Day Six Photos and Update

From John Shaughnessy, assistant editor of our weekly newspaper, The Criterion:
 
It was a day of “returning to roots” at the end of a pilgrimage that took Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin and 80 pilgrims from the Archdiocese back to the deep roots of their Catholic faith.
 
For Archbishop Tobin, the first stop on the bus journey on July 1 was a personally poignant one, returning him to the place that he called home for the longest extension of his life—18 years. In 1991, he left the United States to come to Rome as a leader of his order—the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists.
 
Twenty-two years later, he was back in the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori—the founder of the order—celebrating the farewell Mass of the pilgrimage for the pilgrims from his new home, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
 
In the church that is also a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Hope, the archbishop’s homily focused on the true hope and homecoming awaiting all people of faith. He talked about the power of evangelization, stating “the connection is in the hands of Mary” who leads people to her son, “the Savior of the world.”
 
“As we gather for the last time on this pilgrimage, let us ask Mary to help us to appreciate more the gift we have in Jesus … and to make us disciples of Jesus to bring this message to people in central and southern Indiana.”
 
Showing emotions at times during the Mass, the archbishop led a tour of the peaceful, beautiful gardens of the community where he used to live. He shook hands with and called out to old friends while he also posed for photos and shared memories with the pilgrims of the archdiocese.
 

Later on the bus journey, two Benedictine sisters on the pilgrimage displayed their emotions during a visit to the mountain community of Subiaco, the site of St. Benedict’s Abbey. Although they were a world away from their home at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Sister Juliann Babcock and Sister Rebecca Fitterer experienced a homecoming of the heart and the soul at the abbey.
 
“This is one of the main highlights of the whole trip for me,” said Sister Juliann, as she stood near an image of St. Benedict. “This is like coming home. This is the family’s roots. To stand where Benedict stood and to be able to pray for our community is a very holy thing for me. It’s very sacred space. I told all of the sisters I would be praying for them. ”
 
Sister Rebecca rejoiced in the spiritual homecoming, too.
 
“We started this pilgrimage with the archbishop talking about connections,” Sister Rebecca said. “For me, this is a very emotional connection with our roots.”
 
The connection between parents and children was also a part of the pilgrimage as Dolores and Michael Holland shared the journey with their daughter, Marianne, and their son, Joe. Their daughter, Dolores, who wasn’t able to make the trip because of work, was also in their thoughts as the pilgrimage traveled to places at the heart of the Catholic faith—to the Catacombs San Sebastian where early Christians were buried, to a chapel for Mass near the tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica, and to the hometown of St. Catherine of Siena, who always put her faith first.
Dolores Holland followed that path, too, in scheduling the pilgrimage for her family.
 
“I originally meant for this to be a healing trip,” said Dolores about a health concern in her family. “Now, it’s a thanksgiving trip.
 
“After all we’ve been through, it’s been good to be with holy people at holy places. We have been surrounded by goodness. It’s going to be life-changing for my kids, too. I’ve been lifted up by everybody’s spirit and faith.”
 
On a day of “returning to roots,” the pilgrimage offered even more stunning views of how deep the connections can grow when Catholics live their faith.
   
See a photo gallery from Day Six of the pilgrimage
  
See a group photo here