The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage ends in Philadelphia

 

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage ends, but ‘the journey continues’

written by Gina Christian 

Faithful sing hymns as they participate in a July 5, 2026, Eucharistic procession through the streets of Philadelphia that marked the conclusion of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in that city amid the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. (OSV News photo/Gina Christian)

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — As the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage concluded amid the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, “the journey continues,” said Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia.

And, he added, “we’re all walking to one place,” with the path leading to the “powerful, transformative and lifegiving” love of God.

The archbishop was the principal celebrant and homilist at the final liturgy for the pilgrimage, which took place July 5 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, the second to last stop on the pilgrimage route. 

At the start of the Mass, Pope Leo XIV — the first U.S.-born pope — addressed the faithful in a pre-recorded video message, saying that the “strong, though largely unknown, Eucharistic heritage” of the nation “must continue to serve as source of both renewal and unity.”

Pilgrims wrap up six-week tour

The pilgrimage arrived in Philadelphia July 2, having traveled through most of the nation’s original 13 colonies — spanning 18 dioceses and archdioceses, as well as two Eastern Catholic eparchies — since its May 24 launch.

With a theme of “One Nation Under God,” the pilgrimage had been placed under the patronage of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the woman religious and Italian immigrant who became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized after a lifetime of work ministering to immigrants. Stops along the Cabrini Route highlighted sites significant to Catholicism’s contributions to U.S. history.

 

Seminarians from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, along with several Knights of Columbus led a July 5, 2026, Eucharistic procession through the streets of Philadelphia, marking the close of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. (OSV News photo/Gina Christian)

Despite an ongoing heatwave, hundreds filled the cathedral’s pews for the July 5 liturgy, overflowing into aisles and side chapels and joining in the hymns led by multiple multicultural choirs. 

Following the Mass, attendees braved temperatures above 90 degrees and high levels of humidity for a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Philadelphia to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, located at St. Peter the Apostle Church some two miles away.

Archbishop Pérez held the monstrance as he processed under a canopy held aloft by attendants, with the Knights of Columbus forming an honor guard and choir members, in full choral robes, leading pilgrims in multiple hymns.

Pilgrim voices

Walking along the route, Kevin DePaulo and Helen Chalhoub — young adult Catholics from the Philadelphia suburbs — told OSV News that participating in the Philadelphia stop of the pilgrimage was a source of joy.

DePaulo described the Eucharistic procession as “a meaningful opportunity to really do something that shows our faith outside of just going to church on Sunday. It’s a public witness.”

Chalhoub, who carried a banner with the image of the Divine Mercy and the text of the Hail Mary, said that she looked forward to continuing “to lean on the Lord through everyday life, through challenges, and even when things are going well. Just to always lean on the Lord and be with him.”

Patrick McNabb, a Philadelphia-area native now living in Rhode Island, brought his young children Grace and Brendan to the Mass and procession, having already attended earlier pilgrimage events in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

As a father, said McNabb, he hoped his kids would “grow closer to God” as a result of their participation.

Joshua Brooks, currently in his fourth college year at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, said the day’s Mass and procession “really shows how the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith.”

As he prepared to help carry the main banner at the front of the procession, Brooks said, “We’re going to bring Christ into the streets of Philadelphia, to give witness to people that Jesus is here with us on earth in the Blessed Sacrament.”

Brooks, who converted to Catholicism in high school after being raised Baptist, added, “The Eucharist really means everything. And when we go out together as a Catholic family, we show that the Eucharist is for all of us.”

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia processes with the Blessed Sacrament July 5, 2026, during the final Eucharistic procession of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which concluded in that city amid the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. (OSV News photo/Gina Christian)

Several members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters of Wichita, Kansas, told OSV News after the procession that the liturgy and the journey to the St. John Neumann Shrine — at which Benediction took place — were an experience of oneness among Catholics.

“We certainly saw the universal Church in our procession today,” said Sister Mary Monica. “It was beautiful coming together, because Christ is unity, and so our nation needs to come together. And it’s only through Christ that will happen.”

From start to finish

Bishop Erik T. Pohlmeier of St. Augustine, Florida — whose diocese hosted the start of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage — said that “what binds us all together is the Eucharist.

“Our greater identity is unity with each other, (more) than anything else,” he told OSV News.

