A solitary man sat fishing on the shore. When he heard the sound of voices raised in prayer, he left his gear and drew near to listen.
Then, he held up his phone to record the procession as it passed by.
Hundreds of parishioners from around Hampton Roads gathered at Star of the Sea, Virginia Beach, Sunday, Oct. 27, to be a part of the Boardwalk Eucharistic Procession. From the church, the pilgrims crossed Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue and then continued along the oceanfront, singing and praying the rosary amidst the lulling roll of waves.
“The Eucharistic procession has always been a part of who we are as Catholics,” said Father Steve DeLeon, pastor of Star of the Sea. “We’ve invited all of the parishes. It’s so nice to see so many people coming out.”
“It’s amazing to watch the people on the boardwalk who are just out there, not realizing what’s happening,” said Grace Jones, business manager at Star of the Sea. “Some stop to watch. Some kneel or bless themselves, and some even join in.”
“It’s a great way to evangelize,” she said.
A beach tradition
The oceanfront procession began in 2012 as a multi-parish effort, the combined endeavor of Star of the Sea, St. John the Apostle in Virginia Beach, and St. Benedict in Chesapeake.
“It’s always been held in October, in honor of Our Lady of Fátima,” Jones explained.
It was October 13, 1917, when thousands of people gathered in a field to witness a sign promised by the Blessed Mother, “so that all might believe” – the “Miracle of the Sun,” which served as a beacon of hope to many after years of war.
The Boardwalk Eucharistic Procession has weathered storms – it was canceled in 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew – and it underwent a three-year hiatus during the pandemic.
But the tides of events could not keep the Holy Spirit at bay.
When U.S. bishops announced the launch of the National Eucharistic Revival – a grassroots effort aimed at promoting a deeper devotion to Christ in the Eucharist – the parish Star of the Sea found the perfect way to embrace the spirit of the movement.
“When the Eucharistic Revival began, we thought, ‘You know what? Let’s bring it back,’” Jones said.
And so, in 2023, Star of the Sea revived the tradition.
“It’s always been such a beautiful procession,” Jones said. “We are grateful to be able to host it once more.”
‘Cast aside your cloak’
Father DeLeon prepared the pilgrims at the noon Mass with a homily based on the day’s Gospel reading: Mark 10:46-52. The verses tell the story of a blind man, Bartimaeus, who asked the Lord to restore his sight.
“When he heard that Jesus would be passing by, he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!’” Father DeLeon said. “Although it looked like he cried in desperation and helplessness, it was more of a cry of faith and hope.”
Bartimaeus can serve as a model for us, Father DeLeon said. Like Bartimaeus, we should remain alert to the presence of the Lord, “within us, or around us, or in our neighbor, or in situations in our lives.”
Just as Bartimaeus “threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus” (Mk 10:50), we must cast aside our own cloaks – those things that serve as stumbling blocks on our journey.
“Do we have a cloak that we cannot throw aside that will prevent us from recognizing Jesus?” Father DeLeon asked. “It might be our comfort zone, or our pride, or our attachments.”
Some might discourage us from praying, he said. But we should not listen to the “naysayers.”
“Keep on praying. Keep calling on the Lord. Keep trusting in the Lord, because he will listen,” he said.
Setting forth
Before setting off, the processionists gathered for refreshments in the church reception room.
“It’s a beautiful day for it,” said Dr. Carey Averill, principal of Star of the Sea School. “We are anticipating a good showing.”
She gestured to a corner, where three of her students sat chatting happily over sandwiches with a few children dressed in the green uniforms of St. Gregory the Great School, Virginia Beach.
“The children are already finding one another, so that’s lovely to see,” she said.
Maria Mosquera, a parishioner of St. Luke, Virginia Beach, came out to the procession with a group of friends for one reason, she said.
“Jesus!” she said, simply. “I want to witness to the whole world!”
Mosquera and her friends had been looking forward to the procession, she said.
“In the Philippines, we do this all of the time, and for much longer distances – for an entire ‘barangay,’ or ‘barrio.’ This is nothing new for us,” she said, laughing.
A walk to remember
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” the crowds recited, as the procession, which streamed on for more than two blocks, made its way down the boardwalk. Father DeLeon held the monstrance aloft, as, behind him, schoolchildren marched together carrying banners from their respective schools.
Volunteers in golf carts affixed with speakers accompanied the procession, working to keep voices in sync as hundreds of the faithful prayed and sang.
As the procession passed, beachgoers stopped to watch and listen. One couple, sipping coffees in cardboard cups as they strolled along the boardwalk, paused to pray.
For one pilgrim, three-year-old Chester Carlucci, the walk was a bit much. His mother, Gigi Meyer, said she was grateful when volunteer Jim Martin came by in his golf cart to give the sleeping Pre-K student a lift.
“He was getting heavy,” she laughed.
Chester’s older brother, six-year-old Gaius, made it the entire way, walking with the Star of the Sea School banner.
“We’ll definitely be back next year,” Meyer said.
Following Jesus
After the procession, the faithful gathered in the church for Benediction.
“Today, inspired by the countless disciples who have gone before us, and like the healed Bartimaeus, we have followed Jesus on the way in our Eucharistic procession,” said Father Eric Ayers, pastor of St. Bede, Williamsburg, addressing the congregation.
Just as it was for the first followers of Jesus, life is not easy for us, Father Ayers said.
He asked: what is the answer to the challenges posed by the modern world?
“To follow Jesus on the way,” Father Ayers said.
“By following Jesus and learning from him, we, too, can navigate through this very complex life that we have,” he said.