{"id":232622,"date":"2026-07-01T09:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T09:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/232622\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T09:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T09:24:15","slug":"philadelphia-parish-highlights-legacy-of-eucharistic-devotion-ahead-of-pilgrimage-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/232622\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia parish highlights legacy of Eucharistic devotion ahead of pilgrimage finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Father Edward P. Kuczynski, pastor of St. Philip Neri Parish in Philadelphia, is seen June 26, 2026, where St. John Neumann held the first diocesan-wide Forty Hours devotion in the U.S., beginning on May 26, 1853, amid strong anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiment in the nation at the time. (OSV News photo\/Gina Christian)
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, and with the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage<\/a> set to conclude in Philadelphia, a priest in that city \u2014 whose parish was home to a major milestone in Eucharistic devotion in the U.S. \u2014 said that adoration offers a chance to \u201cslow down and listen\u201d to Jesus.<\/p>\n

Many times, \u201cprayer is a matter of \u2018I\u2019ve got to say my rosary\u2019 or \u2018I have to say my novena,’\u201d said Father Edward Kuczynski, pastor of St. Philip Neri Parish in Philadelphia, the first U.S parish to host a diocesan-wide Forty Hours devotion.<\/p>\n

But, said Father Kuczynski, \u201clistening is a part of prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

And, amid the city bustle, a sense of stillness paradoxically prevails on the quiet street that\u2019s home to St. Philip Neri Church, where St. John Neumann introduced the first diocesan observance of Forty Hours devotion on May 26, 1853 \u2014 the feast of Corpus Christi.<\/p>\n

As a Redemptorist, St. John Neumann, then the fourth bishop of Philadelphia (which became an archdiocese in 1875), was well familiar with the practice of sustained prayer before the monstrance.<\/p>\n

His order\u2019s founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, had described Eucharistic adoration \u2014 which emerged in 16th-century Italy, and which St. Philip Neri himself promoted \u2014 as \u201cthe greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

While individual churches in Philadelphia had held the devotion, a full diocesan observance of Forty Hours devotion was a daunting prospect, given the anti-Catholic sentiment in the U.S. at the time.<\/p>\n

In 1844, Nativist Riots erupted in Philadelphia, capping decades of growing suspicion and xenophobia against Irish-Catholic immigrants, whom the largely Protestant Nativists regarded as threats to the nation.<\/p>\n

That year, a controversy between Protestants and Catholics over the use of the Bible in Philadelphia schools flared into outright violence that lasted for months, fanned by Nativist newspapers and the movement\u2019s political arm, the American Party (also known as the American Republican Party and the Know-Nothing Party).<\/p>\n

St. Philip Neri Church \u2014 which had assembled a small volunteer defense force, and which also received protection from a Pennsylvania Militia guard detail \u2014 was ransacked by an angry mob in July 1844. The mob attempted to set fire to the church, but was successfully evicted by the militia under Major Gen. George B. Cadwalader.<\/p>\n

Those memories were still vivid when St. John Neumann proposed the diocesan Forty Hours devotion, with St. Philip Neri as the flagship parish. According to the parish history, many priests feared the Blessed Sacrament might be desecrated by opponents, but St. John Neumann saw divine confirmation of the effort in a narrow escape he experienced from a potential fire.<\/p>\n

Having fallen asleep at his desk while working late, the bishop awoke to see the candle had burned itself out on some papers, leaving them charred but still readable. As the St. Philip Neri Parish history details, the bishop \u2014 while thanking God for his preservation \u2014 reportedly heard the Lord say, \u201cAs the flames are burning here without consuming or injuring the writing, so shall I pour out my grace in the Blessed Sacrament without prejudice to My honor. Fear no profanation, therefore; hesitate no longer to carry out your design for My glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

The saint \u201cpreached the idea that Jesus is present on the altar, and we should be present\u201d for him,\u201d said Father Kuczynski, whose older parishioners in particular are \u201cvery aware\u201d of their church\u2019s historical legacy.<\/p>\n

The priest reflected that the need for Eucharistic devotion remains as strong as ever, particularly amid the noise of the digital age.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lord speaks to us, I believe, when we\u2019re not talking to him. He\u2019s not going to talk over us,\u201d explained Father Kuczynski. \u201cI think we have to find that quiet place and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young people are often \u201cbasically afraid of silence,\u201d he observed, pointing to cellphones as indicative of nonstop activity.<\/p>\n

Yet the issue of avoiding contemplation in favor of constant busyness isn\u2019t new, he admitted, recalling that he and his seminary cohort some five decades ago were horrified at the thought of a priest \u201ctaking a nap in the afternoon\u201d when \u201che should be out evangelizing people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that during that 1853 Forty Hours devotion, St. John Neumann \u201cstayed at the parish\u201d and \u201cscarcely left the church during the three days.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original altar, where the saint displayed the Blessed Sacrament in his own monstrance, was lost to an 1897 fire \u2014 sparked at the neighboring stable \u2014 that completely destroyed the church\u2019s interior and much of its exterior.<\/p>\n

But the spirit of St. John Neumann\u2019s love for the Eucharist lives on, said Father Kuczynski.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bread is truly the body of Christ, and the wine truly becomes the blood of Christ,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to reach out and make Jesus available to our people. \u2026 And we\u2019re only going to win people back one at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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