Pilgrimage Journey to Life

Pilgrimages are ways that can help deepen our life with Christ.  Through pilgrimages, we get to experience certain truths. One is that we are on a pilgrimage in life with our ultimate destination being in Heaven with God.  A pilgrim can reflect on the pilgrimage itself and see parallels in our lives with our journey to Heaven. For example- many times in pilgrimages, there are difficulties sometimes physical, other times mental, or other times spiritual ones— or maybe even a combination of all three.  I was on a pilgrimage to Rome one time in January 2008. We experienced having to ford a river, stray dogs following and barking after us, and even sleeping outside at the doorstep of a Franciscan monastery in the middle of nowhere in a foreign land!  These were not expected but we saw the Lord provide for us and give us beautiful graces in and throughout it all.  

This leads me to my next point about pilgrimages—they can help deepen our spiritual lives. That journey to Rome, I saw firsthand how God the Father provides for us, and that helped me to trust in Him more in my life.  When we go on pilgrimages, we can experience the same thing.  If we are having difficulty seeing how the Father loves us, experience it on a pilgrimage; if we are having difficulty with the virtue of poverty, experience it and grow in it on a pilgrimage; if we are having difficulty giving up that particular sin in life, experience healing graces on a pilgrimage! Wherever we are struggling, we can pray for that, and the Father will many times help us with it through a pilgrimage. 

For the first time, I led a pilgrimage with a few parishioners of St. Albert’s to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin on October 11, 2024. It was a smooth and blessed trip. As we all know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, it is still amazing how God used St Juan Diego to connect with Mary for the conversion of people in Mexico and to end the deadly Aztec pagan ritual of sacrificing human lives especially babies. She is the patroness saint of the Americas and the pro-life movement. One of the most memorable parts of this pilgrimage was the Memorial to the Unborn, the large statute of Mary as a native woman holding unborn children in her lap. It was this moment when I prayed for the parents and loved ones who lost their children before birth by miscarriage and abortion. Everyday, I pray for the respect of all human life. Every human life matters. Every human, from conception to natural death, is precious and has dignity. Every human is a valuable gift from God. They deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let us pray for the world where there is no longer need for human sacrifice, whether on pagan altars or in abortion clinics. Let us pray for a world where every life is cherished and protected. Let us be the witness to the Gospel of Life!

Every pilgrimage has left a lasting memory on me and many times, I use them in my daily life—especially when preaching to others the Truth of the Gospel in homilies! Pilgrimages are wonderful to be a part of. It is a walk of faith. I hope that I can lead more pilgrimages every year for our parish here at the Church of St Albert!