Bishop Pohlmeier said the nine young adults who accompanied the Blessed Sacrament throughout the 2026 pilgrimage — known as “perpetual pilgrims” — had gotten “a glimpse into the bigger reality of the Church” as a result of their journey.

Several pilgrims affirmed the bishop’s insight during a post-procession press conference.

“I think it’s so beautiful going through so many different parts of the country, so many different dioceses,” said Cheyenne Johnson, who had also been a 2025 perpetual pilgrim.

Johnson said she and her fellow pilgrims had experienced “so many different cultures in different places,” adding, “And I think that’s a beautiful thing.”

Yet at the heart of such diversity remains a divine unity, said Archbishop Pérez.

The “enduring presence” of Christ’s “body, blood, soul and divinity” in the sacrament of the altar was given as a “gift” that gathers the faithful, he said during his homily at the cathedral.

“It transforms us,” said Archbishop Pérez. “It conquers us.”

Pope Leo XIV accepts the Liberty Medal from the U.S. National Constitution Center; asks God to bless America!

 

Pope Leo XIV received the 2026 Liberty Medal  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope Leo XIV awarded Liberty Medal: 'God bless America'

Accepting the prestigious Liberty Medal from the U.S. National Constitution Center for his lifelong commitment to promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world, Pope Leo XIV addressed those gathered in Philadelphia from Rome, praying that the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States would be an occasion for a solemn recommitment to the fundamental ideals on which the country was founded, especially life and freedom.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future, that the lofty ideals enshrined at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence may continue to guide the flourishing of the nation in unity, justice and peace."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this sentiment as he received the 38th Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center on Friday for "his lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world," ideals enshrined by America's founders in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Center’s annual Liberty Medal honors men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty for people around the globe.

Pope Leo greeted those gathered in Philadelphia for the Liberty Medal (@Vatican Media)

From Rome, Pope Leo addressed those gathered in Philadelphia, saying he was honored to accept the medal, especially in this historic year marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Inalienable rights

Offering a warm greeting, the Holy Father said that "from our youth, most of us have admired the eloquence of those words, with their resounding appeal to the law of nature and to nature’s God as the basis of their assertion that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." 

"While couched in the language of the Enlightenment," he explained, "that claim is ultimately grounded in an understanding of the human person inspired by the great biblical vision of man and woman being created in the divine image."

"It is indeed here," he said, "that we discover the basis of human dignity; dignity which precedes the establishment of any State, and whose custody constitutes its very purpose."

Nation's founders insisted on a land of freedom

Over the past 250 years, Pope Leo said, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation’s founders that made America "a byword for freedom," as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to help shape the nation's future.

He observed that this same love of freedom inspired the United States, in the darkest hours of the last century, during the two world wars, "to look beyond itself and, at great sacrifice, champion the cause of freedom beyond its own borders."

As every American knows, however, Pope Leo continued, the path to building a society embodying those high ideals of liberty and justice for all was not always easy and, in many respects, remains a work in progress that "must be taken up anew in each generation and in the face of ever new challenges."

An opportunity to reflect again on the nation's founding principles

Looking to the future, the Holy Father said this historic anniversary presents an opportunity to reflect once again on the nation’s founding principles, expressing hope that America will remain true to the dream that has earned it the title of the "land of the free and home of the brave."

In his address, the Pope emphasized that the first right enshrined by the nation’s founders was the right to life, noting that no one deprived of life can enjoy liberty or pursue happiness.

In this regard, he underscored, "a country’s vitality is deeply tied to the value it affords to human life in every form and condition, acknowledging the dignity endowed upon every human person by virtue of their very existence."

Safeguarding the gift of life from conception to natural death

The inherent worth of every human life, he continued, has led generations to praise the marvelous works of the Creator (cf. Ps 139:14) and stand in reverence before so precious a gift.

"It is precisely this reverence," he said, "that we must continue to cultivate—one that sways the hearts of individuals and inspires laws that recognize and safeguard the gift from the moment of conception to natural death."

The Pope reminded those gathered of their responsibility as guardians and stewards of those entrusted to their care.

Measuring the moral greatness of a nation

"In this regard, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to support, protect and cherish the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and those whose worth is questioned."

Turning to liberty, the Pope reflected that it has always been among the principles most cherished by those seeking a new beginning within America's borders, often representing previously undreamed-of hope.

