Get There Together, or Not at All: A Reflection on 115 miles from NYC to the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia
My name is Father Jeremy Hiers, and I am an Augustinian Friar serving in the South Philadelphia area. I have been involved with walking pilgrimage ministry for about two years now. During that time I have had the opportunity to lead or participate in several one-day walking pilgrimages around the city of Philadelphia, as well as participate in one led by Modern Catholic Pilgrim. There is something empowering about the experience of walking alongside another person, having a shared destination, learning their story, hearing about their hopes and dreams, praying for and with each other. As I encounter fellow pilgrims, it doesn’t take long to discover that I’m not just walking next to another brother or sister, but Christ himself who is present and speaks to me through that person. An earthly pilgrimage is but part of a much larger pilgrimage we enter from the moment of birth, a pilgrimage through earthly life to heaven.
Walking with Augustinians, a pilgrimage from our Augustinian parish in the Bronx (St. Nicholas of Tolentine) to the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia in South Philadelphia, was my first multi-day pilgrimage. It was both scary and exciting at the same time. Scary because I had never walked 115 miles over the course of seven consecutive days. I knew there would be some pain, blisters, maybe even some bad weather we would have to walk through. I knew there would be temptation to quit. I also didn’t know most of the people on this pilgrimage very well, so I would be walking with strangers! Yet, I was also excited because I believed our Augustinian charism would come alive. There is something about a shared vision and shared suffering that can unite a group of people to be of one mind and heart.
That is the vision St. Augustine had 1,600 years ago. After his conversion, he realized he could not live his own earthly pilgrimage to heaven without other like-minded and hearted people in his life. He formed a community of brothers and called them to live with one mind and heart intent upon God by sharing all things in common and caring for one another, especially the weaker members of the community. This is the vision Augustinians strive to live today and can be a vision for a number of life situations: family life, work life, etc. I hoped this pilgrimage would be an opportunity to demonstrate that witness today.
Gathering:
As we gathered in New York to begin the journey, it was amazing to see the many gifts God brought through the six of us whom he called on this pilgrimage. Humor, detailed planning skills, prior experience with multi-day pilgrimages, knowledge of the towns we would walk through, coaching experience, and expertise in Augustine and Augustinian spirituality were just some of the gifts that my fellow pilgrims brought. We hadn’t even started walking before I felt confident God had brought these people to journey together because we would each need one another in some way.
Even before I left Philadelphia to head up to New York, I knew I had packed too much. I would never walk 115 miles with this much weight on my back. I ended up shedding a book and a few shirts and some toiletries on the very first night. Several days later I would shed a few more shirts, another book, and even a pair of shoes, all to make the journey a little easier.
That is sort of what we do in life. We carry things we don’t need: not only material things, but also resentments, shame, unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others, anger, fear, resistance to change. God invites us to let go of these things so we can continue our journey with Him.
We began our pilgrimage by receiving the real presence of Christ through Mass and reflecting together on what we were going to leave in NY in order to lighten our load in life so we could grow closer to God during this pilgrimage. For each person, that meant asking: Do I need to leave behind an old dream in order to discover a new one? Did I need to leave behind a toxic relationship in order to pursue a new one? Do I need to leave behind an image of myself that is different from the image our Creator has for me? Did I need to leave behind an old habit that consumes my life? Perhaps I need to leave behind complacency and just start walking towards a new goal.
At last, we were off for our 115 mile journey to Philadelphia! We had no idea what would happen, but we left with enthusiasm and hope that the nearly 230K steps would lead us closer to the God who was already walking with us.
Beginning:
I think the first day was the hardest for me. By the time we reached the Staten Island Ferry, which would take us to our host for the first night, most of us were in pain. Our bodies hadn’t gotten used to the walk yet, and I think many were questioning if they could continue for six more days. We were tired, sore, and ready to rest.
To make matters worse, we missed our intended ferry by a mere five minutes! The additional 25 minutes in the busy terminal were agonizing as we waited for the next one, anxious to get to our destination for some much needed rest. When it showed up we found out that of the many ferries in the fleet, we would ride the newly commissioned Dorothy Day – quite a coincidence since that night we would be staying with members of the Catholic Worker Movement she founded in 1933.
This simple “coincidence” was a sign that God was truly with us, in our pain and suffering. How often in life we are so focused on the pain and misfortunes we face that we completely miss signs and blessings of God’s presence with us. I would never have noticed this wink from God had another pilgrim not pointed it out to me.
