Cheerful pilgrims walk “10 Miles with Jesus”
On April 6, more than 1,000 people made a 10-mile pilgrimage from St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish in Linden, N.J. to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. They walked under gray skies with moments of rain, but their faces were full of joy and gratitude. Among those present were families with children, priests, religious sisters, and friars.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., also joined the procession, walking with other pilgrims as they followed large wooden crosses, prayed, and sang hymns together. At the end of the procession lines, priests heard confessions as they walked.
“It’s amazing, it’s beautiful,” one of the pilgrims, Jessica, told Jersey Catholic. “On this walk, with the rain, the cold, the wet socks, you just feel God’s presence.”
Experiencing the love of God
10 Miles with Jesus began five years ago, when organizer Eva Kirsz had the idea to have a pilgrimage from St. Theresa’s, home to the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, to Newark’s historic Gothic cathedral. She calls John Paul II “a model,” because of his witness in “proudly going out into the world.”
The idea resonated with the people of the parish and beyond.
“The reason we organize this event is simply as the answer to the desire that people have in their heart, their hunger for God,” said Fr. Ireneusz Pierzchala, pastor of St. Theresa’s. “If it weren’t an answer, people would not come for the third, fourth, or fifth time. These people are embracing the opportunity to experience community and the love of God.”
The event attracts people from across the region and from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. In previous years, the procession was organized into two groups—consisting of Polish and English speakers—to facilitate communication and worship. This year, a Spanish-language group was also added, energetically led by Fr. Grzegorz Dziedzic, the parochial vicar of St. Theresa’s.
“It reflects the character of our archdiocese,” Fr. Pierzchala said. “We are so diverse in our backgrounds, but we all have the same goal. This is an opportunity for us to experience God’s love—pray together, walk together, and try to stay dry together!”
Light rain and Polish soup
The weather mostly held up during the pilgrimage, though it was damp and chilly with a few moments of light rain. No one seemed to mind. “It’s really a beautiful sacrifice,” one pilgrim told Jersey Catholic. “We need to get closer to the Lord; the weather doesn’t matter.”
After a few miles, everyone took a break. “¿Estás cansado?” Fr. Grzegorz asked his group playfully. “No!” they responded in unison.
They were hungry, though. Cheerful volunteers handed out warm cups of Żurek (Polish white borscht soup), along with rolls and sweets. Kirsz explained that hospitality is an ideal central to Polish culture, something that was evident throughout Sunday’s pilgrimage.
An especially appealing aspect of 10 Miles with Jesus is the sense of welcome extended to each person present. One of them, Alexandra, said that the spirit of the event is attractive to people. “I’ve been coming ever since it started, bringing people with me, and every year there is one more in our group,” she said, adding that the pilgrimage is also spiritually enriching. “It grounds us and brings us back to reality.”
“And the food’s great, too!” one of her family members chimed in.
Witnesses to a living Church
Jessica is a regular attendee, coming every year from Lyndhurst to join the walk. “The first year, my sister dragged me here,” she said. “I thought, ‘Ten miles!’ But I loved it, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s an amazing experience because during Lent I feel like I don’t sacrifice enough for God. This is my sacrifice.”
Attendees also spoke about the public nature of the pilgrimage as one of the pluses of participating. The pilgrimage drew attention as it passed residential houses, historic churches, shops, and warehouses. Cars slowed down as they drove past the long lines of pilgrims.
Dominika, who helped carry the banner that led the procession, noticed peoples’ expressions as they stopped to see what was going on. “People smile, they wave to us, they look happy,” she said. “Other people look surprised, then they look at the banner and see Jesus.”
This was certainly true when the 10 Miles with Jesus procession passed through downtown Elizabeth. Many store owners left their shops, curious about what was happening. People on the street took out their phones to snap photos. Some of them waved, while others exchanged smiles with the pilgrims as they walked by them.
For Kirsz, moments like these capture the spirit of the 10 Miles with Jesus pilgrimage:
“As Cardinal Tobin himself told us, we were really witnesses today that the Church is alive in 2025.”
You can view more images of the 10 Miles with Jesus event here.
Featured image: “10 Miles with Jesus” pilgrims walk from Linden’s St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Photo by John Touhey, Archdiocese of Newark)