"The desire for truth and freedom, as well as the very pursuit of happiness," he said, "continues to inspire people of all generations to ask fundamental questions regarding the meaning of life, our ultimate purpose, and indeed about God, and it is proper for magnanimous hearts to endeavor to answer these questions with sincerity."

He noted that these answers inevitably shape the direction of our lives.

Championing religious freedom

America has long championed the religious freedom necessary for people to follow the dictates of conscience without fear or coercion, the Pope said, pointing to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

This freedom, he continued, safeguards the inner sphere where convictions are formed and conscience guides the decisions of the human heart. It also protects the right of every person to worship according to his or her beliefs and of individuals, communities and associations to express their faith publicly.

The Pope added that this tradition of religious freedom fostered interfaith dialogue and interreligious cooperation in promoting the common good and enriching debate on the great moral and ethical issues that have shaped the nation's history.

Commitment to peace

He expressed hope that this tradition would continue to bear fruit in public discourse marked by moderation, respect for differing views and an ongoing effort to find common ground in promoting peace and reconciliation at home and abroad.

Recalling that America's forebears came from diverse backgrounds, religions and languages, he noted that they nevertheless found common ground and the strength to pursue a better future.

"The principles that inspired America’s founders, rooted as they are in the truth of the human person," the Pope said, "brought them together in a single cause, a common dream. Unity lent strength to that dream, giving rise, under God, to the United States of America. E pluribus unum — out of many, one."

For a nation to flourish, he added, it must be united not merely by temporary goals but by enduring ideals.

Human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence

"May the principles we have reflected upon today—a shared human dignity, equality and the rights laid out in the Declaration of Independence—ever be a source of such unity and a guiding light for the present moment and for the years to come."

"In accepting this award," he said, "I therefore pray that this, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, may be the occasion of a solemn recommitment to these ideals that have made America a country that values peace and prosperity, a country characterized by generosity and nobility of heart."

Commending those gathered, and the future of the United States, to "to the One who is himself the source of true freedom and lasting peace, the One whose very name is Peace," Pope Leo concluded, "May God bless America!

From St. Augustine Florida to Philadelphia PA.; Jesus in the Eucharist is on the move; National Eucharistic Pilgrimage as we prepare for the 250th birthday of the USA

 

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicks off in St. Augustine, Florida, on Pentecost

The pilgrimage, whose 2026 theme is “One Nation Under God,” will travel the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route from Florida up the eastern seaboard before concluding July 5 in Philadelphia.

Jesus in the Eucharist is carried in procession on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche to the historic chapel for exposition and adoration during opening day events for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida — The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicked off on Sunday in St. Augustine, Florida, as Catholics gathered for Pentecost Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios, launching a six-week East Coast journey that will carry the Blessed Sacrament to Philadelphia during the United States’ 250th anniversary year.

The pilgrimage, whose 2026 theme is “One Nation Under God,” will travel the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route from Florida up the Eastern Seaboard before concluding July 5 in Philadelphia.

Organizers have described the route as a way to connect Eucharistic faith with the country’s history, including stops through many of the original 13 colonies and several historic Catholic landmarks.

Religious sisters pray during Mass at the opening day of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of the Diocese of St. Augustine welcomed pilgrims at the opening event, joined by National Eucharistic Pilgrimage staff, clergy, religious, lay faithful, families, and the perpetual pilgrims who will accompany the Eucharist along the route.

“We should be compelled to speak the message of the Gospel… to take up our part in the grand work of the Church,” Pohlmeier said during his Pentecost homily.

The day began with arrival and welcome at the shrine, followed by opening remarks, the Family Rosary Across America with Relevant Radio, and the Opening Pentecost Mass at the Field Altar. After Mass, the Eucharist was carried in procession on the shrine grounds to the historic chapel for exposition and adoration.

Bishop Erik Pohlmeier kneels before the monstrance during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the opening day of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

More than 1,000 pilgrims attended the opening events, gathering under the intense Florida sun as umbrellas stretched across the crowd throughout the outdoor Mass and procession. Families, clergy, religious sisters, and pilgrims of all ages filled the shrine grounds before following the Eucharist in procession to the historic chapel for adoration.

