Pilgrims walking hundreds of miles pass through Mississippi Gulf Coast

People are marching from four locations here in the U.S. to meet in Indianapolis on July 17th for the National Eucharistic Congress, and the pilgrimage is passing through the Mississippi coast.

Some have walked 10 miles and others have walked over 700 to be here today. Whether they’ve devoted days or mere hours to this pilgrimage, each person has taken away something unique from this opportunity.

Shayla Elm is walking the full trek from Texas to Indiana.

“A pilgrim, in the history of the church, is a traveler who is going from one destination to a final destination,” Elm e

xplained. “Often it’s with their prayer intentions that they’re bringing. They’re praying for these intentions along the way, and then, this pilgrimage in a sense is an offering that they make to god. In that final place where they come to is where they make that final prayer.”

Congregations join in along the way to share their prayer. St. James Pastor McCoy says the experience has been encouraging.

“We’re united in the walk as we realize that Jesus is in charge of our Nation,” said Pastor McCoy. “So, we’re all walking together and realizing that Jesus is our King, and in that shared experience we realize that we’re all united in this walk of Christian faith together.”

The walk isn’t easy by any means, but Elm says that’s the point. She’s given every problem to the lord, who gives her strength to take another step.

“It’s moments where we feel like we have nothing else… nothing left to give… is exactly when Jesus can work the most in your life,” she said. “So, I’ve experienced many of those moments on this pilgrimage. Something I’ve learned about myself is that no matter what I do in life, I want to give it fully to the lord.”

While some will end their hike here, others still have 800 some miles to go.