BRAINTREE -- When Archbishop Richard G. Henning looks out at the sea, he thinks of the words from the beginning of the Book of Genesis: "The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

"I just find it a place where it's easy to pray, easy to sense the presence of God, the truth of the infinite," the archbishop said in a video produced by the Archdiocese of Boston available at evangelizeboston.com/into-the-deep.

Archbishop Henning, a native New Yorker who has spent all of his ministry in coastal dioceses, enjoys sailing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. On June 21 and 22, Corpus Christi weekend, the archbishop plans to use his love of the water for a higher purpose: A eucharistic procession by sea down the North Shore from Gloucester to Boston.

The name of the procession, "Into the Deep," is the same as Archbishop Henning's episcopal motto, from the words of Jesus to Peter in the Gospel of Luke. The procession was inspired by Archbishop Henning's experience at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024, when he was bishop of Providence. He attended with a pilgrimage group from the diocese.

"The real part that gave it purpose, gave it meaning, and gave it depth was the fact that all of us came together then, 50,000 of us in that Lucas Oil Stadium, got on our knees and adored the Lord and welcomed his presence among us," he said in the video.

He was thinking of ways to do something similar for the feast of Corpus Christi in Boston in 2025.

"And then I thought, 'Well, wait a minute, what if we bring the Lord to them?'" he said. "'What if they just have to go as far as the town dock by their own community, and we move on the water?' It just started to fill my heart with a sense of excitement for all those other reasons."

Water is a reminder of baptism, he said, and Boston is closely linked to the sea.

"With all my heart, I want to particularly invite all of the people on the North Shore and anyone else who wants to make their way there to come down to one of the ports on our itinerary," he said, "and take a few moments for your own spiritual life, have that opportunity to see the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to receive his blessing."

The itinerary of the procession is subject to change. As of June 5, Archbishop Henning's journey will begin at 8:30 a.m. on June 21 by celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish in Gloucester. He will then visit Reed Park in Manchester, Town Pier in Beverly, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Hammond Park in Marblehead, and Fisherman's Beach in Swampscott. At each of these stops, the archbishop will disembark and lead local residents in prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The day will conclude with the archbishop attending a prayer service at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Winthrop.

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

The procession is not a boat parade, and other boaters are advised not to follow the archbishop. In the event of rough seas or inclement weather, the archbishop will travel by car. For up-to-date information about the procession, visit evangelizeboston.com/into-the-deep.