A Pilgrimage in Pictures
This past weekend, the seniors at Conception went on the annual “Senior Pilgrimage,” a little four day trip led by Father Samuel Russel, the former president-rector of the seminary. The trip was an opportunity to visit many holy places, including theology schools that some of us might be entering next year. Rather than tell you all about the trip, I figured I’d try to show you with a bunch of pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!
Our first stop was Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Drew Hoffman, a seminarian from Wichita, Kansas and an alumnus of Conception who now attends Kenrick, gave us a tour of the place. We joined them for Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday morning in the newly renovated Saint Joseph Chapel. From there we headed to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (pictured below to the left) followed by the Old Saint Louis Cathedral (below right), and were able to tour both of those beautiful churches as well.
From Saint Louis we headed to the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, a theology school in Mundelein, Illinois outside of Chicago. Once again we attended Morning Prayer and Mass in Saint John Paul II Chapel (also newly renovated) with the seminary community on Saturday morning. Pictured below is senior Phil Novotny, who dared to wear his Green Bay gear throughout the Chicago area all weekend.
Diocese of Omaha seminarian Phil Novonty prays in the newly renovated Saint John Pual II Chapel
After Mass at Mundelein, we began a busy day of pilgrimage in Chicago. The day started with a visit to Marytown, home of a group of Conventual Franciscan Friars. Marytown is known for its perpetual adoration and the national shrine to St. Maximilian Kolbe. It was a great way to begin the day in prayer before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and take in the beauty of the place while we were there.
Following our visit to Marytown, we went to lunch at a hot dog stand that Father Samuel, who grew up in the city, promised us was an authentic Chicago experience. Unfortunately, second Pre-Theology seminarian James Flattery, in the red and yellow striped stocking cap below, forewent the hot dogs and ate at a McDonald’s across the street.
Seminarians stop to have lunch at a hotdog stand in Chicago
From there, we toured Chicago, traveling parish to parish and pausing to pray at each Church we stopped at. The first stop was Father Samuel’s home parish, Saint Benedict’s. Below are pictures of the Church from the street, Father Samuel reliving the good old days as some of the seniors pose behind him, and Jon Hynek looking really excited to pray our pilgrimage prayer, which we said at every church we stopped at. (Below: right)
From there, the tour went on as we stopped at the Basilica of Saint Hyacinth, where many of us knelt to pray at the altar, the incredible St. Mary of the Angels parish, seen from inside and out, and even the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, where we prayed before the iconostasis filled with images of many saints.
After a beautiful, prayerful day of good old Catholic sightseeing, we stopped for dinner at a favorite place of Father Samuel’s, a Lithuanian restaurant that paid homage to his country of origin. We spent an enjoyable evening at table and got to enjoy each other’s company for a little bit.
Enjoying a nice dinner together
On Sunday, we slept in and then went to a Chaldean Rite Catholic Church in one of the Chicago suburbs for Mass. We visited a couple more churches that afternoon before heading, at the request of Diocese of Salina senior Jim Sulanka, to the Willis Tower, the second tallest building in the United States. A group of us went to the top and looked out on the city, wonderfully lit up that Sunday night. There were even glass boxes where we could step out and look down at the street below us. Jim, the same man who requested to go to the Willis Tower, was a little bit nervous about stepping onto the glass box, as you can see below.
The visit to Willis Tower was followed by dinner at the famous Giordano’s Restaurant, home of some of the best deep dish pizza Chicago has to offer. After the meal, we were all a little tired and stuffed, as senior from the Congregation of the Mother Co-Redemptrix, Brother Damien Phung displays pretty well below.
Dinner at the famous Giordano’s Restaurant for some Chicago style pizza
After a long, but awesome weekend we returned to Conception Monday night just in time to celebrate First Vespers of the Immaculate Conception with the community. The Senior Pilgrimage was an incredible adventure that I will never forget, and helped me to realize how grateful I am to be a part of Conception Seminary College’s Class of 2016.
