POCATELLO — Hundreds sang and prayed along the half-mile walk from St. John’s Catholic Student Center to Caldwell Park on Thursday. Residents stopped what they were doing — walking dogs, mowing grass, watering lawns — to look on as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed through Pocatello en route to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
The Pilgrimage’s stop in Pocatello began with a visit to the St. John’s Catholic Student Center on the Idaho State University campus. More than 100 worshippers representing parishes from eastern Idaho and beyond filled the church and an overflow room.
But, as Bishop Peter Christensen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise said, Idaho was not on the original pilgrimage path. And, despite its late addition, the Gem State has seen the greatest number of people register to be involved of any state along the four routes, he said.
According to the pilgrimage’s website, four groups of pilgrims took to four separate preplanned routes, working their way through much of the Continental United States toward Indiana.
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Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com
Christensen said the St. Junipero Serra Route, which began in San Francisco, was altered to add several stops in Idaho, including Fruitland, Emmett, Glenns Ferry and Pocatello, before continuing on to Salt Lake City.
Nancy Bevins, a resident of Hamilton, Montana, drove into town to be part of the pilgrimage.
“This is the closest it’s going to be to Hamilton,” she said. “I mean, I’m getting goosebumps just being here. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Following a brief stop inside St. John’s, the pilgrims, members of the St. John’s clergy and some 200 participants walked behind a cross-bearer and Christensen, who carried the Monstrance, a vessel used to carry the sacramental body of Christ during devotional ceremonies. They went about half a mile to Caldwell Park, where even more participants waited.
Lydia Noble, a Pocatello resident and former City Council candidate, was present at Caldwell Park. A member of the Catholic faith, Noble told EastIdahoNews.com how rare it is to see the Monstrance.
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Noble also spoke about how important it is for people of the Catholic faith to take part in things like the Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
“It’s very important, that’s why I’m here,” she said. “It is a symbol of our faith, it is a special event, and the Monstrance is not usually displayed except for these events — that’s a big part of our faith.”
The Eucharistic Pilgrimage, according to its website, is “a beautiful fusion of the journey TO Jesus and the journey WITH Jesus.” Pilgrims began their separate journeys from California, Texas, Massachusetts and Minnesota and, as Bevins said, created a symbolic cross over the center of the nation with their routes.
Screenshot of the Pilgrimage route map on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website
Noble said she was momentarily surprised by the turnout, as she waited with what was around 50 people for the arrival of the procession.
“I’m very pleased (with the turnout),” she said. “When I first came — I was in Idaho Falls, so I didn’t make it at 4:30 — I cam straight here (to Caldwell Park), and there was hardly anybody here. But when the procession came around the corner there, it was a big relief.”
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Bevins said she was not surprised by the turnout either, though she was surprised by how many people fit inside the St. John’s church.
“I didn’t know there were this many people inside,” she said. “I got here, and I was outside, I thought, ‘Oh, this isn’t many people.’”
Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com
The pilgrims prayed at Caldwell Park for blessings of love, grace and mercy, and both mental and spiritual direction on their journey.
Then, accompanied by their hosts from the Diocese of Boise and local churches, they continued to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church for a Holy Adoration, then to St. Joseph’s Chapel, where they worshipped until mass at 7 a.m. Friday.
Following Friday mass, the pilgrims were escorted to Preston, where they were joined by their hosts from the Salt Lake City Diocese.
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According to the website, the Eucharistic Pilgrims will travel more than 6,500 miles — between the four routes — and be joined by more than 1,000 hosts and over 100,000 participants.
A woman falls to her knees as the Monstrance is displayed at Caldwell Park. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com
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GENESSE – The Avista planned power outage for Friday, April 24 in Genesee has been cancelled and rescheduled due to weather. Approximately 337 Avista electric customers in Genesee will experience a planned power outage on Tuesday, April 28. The planned outage will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.
All affected customers will be notified in advance. Traffic control will be in place from Laurel Street north of Chestnut Street.
During this time, Avista crews will be replacing aging infrastructure, including power poles and equipment, in the area. These updates are part of Avista’s ongoing efforts to enhance the safety and reliability of its infrastructure.
GARDEN CITY – A Boise-area girl is competing in the 2026 Junior Ranger Competition, and she needs your vote to advance.
Eleven-year-old Cali Lindsay of Garden City is currently in the top 10 in her age group. The first place contestant in each group will advance to the semi-finals, which will wrap on July 17.
The final round concludes on July 24. The winner will be awarded $20,000 and be featured on the cover of Ranger Rick Magazine. They’ll also win a trip with Jeff Corwin.
Cali’s mom, Emily Edginton, tells EastIdahoNews.com how the competition works.
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“You’re allowed one free vote every 24 hours. People can also pay (to vote),” Edginton says. “The contestants have challenges every week to learn about animals and share what they’ve learned. People vote for the answer they like best. If you have enough votes, you move to the next round.”
Cali needs to secure enough votes by Thursday in order to advance to the next round.
The competition is a fundraiser for the National Wildlife Federation, the largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization in the United States.
Edginton says they recently moved to Idaho from San Bernardino, California. Her daughter acquired a love of wildlife living in Lytle Creek, a community near the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino National Forest.
“She’s already like a junior ranger. We picked up trash (in the forest) for fun,” Edginton says. “We try to keep it clean because we get a lot of visitors up there in the summertime and they trash the place. It affects the animals.”
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Edginton says they moved to Idaho in February to be closer to family.
She’s grateful her daughter can be part of what she feels is a great cause, and hopes to see her advance, and even win the tournament.
“It’s a good cause, plus it’s a learning experience,” says Edginton.
To vote for Cali or learn more, click here.
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