The procession will culminate Sunday, June 19, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, 225 Gillam Drive, Warsaw. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

News Release

FORT WAYNE — A handful of streets will be closed Sunday to accommodate a Catholic procession that will eventually head north on North Detroit Street.

The Diocese of Fort-Wayne South Bend will hold a diocese-wide Eucharistic Procession and Festival on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 19, in Warsaw, to kick off the three-year Eucharistic Revival for the Catholic Church in the United States.

More than 3,000 people are registered, though registration was not required. Some 5,000 people are expected to be in attendance, with a multitude of ethnic groups in traditional attire participating in the event.

A Eucharistic procession is a traditional public witness of veneration to the Blessed Sacrament, which Catholics believe to be the living person of Jesus Christ – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – conducted through public streets.

The afternoon will begin with prayer and music at 2:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Parish, 129 N. Harrison St.

The event will require a series of road closings along the route. Here are the specific times streets will be closed off:

• From 1-6 p.m.: Fort Wayne Street, between Lincoln Street and Harrison Street.
• 2-6 p.m.: Smith Street, between Maple and Grant Street; as well as Bronson Street, between Smith Street and Winona Avenue
• 3-5 p.m.: Main Street, from Lindberg Drive (WEST) to Indiana Street – Indiana to Canal Street (This first portion will open as soon as the procession passes through)
• 3-5 p.m.: Detroit Street from Center Street to Anchorage Road (permit from INDOT)  This portion will open as soon as everyone is off of SR 15 at Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Buses will be used to travel back to the fairgrounds as well as Sacred Heart from Our Lady of Guadalupe. A walk-back is not planned nor is it encouraged.

The procession from Sacred Heart, led by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, will pause halfway through the 2.8-mile walk at Central Park for a prayer and Eucharistic blessing. It will conclude at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, 225 Gillam Drive, with Benediction and devotional hymns sung in six languages.

A Eucharistic festival begins immediately following at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and features live music from Kairy Marquez, food for sale from many different ethnic cultures, local artists and vendors, a kid zone, information booths, a Eucharistic Miracles exhibit and much more. The festival will end at 7 p.m.

Parking will be available at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds. Participants may walk the 0.8 miles to Sacred Heart Parish or take shuttle buses from their vehicles. Some parking for those in wheelchairs or with strollers will be available on Harrison Street across from the church. Many parishes throughout the diocese are bringing buses so parishioners don’t have to drive themselves.

For more information about the Eucharistic Procession and Festival, visit diocesefwsb.org/eucharist.