Pilgrimage:  The Feast of The Precious Blood

  July 1, 2025

We began the Feast Day in our chapel in the woods, Grace Church, Nazareth House Apostolate, by celebrating the Holy Mass.

     

After the Mass, we began the Feast of the Precious Blood Pilgrimage... driving out of our home city, Taylorsville, 

we headed for the town of Ekron.

In Ekron, we began the NHA Chaplet of the 5 Wounds, praying over the city

and on each house, business, farm - whatever was in our path 

as we journeyed on.  

                                                          

We chose Ekron because Biblically, the Ark of the Covenant, captured by the Philistines, was eventually returned to the Israelites from out of Ekron. As we journeyed in prayer from out of Ekron, our next stop on pilgrimage was in Flaherty.

St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Flaherty is one of our favorites,

as the church embodies many visual symbols of the Holy Wounds.

The Cross bearing the wounded Jesus,

the bleeding wounds...

The Sacred Heart of Jesus...  in the Altar and in the statue of the Child Jesus with his holy Mother.

The Lamb of God ...

The Statue of Jesus showing us his wounds as in the legend of St Martin:

At one point the devil appeared to St Martin, dressed in magnificent robes, encrusted with gold and gems, and announced he was Jesus and that Martin was to adore him.

Martin immediately saw the mistake the devil had made (and had to make) and asked, “Where are the marks of the nails?  Where the piercing of the spear? Where the crown of thorns? When I see the marks of the Passion I shall adore my Lord.”

satan could not show the wounds and immediately vanished. 

If you are ever in Flaherty, stop in and say a prayer at St Martin of Tours Church...

Leaving Flaherty, we continued praying the Chaplet of the 5 Wounds from village to village, town to town.

Next we stopped at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Leitchfield. 

Again, as we traveled to the next stop, we prayed the Chaplet of the 5 Wounds through the towns and cities until we reached St Paul's Catholic Church.  

At St Paul's Church, The Blessed Sacrament was adorned on the Altar and people were taking turns adoring and watching in prayer...

O Priest and Victim, Lord of life, throw wide the gates of paradise!

We face our foes in mortal strife; You are our strength: O heed our cries.

To Father, Son and Spirit blest, one only God, be ceaseless praise! 

May He in goodness grant us rest in heaven, our home for endless days! Amen.

O sacred Banquet! * where Christ becomes our food!

The memorial of his Passion is renewed; 

our soul is filled with grace; and we receive a pledge of the glory

to come, Alleluia.

From St Paul's, we drove along praying the Chaplet of the 5 Wounds for the 5th time.  We returned to Nazareth to complete the day with Compline. 

Make the night bright with your presence, Lord; 

and grant us, your servants, 

so to slumber in your peace,

 that, in your Name, 

we may rise from sleep 

to greet the coming day with joy. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.