The launch site carries historical significance. The Diocese of St. Augustine said the pilgrimage begins in “the nation’s oldest Catholic city,” linking the earliest chapter of Catholic life in what is now the United States with a new generation of pilgrims carrying the Eucharist across the country. The shrine grounds are associated with the Mass of thanksgiving celebrated in 1565 at the founding of St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.

In his homily, Pohlmeier connected the feast of Pentecost to both the history of Catholicism in St. Augustine and the Church’s missionary calling today. Reflecting on the arrival of Catholic missionaries to Florida’s shores in the 16th century, he said that “from that beginning, they centered their life around the Eucharist.”

He described Pentecost as producing both “the missionary impulse” and “the divine power of the Church’s work,” saying those same gifts remain essential for the Church today.

The 2026 pilgrimage is named for Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. Known for her missionary work among immigrants, orphans, the poor, and the sick, Mother Cabrini is also the patron saint of immigrants.

Nine young adults were named perpetual pilgrims for the 2026 journey: Zachary Dotson, Marcel Ferrer, John Paul Flynn, Eduardo Gutierrez, Cheyenne Johnson, Angelina Marconi, Raymond Martinez II, Sharon Phillips, and Mary Carmen Zakrajsek. The pilgrims will travel full time with the Blessed Sacrament from St. Augustine to Philadelphia.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession from the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche to the historic chapel for adoration during the opening day of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

John Paul Flynn, a Catholic University of America student from Maryland serving as a media missionary for portions of the pilgrimage, said he first learned about the opportunity through an Instagram post his girlfriend sent him. Already involved in Catholic media work, Flynn said the opportunity gradually became something he felt called to pursue.

Describing the pilgrimage as “too good … to pass up,” Flynn said he realized his current stage of life as a student gave him a rare opportunity to spend weeks accompanying the Eucharist across the country. He said he hopes the experience will deepen his faith and make Christ’s presence more tangible through the journey

Pilgrims process to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine during opening day events for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, in St. Augustine, Florida. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

The pilgrimage is scheduled to pass through 18 dioceses and two Eastern-rite eparchies, with public events including Mass, Eucharistic adoration, processions, service projects, and opportunities for prayer.

Later Sunday, pilgrims processed approximately 1.2 miles from the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, where reflections, speakers, sacred music, and overnight adoration were planned.

The launch comes two years after the first National Eucharistic Pilgrimage crossed the country in 2024 and one year after the 2025 pilgrimage continued the movement. Organizers have said the 2026 route is intended to invite prayer for unity, healing, and renewal as the country approaches its semiquincentennial.

The pilgrimage will continue Monday through the Diocese of St. Augustine before moving north. Its final events are scheduled for Independence Day weekend in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Archbishop to head up CRS for the USCCB

 

Philly archbishop to head Catholic Relief Services board of directors

By Kevin J. Jones

Denver, Colo., Nov 22, 2022 / 16:30 pm

Philadelphia’s Archbishop Nelson Pérez will serve as the next chairman of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) board of directors, heading up the U.S. bishops’ international relief agency that serves 193 million people in 116 countries.

“For more than 75 years, CRS has been a beacon of hope for poor and vulnerable families around the world,” Pérez said in a statement Tuesday. “Its humanitarian aid initiatives are often the difference between life and death for those facing poverty, famine, war, and epidemics.”

The three-year appointment is one of the first official acts of Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA, who was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at its fall assembly last week.

Broglio chose the Philadelphia archbishop for this role “because of his commitment to the agency’s mission,” Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the USCCB, told CNA Nov. 22.

CRS was founded in 1943 and will mark its 80th anniversary next year. Together with more than 1,700 partners, it works in emergency response, agriculture, capacity-building, education, health care, justice and peacebuilding, microfinance, and water and sanitation. According to the agency’s fact sheet for fiscal year 2021, the agency had about $1 billion in annual revenue, 93% of which it dedicated to programs.

Pérez, 61, has served as archbishop of Philadelphia since February 2020. Born in Miami to Cuban exiles, he was ordained a priest for the archdiocese in 1989 and spent his time as a priest with a particular focus on Hispanic ministry. In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI named him an auxiliary bishop for New York’s Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Pope Francis named him bishop of Cleveland in 2017.

“We are thrilled to welcome Archbishop Pérez as the chairman of our board of directors,” Sean Callahan, president and CEO of CRS, said in a statement. “I look forward to working with him as we address some of the most pressing issues CRS has faced, including the global food crisis and the impact of climate change on people living in poverty.”

