With its final leg beginning at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage completed its five-day journey through the Archdiocese of New York.

Early Sunday morning, the Blessed Sacrament traveled from the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer to St. Patrick’s, where Cardinal Timothy Dolan concelebrated Mass along with Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, and Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Colacicco.

After the Mass adoration and benediction were led by Cardinal Dolan at the entrance to St. Patrick’s. Archbishop Caccia and Bishop Colacicco then processed with the Blessed Sacrament through Midtown, making a brief stop at the Church of St. Peter on Barclay Street, before arriving at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, just above Battery Park.

The eastern route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, one of four traversing the United States ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress in July, is named the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born and raised in New York. She is the first saint born in the United States and was received at the Church of St. Peter upon her conversion to Catholicism.

Hundreds of pilgrims packed the Shrine, with dozens more awaiting the Blessed Sacrament’s emergence outside in the Memorial Day Weekend sun. At about 3:15 p.m., Bishop Colacicco emerged with the monstrance and blessed the crowd, before embarking on the final steps of the pilgrimage within the archdiocese.

Following a police escort, the crowd of about 1,000 wended its way up Water Street in Lower Manhattan, carefully navigating sidewalks that narrowed and winded at various points, the singing and clapping of the pilgrims echoing off the buildings of the city’s Financial District.

First heading up Water Street, then making three gradual turns, the Blessed Sacrament, still carried by Bishop Colacicco, who serves on both the Bishops Advisory Group and the board of directors of the National Eucharistic Congress, began its climb up the Brooklyn Bridge. Towering over the Manhattan entrance to the bridge was City Hall as the pilgrims filled the walkway at the bridge’s center.

Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan, along with hundreds more pilgrims who had walked to the first bridge support on the Manhattan side, awaited the Blessed Sacrament’s arrival. Bishop Colacicco turned and blessed the island and all those who had followed before presenting the monstrance to Bishop Brennan. After a brief benediction, Bishop Brennan turned and began the walk back to Brooklyn, with many pilgrims continuing the journey to the other side of the bridge.

The Eucharistic Pilgrimage had a clear impact on those who participated as it passed through the Archdiocese of New York.

“It was a beautiful experience,” said Archbishop Caccia, who spoke to The Good Newsroom as he walked down from the Brooklyn Bridge. “Most Americans are out of the city because of the Memorial Day long weekend, but Jesus came to visit the city for those who cannot afford to go out. I was thinking that Jesus is present everywhere, and He wants to meet all the people, and He walks with us like He walked with the disciples. It is up to us to recognize Him and to rejoice in His presence. A beautiful initiative,” the archbishop said.

“It was great to see Archbishop Caccia carrying the Blessed Eucharist, and it was a pleasure to see [Knights of Columbus] Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly carry a leg of the canopy,” said Pedro Perez, 28, a Columbia University graduate student who had also helped to carry the baldachin, or canopy, over the Eucharist as it processed south from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Perez learned about the Eucharistic Pilgrimage from Father Roger Landry, the Catholic chaplain at Columbia, a key organizer of the event who is walking the entire Seton Route.

“This was amazing. I am so happy that Jesus made His way, and to see all these people on the Brooklyn Bridge is just incredible,” said Kaitlyn Colgan, assistant director of the archdiocese’s Office of Young Adult Outreach, who had assisted with the organization of the pilgrimage’s passage through the area.