by Michael Rizzo
BAYSIDE — The streets of Bayside were alive with hymns and prayers during a Eucharistic procession on May 28 between Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes in the northeastern Queens community.
About 300 congregants walked the 1.1-mile route that crossed highways, prompted the NYPD to stop traffic, and grabbed the attention of homeowners and onlookers along the way.
The pilgrims were led by 20 children and their families. These young people had received their first Communion this year at parishes in Queens Deanery 5, which encouraged all of their parishioners to attend the procession.
The other deanery parishes are American Martyrs, Holy Family, Our Lady of the Snows, St. Anastasia, St. Gregory the Great, St. Josaphat, St. Kevin, and St. Robert Bellarmine.
Maritza Cruz came from Holy Family in Fresh Meadows to walk with her granddaughter, Zaylynn Lugo.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a child, and I’m passing it on to my granddaughter, and she enjoys it,” Cruz said.
“It’s respectful to God,” Zaylynn, 8, added about the procession. “It felt like a special day. We were honoring God, and it was beautiful.”
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Father Robert Whelan, pastor at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, explained before the procession that the idea came from Father Sean Suckiel, pastor of Holy Family, who cited the participation he had seen in other Eucharistic processions.
“Eucharistic processions are making the old new again,” Father Suckiel said as he vested for the veneration. “Young people today are talking about these processions, how it’s life-changing, so why not do it as a deanery?”
An opening prayer inside Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, led by Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros, began the evening’s adoration. Bishop Cisneros reminded the congregants that “this is not just a walk but an act of worship.”
The Eucharist was then placed in a monstrance that was carried outside. The procession began just after 5:50 p.m. with Bishop Cisneros, the first of several priests to carry the monstrance under a canopy held aloft by attendees.
About 20 minutes later, and after walking a half mile, the procession stopped at St. Josaphat for a 15-minute benediction on the building’s front steps. As the monstrance was blessed with incense, the sun, which had been mostly hidden behind darkened clouds, broke through in bright light.
Father Whelan said in his earlier interview that he hoped the procession would make an impact on Bayside residents. That’s exactly what happened when Lynn, who did not want to give her last name, stepped out of Vittorio’s Butcher Shop on 35th Avenue to watch the Eucharist pass by. “I’m not even Catholic, but this is good,” she said. “It gives people hope. To see people come together, that’s what we need.”
As the procession, which stretched over two blocks, snaked through side streets and stopped buses and cars as it crossed busy Bell Boulevard, the praying of the rosary and the songs of worship continued. The procession reached Sacred Heart of Jesus Church just before 7 p.m.
“It’s a matter of rejuvenating the church,” Rosetta Maguire said as she observed the people going into the church for a final benediction. “To show our solidarity with our faith and our religion and just proud to be Catholic.”
After the Eucharist was removed from the monstrance and placed in the tabernacle by Father Marc Swartvagher, presiding dean of Queens Deanery 5 and pastor at St. Kevin Parish, Father Suckiel thanked the congregants for their participation and asked for another acknowledgment of appreciation.
“Let’s also thank Jesus for leading us today,” he said to resounding applause.