Procession of the Blessed Sacrament – Year of the Eucharist

Where to meet
Please be ready to join in the Procession at Lang Park in Grosvenor Street (opposite St Patrick’s Church Hill), Wynyard, at 2:30pm.
We recommend public transport to Wynyard – by bus, train, or ferry.

What to bring
Make sure you bring banners to make the Procession colourful and festive.
Also, bring a radio to tune in to the broadcast of hymns and prayers.
And don’t forget to bring water, a hat and some sunscreen!!

Where the Procession will lead
Streets will be closed for the duration of the Procession, which will follow the route as shown in red on the map. Please click here to see the map.

Adoration & Benediction
The Procession will culminate in St Mary’s Cathedral with adoration and finish with Solemn Benediction. The ceremony is expected to conclude at 5:00pm.

What you can do before the Procession
Parishioners of the Archdiocese are asked to write their prayers and petitions inside their Parish’s “Book of Life”. You will find the “Book of Life” in your Parish Church from 25 September.

Each “Book of Life” will be carried by its Parish in the Procession, and placed in the sanctuary at St Marys Cathedral, before the Blessed Sacrament.

A special invitation for our First Holy Communicants
A special invitation has been extended to our children who have made their First Holy Communion this year to wear their First Communion attire in the Procession.

It will give them another wonderful opportunity to celebrate their growing love of the Blessed Sacrament.

Come and sing a song of joy
Music for the Procession will include hymns, chants and litanies including well known Gregorian chants, traditional hymns, Taize chants and some contemporary Catholic songs.

The music will be pre-recorded by the Choir of St Francis Church, Paddington, and broadcast on radio during the Procession, enabling all those participating to tune in and join in.

Relics of St Margaret Mary Alacoque
The relics of St Margaret Mary Alacoque will be carried in the Procession and placed in St Marys Cathedral.

The Lord appeared to St Margaret Mary in 1674 and asked her to promote a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion has always been closely associated with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Why the Procession starts at St Patricks Church Hill
In 1817 a rather zealous and determined Father Jeremiah O’Flynn arrived in Sydney with a mandate from Rome. He was our first Catholic priest, but despite having the Pope’s permission to perform his duties and celebrate Mass openly, the British Government forbad him.

He persisted, and in 1818 Governor Macquarie ordered his arrest and deported him. But Father O’Flynn was determined not to leave the faithful abandoned, and deliberately left the Blessed Sacrament in the care of a prominent Catholic, William Davis. Davis opened his house for those who wished to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, which was housed in a little tabernacle of cedar.

His house stood at the site of what later became St Patrick’s Church Hill.

Has Sydney ever seen a Procession like this before?
Back in 1928 over 20,000 walked in the procession from Circular Quay to St Mary’s Cathedral, with an estimated 500,000 lining the route. It was by far the grandest religious spectacle ever seen in Australia to date.

In 1953, Cardinal Gilroy began the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament at St Patrick’s Church Hill, and around 25,000 took part, with an estimated 750,000 onlookers.