BRAINTREE -- Since May 24, a small group of perpetual pilgrims has been on a Eucharistic pilgrimage along the Eastern U.S. in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, passing some of the holiest and most historic sites in the country until July 5.

The One Nation Under God National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will visit the Archdiocese of Boston from June 26 to 28. On June 26, the pilgrims will stop for Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Cathedral in West Roxbury, then go down to Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth for adoration beside Plymouth Rock. A procession will take the Blessed Sacrament from the park to Downtown Plymouth for a Mass at St. Peter Church celebrated by Archbishop Richard G. Henning. On June 27, a 2.5-mile procession will take the Blessed Sacrament from Boston Common along the Freedom Trail and some of the most hallowed sites in U.S. history, concluding with adoration at Bunker Hill in Charlestown. Later that afternoon, there will be a Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart celebrated by Archbishop Henning at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The original plan for June 28 was that the archbishop would celebrate Mass on the Lexington Battle Green, but he will now be celebrating Mass at St. Brigid Parish instead. A procession will then bring the Blessed Sacrament to the Battle Green, where the Revolutionary War began, for adoration. Throughout the weekend, the perpetual pilgrims will be visiting young adult communities in the archdiocese's parishes. They will also attend Mass at Regina Cleri, Boston's home for retired priests.

Devotions throughout the weekend will take place in many languages. Representatives from the Archdiocese of Boston's African, Asian, Brazilian, Hispanic, and Polish communities, among others, will participate in the processions. Members of the archdiocese's Filipino Catholic community will provide first aid and nursing support during the processions, representing the prominence of Filipino Americans in Boston's healthcare industry.

"Their participation beautifully reflects the spirit of accompaniment, service, and compassionate care that lies at the heart of our Eucharistic witness," said Wendy Mejia, Archdiocese of Boston director of multicultural ministry.

Mejia said the weekend's devotions will honor the history of contributions that immigrants have made to both the U.S. and the Catholic Church throughout their shared history.

"While we speak many languages, come from different cultures, traditions, and languages, we are united by our faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist," she said.

In a video posted to the Archdiocese of Boston's website, Archbishop Henning compared the pilgrimage to Paul Revere's ride. Rather than warning that "The British are coming," the archbishop said the pilgrimage's message is a hopeful one: "Jesus is coming."

"This pilgrimage is an invitation to place our lives, our communities, and our country under the sovereignty of Christ, to truly be one nation under God," he said.

When the pilgrimage makes its way through New England, Ben Wallace plans to join the pilgrims as much as he can. Wallace, 30, lives in New Hampshire but attends daily Mass at Holy Rosary Shrine in Lawrence. Much of his education in the faith took place in the Archdiocese of Boston, in parishes such as St. Leonard of Port Maurice in Boston's North End and St. Mary of the Assumption in Brookline. The pilgrimage will pass these churches, as well as ones where he and his family received their sacraments.

"It feels like this really sweet, nostalgic farewell to the region before I go wherever God is leading me," Wallace said.

In August, Wallace will become a postulant for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. The order's "super radical, Eucharistic, contemplative life" appealed to him. Everything the friars do flows from the Eucharist, and Wallace, who spends much time in adoration, wants the same for himself.

"The Lord had more in mind for us at his Eucharist than just a symbol," he said. "He had his very presence there."

He also wants to help people like his brother, who struggled with addiction before dying of an overdose in 2021. Wallace, who had drifted from his Catholic faith, had no one to turn to after his brother's death.

"I felt a lot of despair, and from that point, I was grasping for answers," he said.

A month after his brother died, Wallace had a vision of Christ on the cross. Waking up, he thought to himself, "Oh boy, this is all real. Jesus is real."

He started attending a Protestant church, then returned to the Catholic Church, wanting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

"Jesus is here," he said. "He's present in his Church, and he wants us every single day we can, to go to church every day. Why wouldn't we do that if we really believe that Jesus is who he says he is?"

He said the pilgrimage comes at "a really interesting time in our country," with the 250th anniversary and the U.S. bishops consecrating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"This feels like an absolute way of bringing our Lord through the streets and hopefully bringing more souls to Christ," he said.

More information on the pilgrimage and events is available at bostoncatholic.org/national-Eucharistic-pilgrimage.