76.8 F
Gallup
Thursday, September 28, 2023

From Zuni to Gallup: Undertaking the First Annual St. Kateri Pilgrimage

-

Walking fifteen miles in one day may for a pilgrimage is no small feat, but compared to nearly two years of life in a pandemic, Victoria Begay found the journey invigorating.

“It was something I needed to do to get out and just do the walk, do a lot of praying, meditating…there’s just so much going on, it seems overwhelming. This is a way to clear my mind and put things into perspective.”

Begay was one of about 30 people who completed the first annual St. Kateri Pilgrimage on December 11, 2021. After attending early morning benediction at St. Anthony Parish in Zuni, NM, the pilgrims alternated walking along the road with rides in the new St. Kateri Bus, finishing around 4 p.m. at the St. Kateri Rosary Walk just south of Gallup.

“When we had the benediction – it was awesome…everything in the altar was Native American,” Begay said. “It’s just totally different than what I normally see in my parish. It just hit me – ‘oh gosh, I miss coming to Mass with everybody that I used to go to Mass with.’”

According to Deacon Ed Schaub, director of the St. Kateri Shrine, the pilgrimage was the brainchild of Bill McCarthy, executive director of the Southwest Indian Foundation. McCarthy wanted to hold a special event on the weekend nearest to three feast days important to the Church and Indigenous people – Our Lady of Guadalupe, Juan Diego, and the Immaculate Conception.

Deacon Schaub himself took turns driving one of the support vehicles and walking the distance with his wife, Anne.

“I’m glad Annie did the second half – I was pretty well smoked!” he said.

Deacon Schaub was awed by the response to the pilgrimage, both from the participants and from strangers and passers-by.

“One guy on the other side of the road in Zuni Pueblo, he takes his hat off and makes the sign of the cross,” he recalled. “People would stop and they would give us three bucks – the spirit of it!”

Pilgrims – many of them elders – would share with him and with each other various reasons for making the journey. One woman walked for her mother who is experiencing dementia, expressing the hope that “Maybe God will send a little Grace her way.”

Another, Sr. Elizabeth Racko, DC, traveled up from El Paso, Texas, where she works with migrants. As she walked, she thought of the long distances many of them travel, often by foot, to come to America.

“We were saying the chaplet of Divine Mercy at one particular place,” she said. “And I was so overwhelmed to think – so many countries in the whole world are in such violence, that people who seek peace in their own little town…that they feel they need to leave for their own safety.”

She also offered prayers “for all of Gallup, for all of the [Rosary Walk], for Thanksgiving to the Blessed Mother, for all the Native Americans and what St. Kateri stands for – love of Jesus in our life.”

As the end of the pilgrimage drew near, the group faced one long last climb up a hill to the entrance of the Shrine, and never faltered. At the top, they cheered and hugged one another.

“I’m a romantic, I know, but it almost brings me to tears to remember those people walking,” Deacon Schaub said. “It was powerful to see the spirit of a pilgrim.”

Suzanne Hammons
Suzanne Hammonshttp://dioceseofgallup.org
Suzanne Hammons is the editor of the Voice of the Southwest and the media coordinator for the Diocese of Gallup. A graduate of Benedictine College in Kansas, she joined the Diocesan staff in 2012.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Saints for Today: Joseph of Cupertino

Joseph of Cupertino is most famous for levitating during prayer.

How (And Why) You Should Make a Pilgrimage

"A pilgrimage is supposed to model what we're doing on this earth, and our goal in this life is to make it to Heaven."

“The Holy Spirit Chose Gallup” – Meet the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

The Sisters, who are highly sought after and can only accept a limited number of new missions each year, have chosen to teach at Sacred Heart School in Gallup.

Friday News Roundup: Ask a Canon Lawyer Your Questions on Marriage and Annulments

Plus: Annual Golf Classic, AZ Legislative updates, and more!

Saints for Today: Blessed Michael McGivney

Fr. McGivney was a genuine pastor who, in the words of Pope Francis, was unafraid to share “the smell of his sheep.”

“A Matter of Faith”: The Artistic Transformation of Our Lady of the Snows Parish

"It's something that anyone and everyone can avail of - the poor, the rich, doesn't make any difference. They can come into the church and see this beauty and they can be enriched by it."

Must read

Saints For Today: John Paul II, Pope (1920-2005)

John Paul II was so unrestrainedly loved, not just among Catholics but also beyond the Church. This was attributable not only to his immense charisma but also to his instinctive gifts as a communicator.

Diocese to Host Three Retreats Centered on the Eucharist

Join us this December 3rd, February 4, 2023, or June 3, 2023!

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you