark for prayer and adoration at Fisherman's Beach in Swampscott. The day will conclude with the archbishop visiting St. John the Evangelist Church in Winthrop for a prayer service.

On June 22 at 8:15 a.m., Archbishop Henning will dock at Piers Park in East Boston, then at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park in the North End. He will disembark at both locations for prayer and adoration. He will then go to Fan Pier Park in the Seaport District, where he will deliver blessings from the boat along the Harborwalk. He will then set sail for South Boston and disembark at the Boston Harbor Yacht Club. After disembarking, he will lead a eucharistic procession through the streets of South Boston to Gate of Heaven Parish, where he will celebrate Mass at noon. Fireboats and state police are scheduled to greet Archbishop Henning upon his arrival at Boston Harbor.

"Everybody's so excited," Cotrupi said.

In the event of rough seas or inclement weather, Archbishop Henning will travel from town to town by car. Those planning to participate in the Corpus Christi procession events are encouraged to visit evangelizeboston.com/into-the-deep and the archdiocese's Facebook page, @BostonCatholic, for the most up-to-date schedule.

If the procession is a success, the archdiocese is planning to repeat it next year with a South Shore trip starting in Plymouth and ending in Boston, Cotrupi said.