Grace will be flowing like a river from Aug. 19 to 24 when the parishes of the Rock Island Vicariate come together for a Eucharistic Revival. Leading them on the “R.I.V.E.R. pilgrimage” will be Father Luke Spannagel, one of more than 50 National Eucharistic Preachers.

The idea for the vicariate gathering grew out of a diocesan meeting held last fall for parish representatives for the National Eucharistic Revival. Christine Coleman, a representative for St. Ambrose in Milan, said those from the Rock Island Vicariate started meeting regularly after that.

Father Spannagel is well-known in the area since he had served as pastor of St. Mary and Sacred Heart in Rock Island from 2019 to 2022. He had done a similar program for the parishes in the Hancock County Catholic Community and worked with the representatives of the Rock Island Vicariate to put together the program there.

The “R.I.V.E.R. pilgrimage” will begin on Saturday, Aug. 19, with a retreat for men at St. Pius X Church, 2502 29th Ave., in Rock Island. It will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., starting with Mass.

At 5 p.m., there will be a Mass at St. Ambrose Church, 312 W. First St., in Milan, followed by a mission talk on “The True Presence” by Father Spannagel.

On Sunday, Aug. 20, Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 9619 140th St., in Taylor Ridge. At 4 p.m., Father Spannagel will explore “Mass as the Perfect Sacrifice” at Sacred Heart Church, 1307 17th Ave., in Moline.

The Mass and mission talk on Monday, Aug. 21, will be at St. Maria Goretti Church, 210 E. 22nd Ave., in Coal Valley. The Mass starts at 6:30 p.m. and the topic for the 7 p.m. presentation is “Healing through the Eucharist.”

Those who come for Mass at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at St. John the Baptist Church, 1416 Third Ave., in Rapids City, will hear Father Spannagel’s talk on “Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist” at 12:45 p.m. He will be at Sacred Heart Church, 2810 Fifth Ave., in Rock Island at 6:30 p.m. for Mass and then talk about “Carlo Acutis and the Eucharistic Miracles” at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, there will be eucharistic adoration with an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation from 11 a.m. to noon at St. Mary Church, 2208 Fourth Ave., in Rock Island. Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 p.m. and the mission talk at 1 p.m. will explore “Adoration as an Extension of the Perfect Praise of the Mass.”

In addition, adoration is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day at St. Mary Church, 412 10th St., in Moline. Following Mass at 6:30 p.m., Father Spannagel will talk about “Jesus in Communion Bringing Us into Deeper Unity with Him.”

The R.I.V.E.R. pilgrimage ends with an explanatory Mass at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24. It will take place at Christ the King Church, 3209 60th St., in Moline. The focus of Father Spannagel’s homily will be “Union with Christ, One Another and the Communion of Saints.”

Father Antonio Dittmer, pastor of St. Mary in Moline and vicar for the Rock Island Vicariate, is working to have simultaneous Spanish translation for all the mission talks.

There will be time for fellowship after each event.