Sunday, November 6th, a group of parishioners and Father Grosch will be departing for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples, to see what they saw, and to pray in the places they prayed. For Father, this will be his second trip to the Holy Land, for others, their 3rd or 4th, and for others, their very first. I have very fond memories of my first pilgrimage, and still recall elements of it when I offer Mass at the altar.

Just to give you an idea of what we’ll be doing and seeing in the Holy Land, here are a few of our destinations:

• Mt. Nebo – where Moses and the Israelites first saw the Promised Land
• Mt. Tabor – where Jesus was transfigured before his disciples
• Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee – where many of Jesus’ miracles were performed
• Cana – where Jesus performed his first miracle of transforming water into wine
• Nazareth – the great Basilica of the Annunciation, and where Jesus grew up
• Gethsemane – where Jesus prayed in the garden before his Passion
• Ein Karem – where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth with her good news
• Bethlehem and the Shepherd’s Fields – the site of our Savior’s birth and the message proclaimed ot the shepherds
• The Via Dolorosa – where Christ walked through the city of Jerusalem to Calvary
• The Church of the Holy Sepulcher – the church encompassing both Calvary and the Empty Tomb

A pilgrimage is certainly very different from your average vacation. The goal isn’t so much to get some time away or enjoy the scenery, but to enter spiritually into the life and ministry of Christ. Pope St. John Paul II once said, “Pilgrimages, a sign of the condition of the disciples of Christ in this world, have always held an important place
in the life of Christians…Their pilgrimage was a process of conversion, a yearning for intimacy with God and a trusting plea for their material needs. For the Church, pilgrimages, in all their multiple aspects, have always been a gift of grace.”

Father would also like to invite you to join us virtually in the Holy Land! He is going to attempt to post videos each day on our trip to his new Youtube channel (although that may depend on time, energy, and an internet connection). Simply go to Youtube.com and search for “Fr. Michael Grosch” or go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpx3f7usiiqCpwkHRev3K8Q. You can even subscribe to the channel to get regular updates. You’ll get a chance to follow our journey, hear some updates, and see some video from these holy sites. But whether you can only join us that way or not at all, please know that you’ll be present with us in our prayers and at the altar. See you soon!