Dear beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,

 

I will be out-of-town July 27 to August 13. Father Bob Markunas will cover the Masses as usual and be available if a priest is needed. Thank you, Father Bob!

 

During my time away from the parish, I will be teaching for a week at St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, my alma mater. I teach preaching to men in formation to become permanent deacons. This particular group is from Belleview, Illinois. As a bonus, the annual alumni reunion takes place while I am at St. Meinrad. Maybe I will run into my classmates from the class of 1993!

 

It has been three years, pre-pandemic, since I have made a good weeklong retreat. I figured that as long asI am at St. Meinrad, I will make a retreat. On retreat, I will join the monks of Meinrad for their daily prayers and Mass. Look for me on the St. Meinrad livestream.

 

While I am on the road, my Thursday flocknote will take a sabbatical. You will still get an email from me on Sundays usually about the Sunday scripture for Mass. The Thursday flocknote will restart in late August.

 

By the way, my homily column “Sunday Word” appears in the Florida Catholic for the month of August. The Florida Catholic is the official media of the Diocese of Orlando. It covers Catholic news, faith reflections, and diocesan events. You can get a free subscription!

 

My other upcoming travel plans is a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November 2-13, 2022. We have about thirty people on the trip and room for a few more. Shawn Lurie at the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land is coordinating with our guide, Fr Peter Vasko, who lives in the Holy Land.

 

If you have not yet made a pilgrimage, you are missing out. Instead of a shopping trip on a Caribbean cruise, consider a pilgrimage. Let me make a couple of suggestions.

 

First, El Camino. No, not the coolest car you never drove. El Camino is a pilgrim route through Spain that ends in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. The most popular Camino is the French Way. Martin Sheen made a movie in 2010 about walking “The Way.”

 

There is more than one Way. The route that I walked for a week in 2016 was the Portuguese Way. Along the Way, we prayed the rosary, visited with one another, and met other pilgrims. It is a walking retreat. Step by step, your faith is strengthened. As a bonus, the food is delicious! Despite walking a hundred kilometers, I did not lose a pound. Next trip, walk the Way!

 

For those who want to stay closer to home, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is one of the most popular pilgrim sites in the world. 

 

Finally, family pilgrimages. You can make a day trip to the city of St. Augustine to see the place of the first Mass in the New World, now surrounded by a beautiful and peaceful retreat center on the intracoastal water. The family that prays together stays together. You can take your family on a half-day trip to our own Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. Her neighbor Mickey Mouse across Interstate 4 may be king of Disney World, but Mary is head and shoulders above him as Queen of the Universe! The Basilica has a lush outdoors rosary garden. Inside, don’t miss the many statues and the chapel inspired by NASA.

 

Pilgrimages are an ancient practice of our faith. Don’t follow the crowd to the usual vacation places. Make a pilgrimage and walk with the Lord.

 

Buen Camino!

Father David