This entry has been 16 hours in the making. As we loaded our van at 6am this morning, we couldn't help but notice the cloudless, star-speckled sky. Gazing at the early morning stillness, it was clear that we're all part of something much bigger than ourselves.
Pulling into the parking lot of the Catholic Center to load the bus, we saw a news crew was taping a segment about our group and our upcoming journey. The excitement for the day and the upcoming week in Philadelphia was quite apparent. Before boarding the bus, we started off with a prayer and blessing. Again, part of something bigger than ourselves. Fr. Eric Augustine, our pilgrimage priest, lead us in a beautiful morning prayer.
We traveled through Ohio- stopping for lunch, West Virginia, and finally into Pennsylvania. Beautiful country-side - flat corn fields, rolling hills, and quilted fields of various shades of green. Fifteen hours in a bus can be tiring, but we brought things to keep us occupied- papers to grade, magazines to read, Facebook to update, emails to check. We did watch a few movies too- Muppets Take Manhattan (thinking instantly of my Kindergarten kiddos when I saw Kermit, Fozzy, Animal and Sam Eagle!) and Despicable Me. We prayed a beautiful Rosary and had Evening Prayers.
Being part of something bigger than ourselves is humbling. As we pulled into Philadelphia, the location where our Nation was founded, we were reminded of not only how fortunate we are to enjoy our freedoms, but of the rich and diverse backgrounds that make up our Universal Catholic Church. We are on a pilgrimage with an amazing cross section of Catholics. We are going to be joined this week with hundreds of thousands (some are predicting millions) of other Catholics from around the world, all with their own unique stories, backgrounds and experiences. How fitting it is that the pope chose to celebrate mass in the city were our founding fathers established a nation built upon big dreams - something bigger than themselves.
Pulling into the parking lot of the Catholic Center to load the bus, we saw a news crew was taping a segment about our group and our upcoming journey. The excitement for the day and the upcoming week in Philadelphia was quite apparent. Before boarding the bus, we started off with a prayer and blessing. Again, part of something bigger than ourselves. Fr. Eric Augustine, our pilgrimage priest, lead us in a beautiful morning prayer.
We traveled through Ohio- stopping for lunch, West Virginia, and finally into Pennsylvania. Beautiful country-side - flat corn fields, rolling hills, and quilted fields of various shades of green. Fifteen hours in a bus can be tiring, but we brought things to keep us occupied- papers to grade, magazines to read, Facebook to update, emails to check. We did watch a few movies too- Muppets Take Manhattan (thinking instantly of my Kindergarten kiddos when I saw Kermit, Fozzy, Animal and Sam Eagle!) and Despicable Me. We prayed a beautiful Rosary and had Evening Prayers.
Being part of something bigger than ourselves is humbling. As we pulled into Philadelphia, the location where our Nation was founded, we were reminded of not only how fortunate we are to enjoy our freedoms, but of the rich and diverse backgrounds that make up our Universal Catholic Church. We are on a pilgrimage with an amazing cross section of Catholics. We are going to be joined this week with hundreds of thousands (some are predicting millions) of other Catholics from around the world, all with their own unique stories, backgrounds and experiences. How fitting it is that the pope chose to celebrate mass in the city were our founding fathers established a nation built upon big dreams - something bigger than themselves.