In August, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my 6-year-old and I began to explain to him that the family was going to take a trip to a special church, and it would be a long car ride.
My son, who can get anxious in the car, asked how long it would take and if we would have to stay in a hotel. I said about two days, and yes, we would. He thought for a moment and then said with confidence, “We are going to need snacks.”
And so, in the early hours of Sept. 13, my family of six set out in our minivan with a full tank of gas and a cooler filled with snacks. Our pilgrimage was taking us to the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City, Okla. It is dedicated to the first martyr from the United States and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified. The opportunity for the trip came up thanks to my work as a social media coordinator for the National Association of Shrine and Pilgrimage Apostolate, which was having its annual convention near the shrine.
No one would have blamed us for not going. Our youngest was only 7 months old, two of my children and my husband, who is a teacher, would miss school. On top of all that, my mother fell and broke her hip and wrist in May, and I honestly thought that was it. Trip canceled.
But then things started to fall into place. My mother had a successful surgery. My brothers agreed to come stay with her. My husband was able to get the time off and the kids’ teachers were happy to get some homework packets prepared for the trip.
Our path took us southwest over the Smoky Mountains and then due west through Tennessee.
When we finally arrived, I realized that we could not have asked for a better place for our children’s first pilgrimage. Not only is the shrine itself magnificent, both inside and out, but there is a fantastic museum in the pilgrimage center next door. I watched as the kids looked at all the displays documenting Blessed Stanley’s early life, his call to the priesthood, studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and his time serving as a diocesan priest until he transferred to Guatemala, where he was martyred.
We encouraged the kids to pick out items from the gift shop and selected items to bring back home for family and friends who had not heard of Blessed Stanley. One of the items was a children’s guide, designed by The Little Pilgrim, which does a great job telling Blessed Stanley’s story for kids, explaining pilgrimage and the meaning behind several parts of the shrine.
It was in every way a pilgrimage of hope. I hope the kids remember the experience in years to come. I hope it draws their little hearts closer to Christ. I hope the graces we received will continue to help us grow in holiness as a family. I also realized in this trip that it’s good to be a little adventurous with our faith. It’s good to get out of the daily rut to encounter Christ. So, when you feel that rut getting too deep, buckle in the kids and go on a pilgrimage, just don’t forget the snacks.
Kassock is a freelance writer in Fredericksburg.
