Intro to the Pilgrimage (Lizz’s Version)

Welcome!  We are so glad you are here!  

Have you ever considered going on a pilgrimage?  I admit the idea seemed like such a dream to me.  Like wouldn’t it be nice to one day make it to Lourdes, France and see where Our Lady of Lourdes appeared to St. Bernadette.  But taking a big trip like that, leaving the country just didn’t seem like something in the cards right now in my busy life as a teacher and a mother of younger children.  But a girl can dream.

During Lent, Mary and I chose a book to read with daily reflections.  It was called A Lenten Journey with Mother Mary by Fr. Edward Looney.  The very first day’s reflection featured a quote from Our Lady of Champion.  “I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners.”  As he introduced Adele I immediately thought, I can do this…I can go to Wisconsin.  I plugged it into Google maps, 8 hours, we can do this, because of course I would ask Mary to come with me.  

I love a road trip and especially planning them.  I came to Ohio from Texas and still have family there so as soon as the boys could handle the long car ride we went back and forth every year to visit my grandmother.  I am not about to spend 18 hours just in a car with two young boys so I always pick different outings on our route.  So immediately I started looking up Catholic Shrines, Catholic Churches and any “Must see Catholic Sites” in the area of our trip.  Before long I had created a linked document and couldn’t wait to show Mary all the places I wanted to see and our inaugural Pilgrimage was born. I say that because we have received so many fruits and graces throughout this whole process, the planning, the trip and even those at home we prayed for that there will definitely be more trips in the future.  

So once again Welcome!  We are so excited to share with you all the signs and graces we discovered and hopefully inspire you to take a pilgrimage.  I never thought I would be able to do this.  At one of the Masses during our trip at the Shrine of St. Terese of Lesuix, the priest stressed how we can’t take credit for anything we do in our lives because there is nothing that we do that is not from God.  There is nothing we can claim.  It has all been given to us.  It is not about what you do, but about who you are.  All we can say is “Thank you Lord for loving me the way I am.”  So thank you Lord, for the blessings of this trip.  I hope by sharing our journey it blesses you too.  

Lizz