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, the outgoing CRS board of directors chairman, praised Pérez as “a man of deep conviction about the need to protect the dignity of all of our brothers and sisters, particularly the most vulnerable among us.”

Pérez said he was “deeply grateful” to Caggiano.

“His work to promote and defend human life while fostering a more just and peaceful world is truly commendable/ I look forward to building on his efforts,” the archbishop said.

“In addition, I thank Archbishop Broglio for his confidence in my ability to provide counsel and serve the best interests of the poor and vulnerable,” he continued. “I am excited to collaborate with the other members of the CRS board whose hearts are on fire for Jesus and serve as his missionary disciples.”

“I ask for your prayers as I embrace this new role in service to the broader Church,” he said.

The U.S. bishops at their annual meeting elected three episcopal board members. Atlanta’s Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., will serve his first term, while Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso and Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock will both return to serve a second term.

On Jan. 1, Matthew M. McKenna of Bronxville, New York, will join the CRS board. McKenna is a resident executive at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. In that role, he launched an initiative to study the role of private-sector investment in rural economic development.

Archbishop Broglio will be leaving his role as chairman of CRS’ Overseas Operation Committee. Board member Stephen Walsh will also leave after six years on the CRS board.

While CRS is overseen by the USCCB, it is part of the Caritas Internationalis confederation of 162 Catholic relief agencies based around the world. The confederation is overseen by the Vatican and headquartered on Vatican territory in Rome.

On Tuesday Pope Francis removed the entire leadership of Caritas Internationalis, including its president, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. The pope appointed an administrator to improve the organization’s management. An independent review reportedly found deficiencies in Caritas Internationalis’ “management and procedures” and these were “seriously prejudicing team spirit and staff morale.”

The new Archbishop of Philadelphia and a farewell to the awesome Archbishop Charles Chaput

Nelson Perez installed as Philadelphia’s archbishop

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PHILADELPHIA — As Nelson J. Perez ascended to the archbishop’s throne-like ceremonial chair Tuesday, the thousands gathered in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul erupted in cheers, whoops and uproarious applause for the new head of the Philadelphia archdiocese.

“The church of Philadelphia receives a new shepherd, Nelson Perez,” retiring Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said as he opened the Mass for Perez’s installation as the 14th Roman Catholic bishop and 10th archbishop of Philadelphia.

“How ’bout that?” Perez said as he began speaking after more than an hour of procession and pageantry. “How ’bout that?”

He preached not from the pulpit but on a step right in front of the pews, opening his arms to the crowd. “I love you. I need you. I can’t do this alone,” he said, addressing Philadelphia Catholics. “This is not about me. This is about us.”

The Mass of Installation, a ceremony rich in pageantry and symbolism, came after the procession of more than 500 cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons and seminarians down 17th Street near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the city’s cathedral.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Perez is the first Latino to lead the five-county archdiocese and, at 58, is now the youngest serving archbishop in the United States. His appointment as head of the Philadelphia church represents a homecoming: He was ordained here in the 1980s and served nearly three decades leading local parishes in West Chester and the Olney and Lawncrest sections of the city.

“Bishop Perez, you don’t get to rest. The archdiocese needs you to be a shepherd that goes out to meet the flock with energy, zeal and warmth,” said Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s top ambassador to the United States, who started off the Mass by thanking Chaput for his service in Philadelphia over the last eight years. “This archdiocese is not the same as when you left it. The growing Latino population will look to you for leadership.”

Perez had earlier walked through the basilica doors with a huge smile, waving as attendees peeked over each other, eager to get a glimpse or a wave. He waved and sprinkled holy water on people as he passed. Many held up their phones to capture photos and videos; some even pumped their fists in the air as he entered.

Relaxed and familiar, Perez drew laughter as he greeted his new archdiocese, thanking other church leaders, his family and his former diocese of Cleveland for “two years and a half of just utter joy.”

His family stood as he pointed them out, saying his mother in Miami had just gotten out of the hospital and could not attend. “I’d like you to say, ‘Hi, Mom!’ and she’s watching on television — say hello to my mom,” Perez said.

And he spoke for a few moments in Spanish: “No puedo creer que he regresado, pero regrese,” he said to applause, saying he could not believe he was back in Philadelphia.

