“America’s Luckiest Priest” presides over his last Eucharistic procession at a university

Father Roger Landry may have been the first Catholic chaplain at Columbia University to lead a Eucharistic procession on campus, and amid heightened security measures, the doors once again opened wide to let in the Real Presence of Christ.

It’s been less than six months since Columbia University had to cancel graduation ceremonies due to widespread protests inside. Father Roger Landry remembers the harrowing moments well, which is why the Eucharistic procession he led across campus over the weekend meant so much to him.

“This was the fourth Eucharistic procession we have held on campus since I became chaplain in 2022 and the first since last spring’s controversies. “It was a special moment to bring the Prince of Peace to the Columbia campus and ask him to restore peace in which students can genuinely flourish,” the priest told the National Catholic Register.

Father Landry explained that security remains tight on campus, but was moved by the concern the university showed in allowing the procession to take place reverently.

“We were very grateful that Columbia not only agreed to our request for special considerations (giving us wristbands at the beginning of the procession, so we didn’t have to go through everyone one by one, having our IDs checked at security checkpoints to enter to campus), but even opened the huge campus doors so we could pass through in a spirit of prayer,” said the Catholic chaplain and frequent Register contributor.

“To me, it was like the fulfillment of Psalm 24: ‘When the gates lifted up their heads to welcome the coming Messiah and Lord.'”

This was a monumental procession for the Catholic chaplain.

“For me personally, this Eucharistic procession was special. First, because it is the last one I will lead as Catholic chaplain in Columbia, as I leave at Christmas to become the full-time national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It was a great opportunity to thank God for everything he has done for me and for the students since I started in 2022,” he stated.

This procession across Columbia’s campus was also much shorter than the Catholic priest’s last one. Father Landry was the only priest to walk the entire stretch of the Seton Trail during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage last summer. During the campus procession, the priest carried “Jesus in the same monstrance we used this summer.”

The Columbia procession also featured two other “perpetual pilgrims,” so it was a special gathering of sorts and a way to invite others.

“The music was provided by Zoe Dongas and the emcee was Columbia alumna Marina Frattaroli, two of the six ‘perpetual pilgrims’ who traveled with me over the summer. So it was a means by which Columbia students could partake a little of the fruits of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.”

Frattaroli also found the experience enlightening, telling the Register:

“It was special for me, as someone who participated in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage this summer, to see the Eucharistic Revival blossom, to see it continue beyond the Congress in Indianapolis and flow into the lives, the spiritual lives of the community of which I am a part ”, he stated.

And it did not go unnoticed how impactful this event was, given the ongoing shutdown with threats of protests and violence still lingering on campus. “It was very moving and symbolic that the doors to the campus, the university walk, were open for the first time in who knows how many months, specifically for this procession and specifically so that Jesus could pass through,” Frattaroli shared. “For me, I see it as a foretaste of the eternal victory of Christ.”

Bringing Jesus to the streets is a very real way to evangelize the masses, Father Landry said, highlighting how it impacts those participating in the procession, as well as passersby.

“Eucharistic processions help all Catholics learn to share our faith, which is ultimately about bringing the Lord to others and them to Him. When we take Jesus out of our churches—into the world He redeems—and give testimony that we are with Him and we are trying to follow Him, so we are encouraged to be able to mention Him in conversations and share Him as the treasure that He is.”

He continued, “I am so moved to see how students are moved as they walk with Jesus on campus, asking Him to bless their studies, to bless their friends and teachers, to heal the campus of its various self-inflicted wounds. They return emboldened by the ambulatory adoration that is the Eucharistic processions.”

“The Eucharistic procession is a beautiful tradition in the Catholic faith,” Frattaroli said, adding, “I think it is important as a tool of evangelization because it does what the Church does best, which is point the world to Jesus.”

And as Father Landry embarks on a new journey serving with the Pontifical Mission Societies, the humble and inspiring priest has left an indelible mark on the recent law graduate.

“They say a single burning coal can light an entire stove, and I have seen firsthand how Father Landry has that effect on many of Columbia’s students. His beautiful daily Mass, inspiring preaching, and thorough RCIA program have inspired so many. enthusiastic young Catholics here and have created a true Eucharistic culture on the Columbia campus,” he said.

Frattaroli also noted that Father Roger Landry not only brought a love of the sacraments to the student body “and made adoration and confession available every day before daily Mass,” but he was also the Catholic chaplain who brought Christ to campus.

“When he arrived, he also began the practice of the Eucharistic procession and, as far as we know, brought Jesus through the gates of Columbia for the first time in history,” he noted.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in National Catholic Register.