One Voice Youth Ministry Completes Local ‘Camino’ to Jubilee Year Pilgrimage Sites
“This must be what heaven looks like.”
Lily Quinn gasped as she walked into the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Conewago, abundant with statues, paintings and relics, and gleaming from recent renovations revealing the historic church’s splendor.
“I could just stay right here,” Lily sighed, pulling her bulky pilgrim backpack off her shoulders and taking a seat in a pew as afternoon sunlight streamed in from the stained-glass windows.
The Basilica was the sixth of seven Diocesan churches that 42 teens and eight chaperones with One Voice Youth Ministry visited over the weekend of August 9 and 10 for a “Diocesan Camino” to the churches designated as pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee Year.
“It’s certainly a big undertaking, but very much worth the effort to give these teens a chance to see our pilgrimage sites and tour our Diocese,” said Kim Moore, Youth Coordinator for One Voice, a regional youth ministry program in Lancaster County.
The idea for the weekend pilgrimage was sparked from a youth group presentation by two parishioners who completed the Camino de Santiago – a series of pilgrimage routes in Europe that lead to the Shrine of the Apostle James in Spain. The life-changing journey spans 483 miles.
“I know that taking the teens on the actual Camino is not feasible, so we decided to do a Diocesan Camino with the designated pilgrimage sites,” Moore said.
The pilgrimage started early Saturday morning, as teens assembled hundreds of sandwiches, packed coolers and snacks and drinks, and filled only what they could carry in a backpack for “The Way.”
Each pilgrim was given a scallop shell, reminiscent of the spiritual and practical symbolism of the Camino logo; its grooves illustrate various pilgrimage routes and its scoop indicates the way in which sojourners would request and carry food and water.
“Our scallop shells have done a great job reminding us that we’re pilgrims throughout this weekend,” said Abby Cutrona of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in New Holland. “They’re a symbol of our spiritual journey. Seeing the shells has been a constant reminder for me that I’m a pilgrim going to these seven churches and not a tourist who is sightseeing.”
Saturday’s leg of the journey included a tour of the Basilica of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Danville and conversations with the religious Sisters; a tour of Our Lady of Hope Church in Coal Township and a walk through its Holy Door; the Divine Mercy Chaplet, tour and the vernation of relics at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg; and St. Catherine Labouré Church in Harrisburg, for prayer before the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal and the blessing of medals.
After a stop for dinner and an overnight in their sleeping bags at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Harrisburg, pilgrims picked up the second day of the journey August 10 with Mass in the parish center, Eucharistic Adoration and a tour of the renovations at Corpus Christi Church in Chambersburg, currently filled with scaffolding. After lunch, they boarded their passenger vans for a visit to the catacombs and a presentation of the history of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Conewago, and completed their journey with a scavenger hunt and dinner at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Lancaster.
At several churches, the teens were given the opportunity to venerate several first-class relics, including those of the True Cross, St. John Paul II, St. Faustina and St. Catherine Labouré.
“Seeing the relics was the highlight for me,” said Clare Bertz of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Millersville. “Whenever I’m having anxiety or stress and I’m praying to the Lord, I will get a tingling feeling in my body that I know is Him saying, ‘I am here, it’s OK.’ Touching the relic of the True Cross of Jesus gave me that tingling feeling and I knew it was Him saying, ‘I’m here with you.’”
Clare brought a special intention during the pilgrimage, praying for the repose of the soul of parishioner, author and former Lancaster Catholic High School teacher Anne Schober, who died July 31 after a lengthy battle with a chronic illness. “I babysit her grandkids and I’ve been praying for her and her family during my journey,” Clare said.
Along the way, the teens of One Voice were active participants, asking questions about architecture, parish history and the saints as they captured photos and video of the uniqueness of each church. They were also eager to stamp their Diocesan Jubilee Passport at each location.
“It’s been awesome to visit all the different churches. I’ve always gone to just one church, so it’s been incredible to see how vastly different they are,” said Adam Shank of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Mount Joy. He added that the pilgrimage also gave him an appreciation for the size of the Diocese as the vans logged hundreds of miles along Routes 238, 11/15 and 30, along Interstate 81, through farmlands and city streets, and along mountains, rivers, orchards and battlefields.
“I’ll be honest, when my mom first signed me up for this pilgrimage, I didn’t really want to go. But I’ve had just a great time and I didn’t expect to like all the activities and the journey this much,” said Xavier Clemson of St. Benedict the Abbot Parish in Lebanon.
His favorite stop? “By far, St. Patrick Cathedral has been the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen. I was impressed by the stained-glass windows and the stories behind them as well,” he said.
As a youth minister, Moore understands that each teen set out on the pilgrimage from different parts of a faith journey and with different life experiences. Still, each and every one returned Sunday night with lasting memories and a unique experience of the Church.
“One of the teens said one of the best things they had seen was that the clergy members, Sister or parishioner giving the tour at each church was so proud of their parish community and how they’re serving the Lord. That’s been so true everywhere we’ve gone. You can see clearly how much their Catholic faith means to them. They’ve been extremely informative with the details about the church and the faith, and also incredibly welcoming,” she said.
“We’ve come across so many things we’d never seen and so many things we hadn’t learned about that we might not have ever known if we didn’t do this pilgrimage,” she said. “It was truly a blessing.”
(Chambersburg and Conewago photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness; all others courtesy of One Voice Youth Ministry.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
