The Eucharist: God’s Greatest Gift
‘An amazing opportunity’:
High school’s eucharistic procession touches hearts
Father Stephen Giannini, pastor of SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi Parish in Greenwood and St. Martin of Tours Parish in Martinsville, carries a monstrance on Nov. 3, 2023, during a eucharistic procession at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo)
(Editor’s note: This story is a revised version of the one that first appeared in The Criterion on January 26, 2024.)
By John Shaughnessy
Katie Hibner is often moved by the way high school students live their faith, but there are still times when they exceed even her hopes.
One of those moments occurred when Roncalli High School in Indianapolis held its first eucharistic procession on Nov. 3, 2023.
“Honestly, I was amazed that we pulled it off with so many people,” said Hibner, the director of campus ministry at Roncalli where about 1,100 students attended during the 2023-24 school year. “We had never done it before. The students were prepped really well, but really what was so amazing—and I got teary-eyed quite often during it—was just the extreme reverence that our students and our staff showed. It was unbelievable.”
Hibner was also thrilled by the impact it had on the students.
“A lot of students said they’d never done it before, and they enjoyed it. In fact, it was a half day of school when we did it. Students told me, ‘Man, I really thought about not coming to school because it was a half day, but I really wanted to see what this is all about.’ So, they came, and they were pleasantly surprised. It was a really cool experience.”
Being part of the procession also was powerful for Hibner, who watched it unfold from a defining perspective.
“I was very fortunate enough to stand in the back of the line,” she said. “As the students were weaving into the procession, I followed the back of the line. As I looked in front of me, I thought, ‘O my gosh, I am so lucky to be part of it!’ It was such a humbling, very cool feeling for me that I got to be involved in the planning of it.
“It’s just a reminder that the Church is so big, and our faith is so much bigger than us.”
Roncalli strived to keep the momentum of the eucharistic procession continuing forward during the school year.
“We have adoration twice a week before school,” Hibner said. “On Wednesday mornings, we have students who lead music during it. On Fridays, it’s a silent adoration. Both are really well-attended. Once they go the first few times, it’s like, ‘O my gosh, I really do need this!’
Ava Maled is a Roncalli student who has embraced every part of the school’s efforts to celebrate the importance of the Eucharist in a person’s life. She said she loves eucharistic adoration because she’s able “to look at God and have God look back at me because he’s truly present in the Eucharist.”
She also views the school’s eucharistic procession as a taste of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that is headed to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21.
“People are processing to it from all four corners of the country,” Ava said. “I thought it was cool to have a mini-experience of what will be happening in our country. It was an amazing opportunity to worship and see all of your classmates gathering to worship the same God as you.” †
