THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 44, NO. 34 | APRIL 21, 2023
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Deacon Jody Madden of St. Benedict’s Parish, Atchison, gives final instructions before the procession.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
As the procession makes its way down Fourth Street, parishioners who live along the route kneel before the Eucharist.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann leads the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the end of the procession.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Representatives from multiple parishes in the Atchison Region gather in front of St. Benedict’s Church in Atchison before joining in a eucharistic procession that advanced down Fourth Street to Veterans Memorial Park at the Missouri riverfront. An estimated 850 Catholics participated in the procession.
Procession ‘unites Catholics’ in the Atchison Region By Catherine Halbmaier Special to The Leaven
A
TCHISON, KS — Fourth Street homeowners knelt on their front porches as a procession of clergy, altar servers, and parishioners passed by. They knelt not for any of these groups, but for the eucharistic Lord, carried in a monstrance at the head of the crowd. The April 16 procession began at St. Benedict’s Church and traveled with the Blessed Sacrament down Fourth Street to Veterans Memorial Park at the Missouri riverfront. There, adorers prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and listened to a Gospel
reading from Jn 6:51-58. Following a homily by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and a Holy Hour, the congregation was invited to socialize. Representatives from multiple parishes in the region joined the procession of some 850 faithful. Many sported banners and flags, as did Maur HillMount Academy and Benedictine College, both of Atchison. In his homily, Archbishop Naumann preached on the life-changing power of faith in the Blessed Sacrament. “Many have come to our faith because of the Eucharist, because they saw that the Eucharist was the center,” said the archbishop. He also emphasized in his homily the literal
presence — or the Real Presence — of Christ in the Eucharist. And in conclusion, Archbishop Naumann thanked the crowd of adorers, calling on them to “realize the miracle in which we are engaged.” “May we adore the eucharistic Lord,” Archbishop Naumann said. “May we thank Him for this gift.” Father Jeremy Heppler, OSB, in an interview before the event, provided background on the origin of the procession. “As a way to celebrate the archdiocesan year of the nationwide Eucharistic Revival, the archbishop suggested that each of the regions within the archdiocese host a eucharistic procession,” he said. >> See “STREET” on page 7