Delivering his first homily in his new role, Perez spoke about hope, addressing an archdiocese that has gone through a difficult period of parish mergers, financial difficulties and sex abuse investigations:

“I gave my life to a faith that believes that a dead man rose from the dead. Yes, I have hope. This is the foundation of our Christian faith,” he said. “This hope that no matter how dark it gets, no matter how much it appears that this is the end, it is not.”

He briefly addressed clergy sex abuse victims, said he was “so deeply sorry to these victims, and we continue to work with hope that we will make it right and be a source for them of healing.”

Perez said he embraces Pope Francis’ vision for the church as “a community of visionary disciples,” but that his plan “is that I have no plan. I hope to listen and visit over time, learn what the church in Philadelphia looks like today.”

He ended with a line he delivers at catechisms, and which he asked everyone to repeat with him: “Never, never, never underestimate the power of the spirit of God working through you, in you, and despite you.”

The event was being livestreamed on the archdiocesan website.

“It’s amazing how he has brought people together already,” said Abel Perez, 19, who was a part of a group gathered to welcome the archbishop, one of hundreds of clergy, parishioners and Catholic school groups in the cathedral and celebrating outside.

Chaput, stepping down after just over eight years at the helm of the 1.3-million-member archdiocese, received a standing ovation. “He was steadfast, and he made decisions that sometimes a father has to make. Decisions that sometimes drew him great suffering and criticism,” Perez said of Chaput in his sermon. “The archdiocese of Philadelphia owes this man an incredible debt of gratitude for who he was, is, and continues to be.”

Chaput’s predecessor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, Bishop Joseph Bambera of the Scranton diocese, Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Greensburg diocese and Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico, were among the many dignitaries in attendance.

One protester outside the church held a sign imploring Perez to investigate clergy sex abuse. Less than half an hour into the Mass, a group of Philadelphia police surrounded the man known as Philly Jesus as he stood off to the side in a white robe. After repeatedly asking him to leave, they took him by the arms and escorted him from the building. He was handcuffed outside the cathedral and given a ticket for trespassing.

Inside, Rosario Lopez, 28, sat in the back of the basilica with her mother and uncle, excited to see their former pastor assume such a prominent role in the church. After the family came to Philadelphia from El Salvador 18 years ago, they said Perez, then a priest at Lawncrest’s Church of St. William, made them feel more welcome.

“We are really happy,” said Lopez, who helped translate for her mother, Maria Inez, and uncle Gerardo Ramirez. “He understands what it is like to be an immigrant. He represents all of our countries.”

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI tapped Perez to become an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Long Island, N.Y. Pope Francis named him bishop of Cleveland in 2017.

Fellow priests and former parishioners have described Pérez as a garrulous pastor who forges lasting personal connections with his colleagues and members of his flock. But despite his relatively unassuming demeanor, his appointment as the region’s first Latino archbishop is historic — and his age gives him a potential two-decade runway to leave his mark on the region’s Catholics.

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Tuesday’s ceremony will be the third time in eight years that Perez has celebrated an installation Mass for a new assignment. Organizers in Philadelphia have been preparing for the event since his appointment was announced last month.

Perez family and friends welcomed each other warmly with hugs and greetings, some in Spanish, in about 10 rows reserved for them near the front of the Cathedral.

Perez’s cousin, Christine Sesin-Florentino, 39, of Clifton, N.J., and her husband, Robert Florentino, have attended both of Perez previous installations in Rockville Centre and Cleveland. Asked how they compared to the one playing out Tuesday, she responded: “Bigger … There are a whole lot more people here.”

“This is a huge source of gratitude and religious pride for our family,” Sesin-Florentino said. “But on a family level, he’s just the same old funny Nelson. He’s one of our favorite cousins.”

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With his installation complete, Perez will inherit day-to-day management of one of the largest Catholic infrastructures in the United States, comprising more than 215 parishes, 460 diocesan priests and a network of universities and schools serving more than 141,000 students.

But his appointment comes at a time of transition for the church. In recent years Roman Catholics in the Philadelphia region have been hit hard by many of the same issues that have plagued the global church: struggling finances, persistent declines in Mass attendance and legal battles over issues such as clergy sex-abuse.

Chaput has said that the archdiocese probably needs only half the number of parishes it currently has but vowed to leave those decisions to his successor. Perez has said he will need time to assess how the archdiocese has changed since he last worked here before making any definitive plans.