Pilgrims walk from Bronx to Philly, making stop in the archdiocese 

Six pilgrims traveling on foot from New York to the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia took a rest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Westfield on March 4.

The National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia, Modern Catholic Pilgrim, and the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova sponsored the walking pilgrimage from Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in the Bronx, N.Y., to the Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia in South Philadelphia.

Five parishes and the Catholic Center at Rutgers are hosting the pilgrims as they stop each night.

Father Anthony Randazzo, Holy Trinity’s pastor, is no stranger to pilgrimages. He has trekked a combined 500 miles along the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) doing three separate pilgrimages in northwest Spain. So, when Modern Catholic Pilgrim approached him about Holy Trinity being a stop on the Bronx-to-Philadelphia pilgrim trail, he welcomed the opportunity.

“On a pilgrimage, we need the help and hospitality of outside people who provide the voice of the spirit,” Father Randazzo said.

The pilgrims were served a dinner of cutlets, stuffed shells, cakes, and wine at Holy Trinity, where they arrived on the second night of their pilgrimage. After they finished eating, the pilgrims attended the parish’s first Lenten retreat. Then the men went to sleep at the rectory, while the women were put up at a hotel.

In the morning, the pilgrims had breakfast and attended Mass with Holy Trinity’s daily communicants. When they were ready to leave, they were handed sandwiches and Father Randazzo and the head of Holy Trinity’s walking club joined the pilgrims in their walk to Westfield’s border.

Reflecting on the pilgrims’ visit, Father Randazzo said Lent is the perfect time to do a pilgrimage, pointing to last week’s gospel about the Samaritan Woman. Also known as the woman at the well, the story of the meeting of Jesus (a Jew) and the woman (a Samaritan) is a central theme of the Gospel — Jesus’ love for all regardless of their background and social standing.  

“The Gospels are formed from the stories of Jesus going village to village — a pilgrimage in a sense — and the hospitality he met along the way,” Father Randazzo said.

Pilgrims also learn to hand over the journey to God as they meet twists and turns along the way, such as dealing with the rainy weather or blisters, Father Randazzo added. 

The six adults in their 20s began the walk from the Bronx on Sunday, March 3, and will trek 110 miles over seven days before reaching the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia on Sunday, March 9. Saint Rita of Cascia was an Augustinian saint known as a healer, reconciler, and peacemaker.

Aside from Holy Trinity, the pilgrims are spending their nights at Saint Clare Parish in Staten Island, N.Y.;  the Catholic Center at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.; Saint Paul Parish in Princeton, N.J.; Our Lady of Grace Catholic Parish in Penndel, Pa.; and The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia, Pa., until arriving at their final destination. 

As the pilgrims journey 15 to 20 miles each day, they will follow in the spiritual footsteps of Saint Augustine of Hippo as Father Jeremy Hiers, O.S.A., an Augustinian friar, leads the walk, said Jonathan Jerome, executive director of the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia 

“Thousands of people travel across the world for large-scale pilgrimages each year,  most popularly to the Camino de Santiago, the Holy Land, or Rome,” Jerome said. “Yet, there are holy sites all over the world, many in our own backyards.  

“In this way, the idea of a pilgrimage as something only available in a far-off land is reimagined, and opportunities for everyone to experience the fruits of deepening faith and building community through pilgrimage are created,” Jerome added. 

This walking pilgrimage “returns to the basics,” said Jerome, setting a holy destination and bringing prayerful intentions along the journey.  

“We joined this pilgrimage because we wanted to walk and grow, to experience God in others, to discover Augustinian spirituality, and to find hope through the intercession of Saint Rita of Cascia,” said Samantha Vargo of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, the spokesperson for the group of walkers. 

The young Catholics who joined the pilgrimage were Julia Saunders, Brooks Jensen, Brian King, and Michael Santini.   

Photos by Robert Kaplan