I will be gone the next two weeks, from June 2 – June 12, on Pilgrimage to France.  A Pilgrimage disrupts the regular rhythm of everyday life, to go on a journey with spiritual intention.  It is to travel to a place of spiritual significance that is connected to the great story of God’s active redeeming work in the world.

So I am going with two other priests of our Archdiocese.  We will begin at Lourdes, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.  We will also visit the tombs of: St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Catherine Laboure, who gave us the Miraculous Medal, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who popularized devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June is also the month of the Sacred Heart, and the last encyclical of our late Pope Francis was all about the Sacred Heart of Jesus), St. John Vianney, who is the patron Saint of priests (in fact, we will celebrate Pentecost Mass at the tomb of St. John Vianney, a beautiful place and time to prayerfully reflect on my own priestly promises), and a number of others besides.  We will also visit some places connected to Bishop Mathias Loras, the first Bishop of the Dubuque Archdiocese.  In fact, we plan to meet up with the Loras family, descendants of the siblings of Bishop Mathias Loras!

It will be a journey of good priestly fraternity, spiritual renewal, and reflecting on my place in the great story of God’s redeeming work, and reflecting on my own priesthood asking God to continue to help me to live my priesthood well.

Being a Jubilee Year, this is a year when pilgrimage is encouraged.  If you are interested in a pilgrimage to Rome, former pastor here, Fr. Tony Kruse is leading a pilgrimage to Italy and Rome on Oct. 27-Nov. 6.  However, if you’d like to go, you have to register by July 28th.  There are flyers in the back of church with a QR code and more information.

If you would like to go “on pilgrimage” you don’t have to travel internationally.  You can visit beautiful places of prayer right here in the Midwest.  We recently had some members of our parish who did a day trip pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, WI.  One could go farther into Wisconsin and visit the Marian Apparition site in Champion, WI, just outside of Green Bay.

Or, here in Iowa you could visit the beautiful Grotto in West Bend, IA.  Or in our own Archdiocese, you might consider visiting our Cathedral in Dubuque, our Basilica in Dyersville, or New Melleray Abbey in Peosta.  In this Jubilee Year, consider having a “holy day of disruption” to visit a place of prayer.

Please pray for me while I’m on pilgrimage!  I certainly will be praying for you all, carrying all members of my parishes, and those I serve in priestly ministry, in my heart as I pray at all these holy places!

Bon voyage!

-Fr. Kevin