Catholics stop to pray a decade of the rosary on the outskirts of Iowa City during a eucharistic procession celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope on Sept. 14.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Catholics took to the streets of Iowa City in near-record-high temperatures for a eucharistic procession celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope.
“It was extremely hot underneath the vestments and I sweated a ton, but it was all worth it,” said Father Troy Richmond, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City. “At one moment, as I was carrying Jesus in the procession, I looked at him and said, ‘Lord this is all for you.’”
Altar servers Leo Hernandez, left, and Luis Ordenana cool off with frozen towels during a eucharistic procession celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope Sept. 14 in Iowa City.
More than 150 people participated in the 2-mile procession from Regina Catholic Education Center to St. Patrick Parish on Sept. 14, with several priests from the Iowa City Deanery taking turns holding the monstrance. The late Pope Francis designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time for the faithful to renew themselves as “Pilgrims of Hope,” the jubilee theme. “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision,” the pope wrote in a letter announcing the jubilee year.
Parishioner Colleen McMahon said the idea for a Jubilee Year of Hope procession came to her during eucharistic adoration earlier this year. Unbeknownst to her, the thought also crossed the mind of Deacon Angel Hernandez, who serves St. Patrick Parish.
McMahon, members of a multi-parish fellowship group and Father John Lamansky discussed the idea further during a breakfast outing. Father Lamansky, pastor of St. Wenceslaus Parish-Iowa City, suggested hosting the procession on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. “It usually falls on a Sunday once every seven years and I happened to remember this is one of the years that it does,” he said.
A multi-parish committee with representatives from St. Patrick, St. Wenceslaus, St. Mary-Iowa City, St. Thomas More-Coralville and Newman Catholic Student Center at the University of Iowa in Iowa City ironed out details and got as many people involved as possible. Local Knights of Columbus provided safety patrol and youths from the parishes offered to help as altar servers and carry signs.
Others volunteered to drive alongside the route to provide transportation to tired pilgrims and carry amenities. A team of singers from St. Patrick Parish led music worship with director/composer Joe Mattingly providing accompaniment on guitar. People unable to walk the route provided support by praying in the adoration chapel at St. Patrick Church. “I’m excited to see it all come together,” Sophia Joseph of St. Wenceslaus Parish said before the procession. “It’s a really cool way to share Jesus with the community.”
St. Patrick Church is designated as a Jubilee Church, which allows the faithful to gain a jubilee plenary indulgence by participating in the pilgrimage and meeting the usual conditions (detachment from sin, receiving the sacraments of reconciliation and Communion, and praying for the pope’s intentions).
The procession began with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in Regina’s high school gym before participants headed toward Rochester Avenue. The procession stopped three times along the route to pray the rosary in English and Spanish and, at each stop, volunteers handed out water bottles and cold towels. Volunteers also looked for signs of exhaustion while people were walking and handed out amenities as needed. An ambulance drove along the route in case of emergency.
“It was warm, no doubt, but at least it was dry!” joked Father Andrew Rauenbuehler, pastor of St. Mary Parish-Iowa City. He said the music kept him going during the two-hour procession. “It was well done and there was a good mix of music.”
Seminarian David Cortez, left, and Knights of Columbus distribute water bottles during a eucharistic procession celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope Sept. 14 in Iowa City.
Seminarian David Cortez, who attends Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, drove back for the weekend to serve on safety patrol. “St. Patrick is my home parish and I have family here. I thought it was really cool and I wanted to help.”
Leo Hernandez, a seventh-grader from St. Patrick Parish, said St. Carlo Acutis’ devotion to the Eucharist inspired him to participate as an altar server. He and other altar servers from the parish wore cold towels over their heads during the latter part of the pilgrimage to beat the heat, saying they were relying on God to help them keep a positive attitude. They giggled when a rabbit hopped alongside them for a moment during the procession; the youths imagined it was joining them in praising Jesus.
Non-walking participants greeted the tired but jubilant pilgrims as they processed into St. Patrick Church for benediction. “You made it!” one woman told pilgrims as she waited outdoors for their arrival. Catholic Daughters of America provided refreshments and a light meal in the parish hall.
“It was such a beautiful eucharistic procession today,” said Father Richmond. He hopes parishes in the Iowa City Deanery will continue to organize citywide processions in the future.
