The University of Notre Dame will serve as a host site for Catholic pilgrims on Friday (July 5) as they journey to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21. Inspired by their visit, several public events are planned for July 5-6, including the world premiere of a musical.

Pilgrims on the Marian route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, some of whom departed from the headwaters of the Mississippi on May 19, have descended through the midwestern United States and will arrive in South Bend on Friday.

Following a procession from St.Thérèse Little Flower Catholic Church in South Bend to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus, the pilgrims will be welcomed at a Mass at the Basilica at 5:15 p.m.

Katherine Angulo, a program director at the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and Timothy O’Malley, associate director for research at the McGrath Institute and academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, will host a panel discussion for the pilgrims on the Eucharistic Revival and Eucharistic theology. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 8 p.m. in the Carey Auditorium in the Hesburgh Library at Notre Dame.

On Saturday (July 6), the pilgrims will also have the opportunity to attend the world premiere of “Behold God’s Love: A Eucharistic Musical,” a three-act work written in service to the National Eucharistic Revival.

Composed by Carolyn Pirtle, program director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, “Behold God’s Love” is a modern-day mystery play that invites audiences to encounter the beauty of the Eucharist through imaginative portrayals of stories from Scripture.

“My goal was to help our audience members encounter these timeless stories in a new, vibrant and joyful way and to help the performers grow in their relationship with God by bringing the Scriptures to life,” Pirtle said.

Directed by Jennifer Cimino, founder and director of On Cue, a performing arts program for under-resourced students in Omaha, Nebraska, the production features a cast and crew from across the tri-campus community of the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College, as well as numerous parishes throughout the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

Pirtle and O’Malley began thinking about reviving the tradition of a mystery play early in the planning process for the National Eucharistic Congress. The plays, which were originally performed in medieval Europe during celebrations of the feast of Corpus Christi, were known for their accessibility.

“We wanted to do a contemporary adaptation of that tradition,” O’Malley said. “I have taught a theology course here at Notre Dame on liturgy and theological aesthetics where we’ve read the mystery plays, and I’ve had a dream of making them accessible to people, as a way to popularize drama and theater and to do something very tangible to help people better understand the mystery of the Eucharist.”

Two performances of the musical will be held at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday at the O’Laughlin Auditorium on the campus of Saint Mary’s College. Both performances are free and open to the public, and tickets may be reserved online.

On Sunday (July 7), the pilgrims will continue on their route toward Indianapolis, with their next stop at St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Bristol, Indiana.