SAN DIEGO — Two Eucharistic pilgrimages will converge in San Diego on the same day in mid-June.
From June 16 to 18, local Catholics will have the opportunity to join the pilgrims at a series of events, including a Eucharistic procession in Balboa Park and a free concert at Bonita Cove Park in Mission Bay.
Camino de California, an organization that offers pilgrimages to the 21 historic California missions, will set out on June 6 from Mission San Francisco Solano on its California Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will arrive June 16 at Mission San Diego de Alcalá.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (St. Katharine Drexel Route), which began May 18 in Indianapolis, the site of last year’s 10th National Eucharistic Congress, will wend its way through the Midwest and southwestern United States, also arriving in San Diego on June 16.
On June 18, both pilgrimages will continue their journey northward toward the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where they will arrive June 20 and celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, on June 22.
From June 16 to 18, both groups will participate in various events in San Diego, which local Catholics are invited to attend.
The pilgrims will gather for a 7 p.m. Mass, June 16, at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, followed by a holy hour with Eucharistic adoration and Benediction in the parish’s St. Francis Chapel.
On June 17, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will lead a Eucharistic procession in Balboa Park along a one-mile loop, beginning at 9 a.m. at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street.
“We don’t have many opportunities like this for Eucharistic processions … This is a really unique opportunity to see the Blessed Sacrament in procession, at Balboa Park of all places,” said Deacon Patrick McCay, of St. Brigid Parish, a Camino de California board member. “It’s going to be amazing.”
Camino de California pilgrims will take part in that procession and, at 10 a.m., will continue it with a procession to St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown San Diego, where they will spend about a half-hour in adoration, and to Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Little Italy, where they will attend the noon Mass.
On June 17, there will be a “Concert in the Park” from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bonita Cove Park, with live music, food trucks, opportunities for confession, and pilgrim testimonies. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beach chairs or beach blankets. Ample parking is available.
“It’s a work day,” Deacon McCay acknowledged. “But, hopefully, people can get off work early.”
On June 17, the national pilgrims will attend a Divine Liturgy with St. John the Baptizer Ukrainian Catholic Parish from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Patrick Church in North Park.
On June 18, participants in both pilgrimages will attend the 8 a.m. Mass at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, with an hour of Eucharistic adoration to follow. Adoration will be in the parish church, not the historic church.
Jeff Russell, president of Camino de California, said that the upcoming pilgrimage will be “California’s first-ever Eucharistic Pilgrimage to all 21 missions.”
“The inspiration for the 2025 Eucharistic Pilgrimage,” he said, “sprang from multiple attendees of the 2024 (National Eucharistic Congress) in Indianapolis, who had powerful spiritual encounters with Our Lord in the Eucharist and the larger community of believers and wanted to bring that same fire for Our Lord to California.”
Auxiliary Bishop Ramon Bejarano, of the Diocese of San Diego, said, “The Camino de California Eucharistic Pilgrimage gives us the blessing to see the unity of the Church throughout California.
“Taking the Blessed Sacrament from the north to the south of the state is a reminder that Jesus is always with us, that we should never be afraid, and that we all, from the beautiful California tapestry of different races and backgrounds, share one faith, one hope and one love,” he said.
Bishop Bejarano said, “I pray this pilgrimage revives in the faithful the commitment to evangelize and to serve and love as Jesus did.”
Deacon McCay became affiliated with Camino de California in late 2021, shortly after he and his wife walked the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage route in Spain, for 35 days.
“I wanted more, and I just see so much potential here in California,” he said, explaining what attracted him to Camino de California.
He acknowledged that something like the Camino de Santiago requires “a lot of effort,” and “not everybody can do that.” He said the events that will be held from June 16 through 18 are a way that everyone can have a pilgrimage experience.
“A pilgrimage is really about going to a holy site,” he continued, explaining that participants will go to sacred spaces — local churches — and accompany the Blessed Sacrament in procession.
“That’s Jesus in the flesh in the Blessed Sacrament,” he said, “and we’ll be carrying Him with us the whole way.”
Pilgrimages, Masses and More
A series of local events have been organized by the California Eucharistic Pilgrimage and the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
Monday, June 16
7-8 p.m.: Mass at Mission San Diego de Alcalá
8-9 p.m.: Holy hour and Benediction at the Mission
Tuesday, June 17
9-10 a.m.: Eucharistic procession from Balboa Park (Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street) to St. Joseph Cathedral
11-11:30 a.m.: Adoration at cathedral, then Eucharistic procession to Our Lady of the Rosary Church
Noon: Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary
3-7 p.m.: Concert at Bonita Cove Park, Mission Bay
Wednesday, June 18
8-9 a.m.: Mass at Mission San Luis Rey
9-10 a.m.: Eucharistic Adoration at the Mission
For more information:
California Eucharistic Pilgrimage: caminodecalifornia.org
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: eucharisticpilgrimage.org
