Introduction
“Wait, what is next? Where are we going?”
From September 28th to October 9th, I was on pilgrimage with a couple dozen pilgrims from our parish and the broader area, as well as a group with Fr. Sam Kachuba and St. Pius X parish in Fairfield, CT. Together, we numbered about fifty pilgrims and took part in a unique format of travel under the direction of Integration Pilgrimages, a new family-owned organization under the leadership of Jennifer Coffey Shevchuk, with her husband Petro Schevchuk a seasoned pro at travel logistics. I would like to share more about the general theme of pilgrimage, and the places we visited in Rome, Orvieto, Assisi, and Loreto, along with the photos I took with my trusty camera.
The Pilgrimage Journey
Our experience was focused on visiting many holy sites in Italy under the banner of Roots and Renewal. While Fr. Kachuba and I served as Chaplains, Jennifer and Petro crafted our themes of reflection and logistics. Dr. Greg Bottaro offered three main talks along the way. Days were full, often with early mornings to access historical churches and altars to pray, and ending with late nights after suppers, community, and small group time. Pilgrimage journals with thoughtful scripture and journaling questions were a key piece to help us all reflect and pray more deeply. Often times, I sensed a longing to linger a bit more from place to place, but our journals and small groups helped us unpack and dig deep as we moved from place to place. I was very grateful to be part of this intentional spiritual format that was put together by Integration Pilgrimages.
Rome
With only a few days in Rome at the start, we made the most of what was available to us, especially St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican. I found time at the tomb of St. John Paul II very moving, and the Wednesday Audience with Pope Leo XVI gathered a large group of pilgrims from all over the world for prayer and a beautiful address by our new Holy Father. These moments of the universal Church always strike me. The fact that the truth of one faith, preserved throughout the centuries, is not limited to one culture, time or place, but gathers together so many peoples throughout the world in unity is simply amazing.
We really experienced the unity of the Church under the care of the Successor of St. Peter at this holy place which care for the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. This would happen in big ways with crowds gathered for prayer and visiting the tombs of saints old and new. It would also happen in small ways as we would see other pilgrims we knew from other places, or even connect with local religious studying in the Eternal City. We had a great visit with our own Br. Stephen Johnson, OSB who is living and studying at the San Anselmo. A few sisters from the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus and School Sisters of Christ the King studying at the Angelicum this year joined us at Santa Maria in Transpontina (The Carmelite Church near St. Peters) for the Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux.
A new experience for me on this pilgrimage was to visit the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, who was a deacon of the early Church. In the centuries of the early church, this served as the underground crypt of the first popes, along with 500,000 early Christians. The catacombs would also be special places of catechesis and worship, marked often by inscribed anchors as a sign of hope. After a visit to the “Quo Vadis” Church, we navigated these underground burial grounds, and had the privilege of celebrating Mass in one of the ancient chapels in the catacombs just like the early Christians of Rome.
This is also a Jubilee Year, a special devotion to the mercy of God and the Holy Doors. It was also a gift to visit all four major basilicas in Rome. Pope Francis is buried in St. Mary Major, which made for large crowds, and the tomb of St. Paul is at the basilica which bears his name outside the walls of the ancient city. St. John Lateran, named for the hill where it is built, was also an impressive church to visit. These first apostles and early Christians serves as the “Roots” theme of our trip.
Some Reflection Questions from Rome
- What fear keeps me from claiming my identity as God’s beloved child? (Tome of St. John Paul II)
- What hidden signs of hope keep me steady in dark times? (Catacombs)
Assisi
October 4th was the Feast for St. Francis, so it was fitting to make our way into the Umbrian countryside to visit the many sites related to his life and ministry, and the life of St. Clare too. It was nice to get out of the city, and into the fields and groves of the countryside. St. Francis and St. Clare exemplified the “Renewal” theme of our pilgrimage. They both responded to the Holy Spirit in generous and radical ways to bring Christ anew to the people of God, especially through the power of the cross. Stopping in Orvieto on Oct 3rd, which is another city-state along the way to Assisi, we visited the white and black stone Cathedral there that had a significant Eucharistic miracle in 1263. We had Mass in the crypt chapel there, which I enjoyed very much with its large fresco crucifix behind the altar.
Arriving in Assisi, we made it to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to witness the local bishop, clergy, and many Franciscans celebrate the Transitus, or death, of St. Francis in a grand procession and festivity with Solemn Vespers. This large Basilica is built around the early chapel called the Portiuncula, where St. Francis and his merry band of friars carried out their ministry. We then spent two more days in Assisi, with almost a full day of retreat and recollection on Sunday October 5th. On his feast day of Oct 4th, we arrived in the city early, had extended time at the tomb of Francis, and Mass at the Papal altar in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis. What another treat! I was able to bring many prayer intentions that many parishoners shared with me to the very tomb of St. Francis. Assisi is really a city of peace, that can be sensed in all chapels, natural beauty, and nooks and crannies one can explore in this old medieval city state. The newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis also has his tomb here, and is another moving site to visit. Our last day, we walked an ancient pathway of St. Francis through olive groves to the nearby city of Spello.
Some Reflection Questions from Assisi
- Where is God inviting me to “descend” into humility and trust? (Lower Tomb of St. Francis)
- Where is God inviting me to live the Gospel more radically in my own ordinary life? (Frescos in Basilica of St. Francis)
Loreto
Many people have heard of devotion to Our Lady of Loreto, celebrated as a Memorial in the current Church calendar on December 10th each year. This title of Mary is not related to an apparition, but a significant pilgrimage site dating back to the 15th century just off the coast of the Adriatic near Monte Conero in Le Marche region of central Italy. The basilica at the Shrine of the Holy House of Mary contains relics of the home of the holy family from Nazareth. Four million people each year visit this shrine, and it was given lots of attention by Pope Francis during his pontificate. This is a perfect place to enter into the gift of the Holy Family, with Mary and Joseph as intercessors and friends to help us.
We took to the road on the morning of Monday October 6th to cross the Apennines mountains, descending to the Adriatic with anticipation in our group enter into the mystery of the holy family as our own. On the sea coast, with a backdrop of bright blue waters and the impressive Monte Conero rising up out of the sea, this is another location that combines natural beauty with a sense of the sacred. There is an impressive list of saints that have made pilgrimages to Our Lady of Loreto, most notably St. Therese of Liseux, who has a whole side chapel dedicated to her in the shrine. We also ran into a large group of Carmelite sisters traveling to Rome for the Jubilee of Religious that was taking place at the Vatican later that week.
Some Reflection Questions from Loreto
- Where do I experience home – or long for it? (The Holy House of Loreto)
- How does it change me to know that God makes His home in my ordinary life?
Returning Home
As the pilgrimage came to an end, my thoughts turned to home, looking forward to returning to our parish community, and looking forward to the beautiful autumn days in North Dakota, and the great people I serve and work with each and every day. While I have been on multiple pilgrimages and mission trips over the years, each one has a little different impact. I have a renewed sense of the universal Church, excitement for the years ahead under the leadership of Leo XIV. The priorities of the saints and the universal call to holiness become more primary, and more urgent than the busyness of life that often confronts us. And this time, there is a fresh reminder that even though we have a home for a time in this life in this or that place, we belong to God first, and our short lives are ultimately a pilgrimage in which the “world is our ship, not our home.” (St. Therese of Lisieux)