Encountering:
On the pilgrimage, Jesus came to us in many ways. One of the biggest was through the hospitality that so many offered us. The families and churches who volunteered to open their homes to strangers like us so we could eat and sleep. The people who would see us passing by with our bags and ask us what we were up to, then offer us money for lunch or prayers. The businesses who let us make a bathroom break as we passed by. Jesus came in so many ways through the people we encountered throughout the journey.
We also had an opportunity to be Jesus to others as we heard their stories and offered to pray for them. One of the most powerful moments I had was encountering a woman at a Wawa we had stopped at for lunch. She was curious about our backpacks. We explained the purpose of our pilgrimage and she immediately said, “Oh my gosh, I was meant to run into you. My son just died; would you pray for me?” We assured her we would, and would specifically mention her and her son at the final Mass when we arrived. We then had the opportunity to tell her about Saint Rita and how she had lost two sons and therefore would be a powerful intercessor. Those of us who spoke to us shared her story with the rest of the group, and she became a part of all of our daily prayers.
Jesus also came to us through each other. We each seemed to have our bad day. Some days I would be in the front making a good pace while others were more tired. Other days I would be the slower one while the people who were tired yesterday led the group. We all had our bad day or two on the pilgrimage. Yet we never left anyone behind, we never separated from one another. As a community, we seemed to naturally keep the pace of the person who needed to go slow and never hesitated to stop when another member needed to stop. We encouraged one another along the way, a nice distraction from the pain and fatigue.
We prayed together regularly. This kept us united.
One of the more touching moments of the pilgrimage came on a day when we were experiencing a consistent downpour. It was rainy, we were all wet, and we were on a trail without any shelter. All we could do was keep walking. Sam had developed a painful injury in her foot and had spent many miles dodging puddles when one finally got her, and I watched as her injured foot was fully submerged in icy water. To avoid any more blisters forming than she already had, she had to stop immediately to change her sock, even though it was pouring rain with no shelter in sight. A couple of the guys used a poncho to create a tent so she could care for her foot under shelter, while the rest of us offered encouragement and support. She was crying in pain yet laughter would also break through from the goofiness and attentiveness of her companions. After this brief break, a couple of the other pilgrims took turns carrying Sam’s backpack so she could walk without the extra weight on her feet for a few miles.
I wish the world was more like what we did on the pilgrimage. Where we walk alongside those who are weaker among us, and rather than passing each other by or oppressing one another, we pull our resources together to help those in need.
“In loving others, and caring for them, you are on a journey. Where is journey’s end if not the Lord our God, the One we should love with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind? We have not yet reached him, but our neighbor is here at our side. Look after this companion of your pilgrimage if would would reach the One whom you desire to be with forever. ”
We were going to get there together, or we were not going to get there at all. This pilgrimage was but a sample of what life is really about. Our entire life here on Earth is a pilgrimage to another place, heaven.
Arriving:
At last, together, we DID arrive! It was a powerful experience. We had done it together and with the help of so many people God sent to meet us along the way. Over the course of the pilgrimage we had collected so many prayer requests, and it was finally time to present those to Saint Rita, who was herself inspired by Saint Augustine. Who herself longed for understanding and community, who experienced great suffering, loss, and disappointment, and willingness to encounter Christ through others. Who through all that became the patron saint of Impossible Causes and Peacemaking. We had gotten to know her through our many miles, and it was so powerful to enter her “house” and bring to her our most vivid petitions in the Holy Mass and in a novena prayer to Saint Rita herself.
I think our lives will be forever changed by this experience. Ultimately this was an experience of encounter, an encounter with God through each other and the many people we met along the way. Even though we began the journey as strangers, we ended it as friends. Having a shared destination and shared suffering enabled us to come together in a way that is unfortunately not very common in our modern world. On this pilgrimage, it didn’t matter where we came from, how we voted, what hobbies we had, what our ethnic background was. What mattered was that we were all restless, restless to arrive at a place other than where we began. We all felt called to journey to a place, and we journeyed together, giving one another hope.
If only our world could realize we are all looking for the same things. Peace, love, eternal life. If only our world could put our differences aside and journey more closely together. I’m so grateful for the witness of Saint Augustine and Saint Rita … I’m so grateful I have the opportunity to witness their legacy lived out today.
“When a traveler gets tired of walking along the dusty road, he puts up with fatigue because he hopes to arrive home. Rob him of any hope of arriving and immediately his strength is broken. So too, our hope for heaven which we have now is an important factor easing the pain of our just exile and sometimes harsh journey.”
-Saint Augustine (Sermon 158, 8)
