HAMMOND – Zach Doton arrived back in Northwest Indiana the weekend of July 18-19 and noted he is once again ready to hit the ground running at his home parish, St. Joseph in Hammond, where he can be found helping in the parish's soup kitchen and assisting with church maintenance projects.
Dotson, of Hammond, spent much of the summer serving as the first perpetual pilgrim from the Diocese of Gary during the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage began over Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida. The route continued up the Eastern Seaboard through most of the 13 original colonies, reaching as far north as New Hampshire and Maine. Stops were made in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the country’s very first Catholic diocese, and in the Archdiocese of Boston to visit significant national historical sites. The pilgrimage concluded over the 4th of July weekend in Philadelphia, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Dotson shared that he had a lot of general expectations for the Eucharistic pilgrimage. He knew as a pilgrim he would dedicate much of his day to prayer, to being before the Eucharistic Lord, and serving Him by serving other brothers and sisters in both their material and spiritual needs. What he didn’t expect was the profound effect being with other Catholics would have on his own faith.
“We know from Proverbs that iron sharpens iron,” he said. “I was extremely blessed to be that iron this summer. Being able to witness the strong, devoted faith of my brothers and sisters has emboldened my faith and my willingness to boldly proclaim the Eucharist as Our Lord and Our God.”
Dotson said each day brought a new grace and new opportunity to give Him thanks. If he had to pinpoint one thing he enjoyed most about the experience, he stated it was growing with his fellow pilgrims spiritually. He appreciated spending time with them in prayer and in their “off” moments, laughing and truly becoming brothers and sisters in Christ.
Dotson, of course, had many opportunities to meet a variety of individuals along the pilgrimage route. There was a particularly powerful moment in Greensboro, North Carolina, when he and others were serving at a soup kitchen. He spoke with a young woman named Shelly who was originally from West Virginia and had moved to Greensboro with expectations of her life turning around and finally finding security. Things were not going as she expected, but despite that disappointment, she never lost sight of her faith.
“She shared with me that music was how she felt she best prayed to God, and I asked if she felt comfortable singing to Him now,” Dotson said. “We sat outside of the soup kitchen and sang hymns together. That chance to be with her and to pray with her will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Dotson also recalled that while processing with the Eucharist in the Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts, a young mother came outside with her two children to see why there was music playing. He went over to speak with her and explained that they were following behind Christ in procession. Without being Catholic or fully understanding the Eucharist, she said, “I believe that you are following Him. How can we join?” And shoeless, she and her children said “yes” to His call and processed with them.
“I am also so moved by those moments of childlike trust and devotion to Him, that willingness to say ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ and to put that trust into practice,” Dotson said.
Dotson commented that in every city, at every procession, there was a palpable sense of overwhelming joy. He said it was evident that there was nowhere else those gathered wanted to be – that the opportunity to follow and adore their Lord was worth more than their weight in gold.
“Even in those whose beliefs differ from the Catholic Church, they were moved by the devotion they witnessed,” he said. “An atheist even joked that seeing us pull off such a large pilgrimage made him believe in miracles.”
While on the pilgrimage, Dotson, who remains close with family, was able to call and text home frequently, even for just two or three minutes.
“It was such a boon to hear their voices, to laugh with them, and to know that their prayers were with me, and with the team,” he said.
Dotson was the assistant team lead for this year’s pilgrimage and headed up the Media Team. He worked in tandem with the team lead to make operational decisions for the team, scheduling media interviews for the team, preparing the other pilgrims with talking points for their interviews and overseeing the daily Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) Pilgrimage blog.
Dotson’s time on pilgrimage lasted a bit longer than the other perpetual pilgrims. He was responsible for driving the pilgrimage van back to Indianapolis, unloading all the liturgical supplies, dropping off and moving the Eucharistic Congress’ trailers, and lastly dropping the van off to the mechanic.
So what’s next for Dotson? He admits that it is a hard question to answer. Whatever comes next, Dotson said he knows he wants to spend his life serving Christ and His Church.
“I just need to spend some time in prayer and listen to how He wants me to do that,” he said. “Please pray for me in that regard.”
Caption: The Media Team for the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, including Zach Dotson of Hammond, answers questions during a press conference at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington D.C. (Provided photo)
