PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Catholic Americans can celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday and simultaneously grow closer to their faith by making a pilgrimage to one of many religious shrines across the nation.
“There is just so much to discover in our country,” said Karen Rohrecker, director of sales and marketing for Peter’s Way Tours Inc., a company specializing in pilgrimages.
One popular destination is the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion, Wisconsin, which welcomes more than 200,000 visitors a year, said John Paul Brissette, the organization’s communications director.
It was there in 1859 that the Blessed Mother appeared to Adele Brise, an illiterate 28-year-old Belgian immigrant, whom she instructed to teach the faith to children in the community, which was populated at the time by Belgian immigrants.
“Our Lady instructed Adele to teach the children what they needed to know for salvation,” Brissette explained. “And because she was illiterate, she responded to Our Lady and said, ‘But how can I teach them when I know so little myself?’ And then Our Lady instructed her to go and fear nothing for she would help her.”
Brise, who arranged to have a school and a chapel built at the site, died in 1896 and is buried on the grounds. The Vatican approved the location as a Marian apparition in 2022 — making it the first and only official Marian apparition site in the U.S.
RELATED: Sainthood Cause Formally Opens for Woman Who Witnessed First Approved US Marian Apparition
Pilgrims traveling to St. Augustine, Florida, can find the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche. Established by Spanish settlers in 1609 to honor Our Lady of La Leche, the shrine contains a famous image of the Blessed Mother nursing the infant Jesus. La Leche is Spanish for “the milk.”
It is oldest Catholic shrine in the U.S. and was named a national shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2019.
In the western U.S., pilgrims gravitate to the Spanish Missions. There are 21 missions stretching 800 miles from San Diego to Sonoma that were established by St. Junipero Serra and other Franciscan missionaries.
Peter Bahou, founder and president of Peter’s Way Tours Inc., said U.S. pilgrimages are important to budget-conscious travelers. “Being closer to home is very important for the elderly who cannot travel and for people who do not have the means to travel overseas,” he said.
Catholics can find shrines all over the country dedicated to saints.
The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, located in Emmitsburg, Maryland includes a basilica, the saint’s original stone house and a museum — all in memory of the first American born saint who established the country’s parochial school system.
Rohrecker said she was impressed with shrines in Philadelphia, including the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, that she saw on a pilgrimage. “I didn’t know these shrines existed. It was wonderful to see them. I learned so much about the Catholic Church in America,” she added.
One of the largest collections of religious relics outside of the Vatican can be found at St. Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburgh. The chapel houses 5,000 items.
A trip to Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama (55 miles north of Birmingham) offers visitors the chance to see miniature reproductions of 125 famous religious structures, like St. Peter’s Basilica.
The most important part of a pilgrimage is attending Mass, said Bahou, who added that a pilgrimage is a spiritual journey, not a vacation.
“A daily Mass is a must at the shrines and it’s also a must to find a local guide who can give an explanation of the dynamics of the shrines. Those are the two elements you need in a pilgrimage,” he explained.
