On Pilgrimage with the Catholic Distance University

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 10/5/06)

In the Sept. 21 issue of The Arlington Catholic HERALD, I described the pilgrimage being sponsored by The Catholic Distance University, which began on Sept. 19. As I write this article, I am returning home aboard a 747 jet along with the other 80 pilgrims who journeyed together to Sicily and Italy.
We arrived in Rome on Sept. 20 via an overnight flight to Frankfurt. All of us were not able to fly from Rome to Catania (Sicily) on the same plane. So, the group which had a six-hour layover in the Rome airport went to Ostia. After lunch, I celebrated Mass for this group in the Church of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, in Ostia, which is staffed by the Pallotine Fathers. It was a special joy for us to visit Ostia, where St. Monica died, after having experienced the answer to her 30 years of prayer and penance in the conversion of her son Augustine. The pilgrims and I reflected on her words recorded in St. Augustine’s Confessions. “Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?”
I could not help but think of those parents whose hearts are broken by the non-practice of their children; in St. Monica, they have an encouraging model and a steadfast intercessor. One day, please God, their children will return to the practice of their faith, drawing ever closer to the Lord, who keeps searching for them in His absolutely faithful love.
We landed in Catania later that evening and went by bus to Syracuse where we spent the night. Next morning, Sept. 21, we traveled to Agrigento to visit the historic and well-preserved Greek temples, famous for their beauty. In the Valley of the Temples, we admired the Temples of Juno, Castor and Pollux, and Concordia. From there, we continued our pilgrimage to Cefalù, where we participated in the Holy Mass in the cathedral dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. Once again, we were in awe as we gazed upon the mosaics in the apse, depicting so beautifully Christ the Teacher and the Virgin Mary with Four Angels.
Cefalù is located quite close to the mountain town of Pollina, from which my father emigrated to the United States in 1920. Several of my relatives traveled from Pollina and joined us for the celebration of Holy Mass and a brief visit afterward.
Two priests from our diocese were also on pilgrimage: Father Paul deLadurantaye, director of the Office for Religious Education and the Office for Worship; and Father Alexander Drummond, administrator of the parish of St. Catherine of Siena in Great Falls. What a joy it was for me to have these brother priests with me, concelebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice each day, taking turns in preaching homilies and offering pastoral care to the other pilgrims.
Father deLadurantaye had spent a month in Sicily on a pastoral assignment during his formation at the North American College in Rome. As the rector of the cathedral was explaining the history and significance of the truly impressive mosaics of Christ and the Virgin in the apse, suddenly Father deLadurantaye and the rector realized that they had met 21 years earlier in that same cathedral! It was a joyous and memorable moment!
Each day, after we boarded the buses for our continuing pilgrimage, we prayed to our Blessed Mother (three Hail Marys) and then invoked the saints who have a particular relationship with the places we visited or with our diocese: Our Lady of the Rosary (Pompeii), St. Joseph, St. Agatha (Catania), St. Lucy (Syracuse), St. Rosalia (Palermo), St. Padre Pio (San Giovanni Rotondo), St. Michael (Mount Gargano), St. Benedict (Monte Cassino), St. Peter and St. Paul (Rome), St. Thomas More and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (patrons of our diocese) and St. Christopher (patron of motorists).
From Cefalù, we went to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. The next morning, Sept. 22, we toured Palermo and then made our way to Monreale, where we celebrated the Holy Mass in a beautiful cathedral whose apse contains another historic and magnificent mosaic of Christ, similar yet different from the one in Cefalù. Again, the grandeur of this mountainous site was not lost on us!
Traveling by overnight ferry from Palermo to Naples, we arrived early in the morning, Sept. 23. Making our way to Pompeii, we toured the ruins of the ancient Roman city, perfectly preserved as a result of the lava explosion from Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and then Holy Mass was offered in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary.
We then journeyed to San Giovanni Rotondo, where St. Padre Pio lived for 51 years. We arrived in the evening of his feast day. Thousands of pilgrims filled the streets and his shrine. Later that evening, impressive fireworks and a concert concluded the festivities, which were primarily marked by a profound spirit of faith and prayerful intercession.
