The Pilgrimage

Pilgrim (n): a traveler on a journey to a sacred place

What I Knew Before

Pilgrims = Thanksgiving...

My lovely Aussie friend, Mary, had been on the Christus Rex Pilgrimage 6 times & loved it

She invited me on this year's journey

I said yes

I didn't really have any idea what going on a pilgrimage would mean 

I thought it sounded amazing though

a journey of devotion, prayer & meeting new friends

We were going to walk for 3 days

Go to masses in different cities

It was going to be somewhere near Melbourne, Australia

There was going to be a lot of Latin

and that is about all I knew.

Road Trip

It was a 10 hour road trip from Sydney to Ballarat

We drove down with some beautiful new friends from Campion College

Some of our stops included: 

fresh mangos, a delicious bakery, a historical submarine, horses, sheep, cows, lots of farm land,

and a spontaneous dinner picnic on some hay bales that we found!

Eat, Sleep, Walk

My bed for the weekend was my yoga mat and a blanket

Breakfast was peanut butter & jelly sandwiches

Lunch was veggies and bread

and dinner was warm, delicious veg with barley soup

We walked from 7am to about 7pm

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

We walked about 30-40 km each day

We ended up walking about 100 km which is about 62 miles

You could say my feet were feeling it

By Saturday I had 7+ blisters 

By Sunday I couldn't feel my blisters because my feet were just dead

they have never hurt so much in my entire life

and it was so great

It was an act of penance for me to walk miles in pain

reflecting on my sins and praying the whole way

Prayer

The power of prayer is incredible

now multiply that power by 150 pilgrims.

To see so many people walking along the side of the road in constant prayer...

it was unreal

one of the coolest things I've experienced for sure

I've probably only prayed the rosary once or twice before

I didn't ever really know the purpose or significance

One of the best things I learned this weekend was just that

We started praying the rosary during our road trip

and prayed it many, many times each day

I also learned how to pray most of it in Latin!!

The Hail Mary is so unbelievably beautiful in Latin, I just love it!

Mass

Friday before lunch we stopped for a Latin mass in a beautiful cathedral

Saturday before lunch we went to a Latin mass in a pine forest

I felt so close to God sitting in the forest & learning to appreciate the Latin mass and music

There were priests walking with us, so we had the opportunity for confession all weekend

I think I've gone to confession a total of two times in my life (communion & once in high school)

I took up the opportunity in during the pine forest mass

God's grace grants the most beautiful moments!

Sunday we finished the pilgrimage with a third Latin mass given by the bishop in Bendigo

I've never been to a Latin mass before this weekend 

I'm really grateful for the experience

I had no idea what was going on

but it helped me trust in my faith more than the knowledge of every word being said

and that was awesome!

Friends

I can't even begin to express how blessed I feel

I've never in my life had more than a few Catholic friends

To be surrounded with so many amazing brothers and sisters 

while I am on the other side of the world studying in Australia

it's more than I ever could have imagined or asked for

I met so many friends this weekend

I heard stories of life growing up on a farm with 8 siblings

they recited quotes, poems and books from Robert Frost, Shakespeare & so many others

We shared experiences, joy, sadness, laughter and wine

They carried me when my feet couldn't carry me any further

Through their actions they taught me how to give more, pray more & love more.

My faith journey will take a lifetime but I am learning so much everyday

I choose every opportunity to live and learn and grow 

I am not changing as much as I am just becoming the person God meant for me to be

He has led me to these great places and great people

I'd never heard of a pilgrimage, other than on Thanksgiving, until a few months ago

I have since become a pilgrim and loved it!