By Sister Nancy Liddy

When the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage entered Kentucky, Ursuline Associate Wes Wheatley and I joined the St. Juan Diego southern route of the pilgrimage for morning Mass in Franklin, then the procession outside of Bowling Green. I ended my leg of the journey at the Abbey of Gethsemane. We shared the walk with eight young adult “permanent pilgrims” in the final days of their 37-day journey to Indianapolis, where a network of pilgrimages would come together for the National Eucharistic Congress.

Since the early 1990s, reawakened interest in walking to sacred places has made pilgrimages as popular as they once were in the Middle Ages. Saint Francis of Assisi, a man of action, walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This event, which probably happened in 1214, and Francis’ pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land may have influenced Saint Angela to set out on her own pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1524. And closer to home, our Sisters describe their pilgrimages to the Holy Land as “life changing.”

I’ve never considered a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But the Via Francesco, walking in the footsteps of Saint Francis on the famous Camino de Santiago, has always held special meaning for me. My previous pilgrimages consisted of journeys on planes and buses to sacred places known for healing miracles. I’m a walker, with a preference for sidewalks and footpaths. And like many of our Associates, I attend daily Mass. When the press releases for the Eucharistic walking pilgrimages in our diocese went out, I felt a connection and decided to show up.

On the day of the pilgrimage, the summer heat had let up and we set out in good spirits under an azure sky. As the morning Mass ended at a local parish, we were so cold inside we just about sprinted out of church to warm ourselves in the sun. The silent procession was underway for only a few minutes when an older heavy-set woman dropped her cane on my foot. When I returned it to her with a smile, she began hobbling along beside me. I hobbled with her in empathy until one of her friends came along and offered me the opening to happily move on. Then I was mired behind an elderly man with a large metal pole. With every step the sound of metal hit against the pavement piercing the silence. Later, a large truck passed us on the highway and blew my hat into a ditch. The procession inched along for four hours – a distance normally covered in less than an hour. Everything seemed arranged to try my patience when I heard the restaurant where we planned to celebrate was closed that day!

The popular spiritual writer Sister Joyce Rupp has written a very intimate book on walking a 37-day pilgrimage in Spain at age 60 — Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino. Her subtitle says it well. She learned while walking the daily route to Santiago how crabby she could become when anything challenged her: “My patience grew slowly and steadily but just when I thought I had let go, my patience grew thin again.” The book offers some valuable insights and a first-rate text on how a deeply spiritual woman continues to grow in awareness.

At the end of the procession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation was offered for the pilgrims. I saw the woman with the cane sweating and smiling under a tree and waved to her as I made my way to the confessional. My regular walks continue to teach me lessons on the importance of patience on our pilgrim journey and to never ever stop showing up.

Something to Consider

How can I mark the 500 years since Saint Angela’s historical journey to the Holy Land in a personal way?

One of our Sisters shared with me her practice of watching the sun rise and set whenever she travels. Although most of us will not have an opportunity to undertake a great walking pilgrimage, what rituals can I incorporate into the day to make my daily journey become more meaningful and soulful?

If you are looking for a good book for your discussion group, Joyce Rupp’s book about the Camino is a good choice.