Seminarians Walk 235 Miles Visiting Wisconsin Shrines
“A pilgrimage on foot is a great aid for rediscovering the value of silence, effort and simplicity of life,” remarked Pope Francis as he announced the Holy Year for Pilgrims of Hope (Spes non confundit §5). Appropriately, in May of this year, a group of seminarians from the Diocese of La Crosse set out on a special pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady: a two-week walk to the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion on the other side of Wisconsin. One of these pilgrims, Jake Lozon, described for the Shrine of his diocese the trials and fruits of this journey.
The inspiration came to him during a week-long silent retreat in South Dakota. “I felt called to do a walking pilgrimage for our Blessed Mother,” he explains, “with the intention of offering pain, joys, everything, the whole trip … to pray for my future parishioners, whoever they will be.”
Preparation for the Pilgrimage
After taking time to pray about this thought, then to prepare for the trip, Jake planned his route from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. The route, a total of 210 miles, was designed to allow for stops at certain churches, homes of fellow seminarians, and the convent of the Seraphic Adorers of the Child Jesus in Plover. Two other seminarians, Brian Schmit and Cade Statz, joined in portions of the pilgrimage.
Jake also set out with a journal laden with prayer requests. In carrying many people’s intentions with him to Our Lady’s Shrine, he allowed others, in a sense, to accompany him spiritually. “When you’re on a pilgrimage through life, you don’t go through it alone,” Jake reflects. “We pray with others. We go to Mass. There’s this unity. And so my intention with bringing a prayer journal was, as I’m going through this, it’s not just me. There’s also other people who can join this pilgrimage as well.”
Among those the seminarians spiritually brought with them was the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, whose election took place the very day they started. “It was beautiful that we got to start our pilgrimage with that kind of joy,” says Jake. “It was just surreal … We shared in the joy of the world, and we were able to partake in the [Urbi et Orbi Blessing].”
Not Without Trials
Walking through open country day after day requires a good deal of endurance. “The first two days were absolutely terrible,” Jake shares frankly. “I had four or five blisters all over my feet [and] I got terrible sunburn on my right leg.” Other trials included freezing rain, from which Jake’s mother rescued the pilgrims, and spending a night at the edge of a cemetery with howling coyotes close by.
On the other hand, the pilgrims found many reasons for joy and gratitude. Among these were various encounters with people along the way. “Every community that we came to, we were welcomed,” Jake recalls. “We made ourselves a gift to them and they made themselves a gift to us.” This warm community relationship blossomed not only at the homes of parish priests and seminarian friends, but in chance meetings with strangers who expressed concern or interest. These often presented opportunities to discuss faith, as the seminarians explained the purpose of their trip.
The Reaffirming Love of Our Blessed Mother
The pilgrimage also proved spiritually fruitful as a radical form of devotion. Walking through the beautiful Wisconsin countryside to Our Lady’s holy place, and finally arriving at the long-desired goal, Jake found himself interiorly renewed, especially in his connection with his heavenly Mother. Regarding what he took from his experience, he says, “I think the most immediate is the reaffirming love of our Blessed Mother for me, and I think for my priesthood.”
Overall, the pilgrimage was a deeply joyful time, a time to grow in prayer and silence. “It’s been such a huge joy,” Jake affirms. “Silence has been nice. Obviously, you can’t always think because you’re trying to watch out for cars and whatnot, but it’s a great time to breathe, really.” He heartily recommends the pilgrimage, and expresses a hope that walking pilgrimages between Wisconsin’s Marian shrines, whether a route like his own or one including Holy Hill, might become the United States’ equivalent of the Camino in Spain.
In their extraordinary act of devotion, these three seminarians practiced the spirit of the Holy Year in a remarkably concrete way. Through the joys and difficulties of their walk, they persevered “toward the goal of [their] encounter with the Lord Jesus” (SNC §5) in His Mother’s holy place. May each of us do the same, especially on the great pilgrimage that is every human life. As Jake says, “My life, it’s a pilgrimage. There’s good parts. There’s terrible parts. But in all, it’s just beauty.”
