The Pilgrimage

I was so excited to start to share with you my experience of seeing Pope Francis that I failed to begin at the beginning . . . the pilgrimage.

I left off last week where I really should have begun . . . the reason that I was called to join this pilgrimage.  I heard word that the World Meeting of Families was being held in Philadelphia.  This is what first caught my attention and I wondered if it would be possible for my family to participate in this incredible event.  Then I heard that Pope Francis would be coming to the Festival of Families!  Oh my goodness, my excitement grew to a whole new level.  It was shortly after the announcement was made that I received an email from Dave Schmidt at the Office of Pro-Life, Marriage and Family Life at the Diocese of Youngstown saying a pilgrimage had been planned to attend the Festival of Families and the Papal Mass.  I was hooked!

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, pilgrimage is a noun defined as “a journey to a holy place” or “a journey to an unusual place.” Hmmmm, I do believe that venturing off on a bus to a camp ground with 50 others with the intent of joining millions definitely counts for “an unusual place.”  In search of a way to grasp the true meaning of a pilgrimage, I found this to be quite helpful to me from

www.Spiritual Travels.com.

“The ancient practice of pilgrimage—a journey taken for spiritual enrichment—is being rediscovered by Christians around the world.  In the past, such trips often took many months and entailed great physical risk.  Today’s pilgrimages may be taken by airplane or car, but the goal is the same as that of seekers trudging down deserted path centuries ago:  like them, we set out on the road to hear the voice of God more clearly, hoping that as we journey our hearts may be opened and our souls healed.”

It is the last line that explains my reasoning for wanting to join this pilgrimage “to hear the voice of God more clearly.”  My pilgrimage began the moment that I decided I needed to travel to a not-so-unusual place to see and hear a very holy person.  Prayer was an integral part of our pilgrimage to Philly.  While on the bus we prayed the Rosary, the Divine Chaplet, Morning and Evening Prayer.   Ann and I were privileged to lead the Morning Prayer on the way to and from Philadelphia on Sunday.  It was such an honor.  Marianne made a beautiful song sheet and everyone on the bus just wanted to keep singing on the way to Philly.  It was a glorious sound and I certainly could “hear the voice of God more clearly” when I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of singing and praying among us! 

The pilgrimage was not simply to see the Pope even though that is what I tend to focus on when I talk with people.  The pilgrimage included pockets of grace such as sharing the experience with a beautiful family with ten children; witnessing the excitement and tears of a young student from Kennedy who sings in the choir with me as she described the moment that “she saw him,” hearing that the man who organized the entire event stayed back to help someone in need thereby being the very hands of Christ; gazing at the eclipse of the moon with others after celebrating the Papal Mass; all of these moments of grace along the journey did indeed open my heart and allowed me to see the face of Christ in others. 

I often say that everywhere we step is holy ground because we are each made for holiness.  We are all pilgrims along this journey toward heaven and I am so very glad to be “trudging down” the path along with you!

Shalom,

Tina