The next day, Sept. 24, the pilgrims took part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice celebrated in the original church where Padre Pio himself offered the Mass and heard confessions. How privileged we priests were to be in the sacristy and stand at the very spot were Padre Pio vested each day for the celebration of the Mass! During this Mass, we were joined by pilgrims from the Diocese of Alexandria and Shreveport (in Louisiana) and the two priests accompanying them.
How powerfully present is the spirit of Padre Pio in the church and friary as well as in the whole town! His love for God and God’s people remains tangible and visible in the church and confessional where he was the instrument of God’s reconciling love; in the friary where we visited in prayerful silence the crucifix before which he received the stigmata, in the cell in which he lived and his tomb; and in the hospital which he was so instrumental in having built. The Hospital for the Relief of Suffering has expanded several times since its beginning and is truly a source of healing and comfort for the thousands who come to its doors.
The next day, Sept. 25, after having celebrated the Holy Mass once more in San Giovanni Rotondo — this time in the chapel inside our hotel — we traveled to Rome, stopping in the mid-afternoon to visit the Benedictine Monastery at Monte Cassino. Here we recalled the holy lives of St. Benedict and of his sister St. Scholastica.
In the evening, we arrived in Rome! Although the rain was coming down in torrents, nothing could dampen our spirits as we entered the Eternal City for the final four days of our pilgrimage. After having supper at a local restaurant near the Via Nazionale, we bussed to our hotel on the Via Aurelia Antica.
Rising early on Sept. 26, we went to the Basilica of St. Peter where we participated in the Eucharistic Sacrifice at the altar of Blessed John XXIII. For so many of us, he was truly familiar, having initiated the Second Vatican Council over whose first session he presided before dying on June 3, 1963. Following the Mass, we toured the Vatican Museum with its countless treasures and then marveled at the restored Sistine Chapel. From there, we then visited St. Peter’s Basilica, again deeply touched by being so close to the beginnings of our faith and to the many saints who walked in faith centuries before us, a veritable cloud of witnesses to spur us in to victory!
In the afternoon, the pilgrims toured classical Rome including the Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine and the Coliseum. Before the tour concluded, we visited as well the Catacombs of San Callisto and the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, we began with an early Mass at a nearby church called Santa Maria della Perseveranza. From there, we went to the Papal Audience held in the Square of St. Peter. Over 40,000 pilgrims were gathered on this day to hear the message of Pope Benedict XVI, who devoted his catechesis on this day to a beautiful reflection on the Apostle St. Thomas. We were privileged to have been given a special seating at the top of the piazza through the gracious assistance of Msgr. Roger Roensch, director of the U.S. Bishops’ Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican in Rome. I believe that the memory of this audience with our Holy Father will remain indelible for each of us. During my brief visit with the Holy Father at the end of the audience, I assured him of the prayers and loyalty of our entire diocese and of Catholic Distance University’s unswerving fidelity to the Teaching Office of the Church in all its teachings and instructions.
That afternoon, the pilgrims visited the two other remaining major Roman basilicas, i.e. St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major, and also saw the Church of St. Peter in Chains, where they viewed Michelangelo’s famous “Moses.”
Sept. 28 was a free day for all the pilgrims. A goodly number chose to stay in Rome, visiting churches or revisiting sites already seen, doing some personal shopping or just relaxing. Some took a trip to Assisi and, en route, stopped in Orvieto.
Early in the morning on Sept. 29, 3 a.m. to be exact, we began the trip back home, flying from Rome to Frankfurt and then from Frankfurt to Dulles Airport. Thus, our CDU pilgrimage came to an end.
I believe that this pilgrimage enabled each of us to reclaim the precious heritage of our Catholic Faith, to deepen our communion with the Lord, and through Him, with each other, and to understand more fully the motivation for the mission of The Catholic Distance University. CDU exists in order for individuals anywhere around the world to learn more deeply and fully the teachings of our precious Catholic Faith, so that, enriched by the faith in all its fullness, each one may be a light in the world, inviting everyone to come to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, and to find authentic communion and life-giving love within the Church He founded.
Yes, this CDU pilgrimage has come to its conclusion. As one pilgrim put it, quoting St. Peter the Apostle on Mount Tabor, “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” To that, I add: “It was! Amen! Deo Gratias!”

Copyright (c) 2006 Arlington Catholic Herald