This summer, I attended two beautiful pilgrimages, one in Europe and another in the United States! Here is a summary of both experiences:
June 23 – July 2, Fr. Stephen from my parish, St Mary’s Church in Simsbury, CT and Fr. Joe from Sacred Heart Parish in Suffield, CT, led a pilgrimage trip to Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France), and Barcelona (Spain). The purpose of the trip was to draw closer to Jesus through developing a devotion to our Blessed Mother Mary. A few other parishioners, many other pilgrims, and I attended this grace-filled pilgrimage, during which we visited the sites where Our Lady appeared. Although it is challenging to decipher my favorite moments of this trip, meeting so many lovely people and visiting the apparition sites was an absolute blessing beyond measure. We still speak about this trip today, and Mother Mary’s presence was so alive and well that Jesus was working in every one of us!
My next trip was to the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) July 17 – 21 in Indianapolis, Indiana. I traveled with our young adult group Crossroads 4 Christ (C4C). The purpose of the pilgrimage was to encounter Jesus through His presence in the Holy Eucharist. Seeing 50,000-plus people on fire for the faith was exhilarating, and I am so blessed to have shared fellowship with our C4C group and the other attendees!
Again, it is hard to determine my favorite part of the NEC, but the reverence everyone showed when Jesus appeared in the Blessed Sacrament, and the emphasis on healing through prayer and speech touched my heart. Jesus was genuinely glowing within the monstrance! I felt such a cleansing experience and very hopeful for the future of the Catholic Church. Attending the NEC has opened my heart to Jesus through developing a stronger devotion to the Eucharist, and having the opportunity to receive Him lights such a fire in my heart!
Both of these blessed pilgrimages were indeed Heaven on Earth, and as I reflect on them now, I find myself drawing closer and closer to Jesus, through Mary, and constantly looking forward to receiving His Body and Blood!
– Jeanne Jugan Associate Mary Anderson
