NORCROSS, Ga. — Traffic came to a standstill along Beaver Ruin Road in the northeast metro area of Atlanta Oct. 25 as Catholics, representing several parishes and speaking multiple languages, followed on foot the Blessed Sacrament as a sign of devotion. The “Pilgrims of Hope” procession linked St. Patrick Church and Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Norcross and Our Lady of Americas Mission, Lilburn, in a prayerful march defending an attack on the participants’ most sacred beliefs. Drivers took photos of the passing event, as organizers handed out rosaries to people stopped in their cars. Thousands of people took part in the walk, prompted by a so-called “black mass” planned by the Satanic Temple of Atlanta for the same day. Concerned about the event and its possible sacrilege of a consecrated host, the Archdiocese of Atlanta called for a special day of prayer, reparation and public support for belief in the Eucharist. On Oct. 25, Atlanta Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer said lawyers working for the archdiocese were told by the Satanic Temple that organizers of the “black mass” intended it as entertainment and possessed no consecrated host. (OSV News)
