From Father Mike&#039;s Desk ... Pilgrimage

I usually don't subject people to two iterations of my homilies. But the snow and other circumstances took our attendance down a bit this past weekend, and I thought it might be useful to share an adapted version of the back half of what I preached for the Epiphany.

Obviously, the magi traveled quite purposefully to find the Christ Child, following the star to Jerusalem, and then to Bethlehem. No doubt they had many adventures along the way, and they surely found other parts of their trip enjoyable and entertaining. But they did have a purpose, and thus we recognize that their trip was in the nature of a pilgrimage.

Pilgrimages are a longstanding and holy tradition in the Church. When Deacon Carl returned from Spain, he shared stories of the Camino do Santiago, the great pilgrimage that concludes at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. A year before, some Saint Martha parishioners were blessed to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A Marian pilgrimage to Fatima and Lourdes, or a prayerful visit to Rome are never forgotten. I thoroughly enjoyed stopping at Knock, where Our Lady appeared to the ordinary folk of an Irish village. My "someday" list includes the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near Mexico City.

So when we’re again able to travel - to move about freely - think about a pilgrimage of some sort. And it needn’t be to the other side of the globe. How ‘bout a run down I-96? The Basilica of Saint Anne in Detroit is the second oldest continually operating parish in America. Less than five miles north, on Mount Elliott Street, you can pray at the Solanus Casey Center. Or go in the other direction, and pray at the Cross in Woods at Indian River, the Pere Marquette memorial at Saint Ignace, the parish Marquette founded in Saint Ignace, and at historic Saint Anne on Mackinac Island, where the parish records date to 1695.

Deeper into the Upper Peninsula, Bishop Baraga’s remains are in Saint Peter Cathedral in Marquette. And the Marquette diocesan website has directions for a peninsula-wide tour of Baraga sites.

If you’re a fan of Thomas Merton - the Trappist priest Father Louis - think about taking a retreat at the Cistercian Abbey in Gethsemani, Kentucky, where his grave is marked by a simple cross next to the chapel. Quietly walk the gorgeous hills and woods on the monastery grounds. If you're so inclined, you can up at 3:15 am with the monks, and pray the Liturgy of the Hours with them intermittently through the day, ending with Compline (NIght Prayer) at 7:30 pm. After Compline comes the Great Silence -- and everyone of us certainly could use a little more of that!

When it’s again simple to get in and out of Canada, grab Via Rail in Windsor for a run up to Montreal. The city has the incredible churches of Notre Dame for the French and Saint Patrick for the English. (Every priest begins every Mass on a page of the Roman Missal that has a picture of the stunning interior of Notre Dame in Montreal). On the north side of town, atop a hill, is the largest church in North America, the Saint Joseph Oratory, founded by Saint André Bessette (sort of a Quebec versino of Blessed Solunus -- during their lifetimes, both were entirely under-appreciated by their own religious orders. And just a few miles south of Montreal, up near the front of a a small wooden church on a First Nations (Indian) reserve, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is interred.

The Magi went on pilgrimage. Just as when people travel to sites of civil history, it's an entertaining and uplifting way to travel. And, obviously, it's okay to mix in some other fun and sightseeing. Lots of Catholic groups run pilgrimages, or you can do-it-yourself. When we’re again able to move about freely, think about this sort of travel. You'll enjoy it, and you'll be changed by it.

frmike