In the footsteps of Jesus:
Archdiocesan pilgrimage takes young adults to Holy Land
Adam Boyden dips his rosaries into the Jordan River, the site of Jesus’ baptism. Many young adults placed objects into the river to take back for family and friends.
By Katie Berger (Special to The Criterion)
Kyle and Susan Cordes will always remember the joy of renewing their
wedding vows in Cana, the site where
Jesus performed his first public miracle by turning water into wine.
Doug Marcotte will never forget praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christ suffered in agony the night before his death.
Those enduring memories were part of a different kind of pilgrimage this summer.
Twenty-one young adults, ranging in age from 18 to 35, traveled on July 15-25 on an archdiocesan-sponsored trip to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. (See more pictures below)
The trip to Israel was organized by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and, unlike most pilgrimages, was aimed at young people who have a hunger for a different experience of faith.
“Young adults who are engaged in their faith often need to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ, and pilgrimages are perfect opportunities for growth in faith through many different facets,” said Father Jonathan Meyer, archdiocesan director of youth ministry, who led the pilgrimage.
Prayer, worship, Scripture, fraternity, travel and discussion are facets of young adult ministry that Father Meyer believes are important, and they were all included in the trip.
“I think it helped me to be with young adults because I could relate to everyone more,” said Bridget King, a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Indianapolis, who is also a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington.
“What made the trip even better,” she continued, “was the fact that we were all experiencing it for the first time together.”
The participants’ ages contributed to the pilgrimage’s faster pace.
“We were able to accomplish a lot each day because the group was young and had lots of energy,” said Father Meyer, who also serves as associate pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis. On several days, the group added stops because they had finished their scheduled agenda early.
The trip took pilgrims to the biblical cities of Jaffa, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Capernaum, Bethany and Jericho.
Present-day Israel looks little like what Jesus would have seen more than 2,000 years ago, but at each site the group paused to recall the Scripture story set there, providing an important link between old and new.
“When I read [Scripture], I no longer have to imagine many of the places because I have seen them with my own eyes,” said Doug Marcotte, a member of St. Mary Parish in Greenfield. Marcotte is a seminarian of the archdiocese who is studying at Saint Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad.
While the 10-day trip led the group to significant places in Jesus’ life, it also
provided a constant reminder of the important link between Jesus and his mother.
“The images of Mary throughout the Holy Land have continued to draw me to Our Lady in prayer and wonder,” said Kay Scoville, program coordinator for the archdiocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who helped plan the trip.
In Nazareth, the group visited the site of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Mother to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus. In Jerusalem, they visited the Church of St. Anne, the birthplace of Mary.
Among other highlights for pilgrims was the opportunity for prayer, including daily Mass at several sacred sites. The group’s assigned time for Mass was often early in the morning, including at the tomb of Jesus and at the foot of the cross at Mount Calvary, both contained within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
“Celebrating Mass in Mount Calvary at 5:30 in the morning is one of the greatest memories of my life—after my ordination, that is,” Father Meyer said.
The young adults also had a private exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane.
“Spending an hour with Christ at the very spot [that] Christ suffered his agony in the garden was a very powerful experience,” Marcotte said. It was here where Jesus fervently prayed as his disciples slept.
The pilgrims also had the opportunity to renew their baptismal promises at the Jordan River, the site of Jesus’ baptism.
Kyle and Susan Cordes, members of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, were the only married
couple on the trip. They renewed their wedding vows in Cana.
“We were both surprised and touched by the amount of love and support we received from the young adults,” Kyle said. “They were all very excited to be there with us, which made it all the more special.”
Susan noted, “Stripped of all the nerves and fanfare of our wedding, this was the purest reminder of the sacrament we share as a Catholic couple.”
For the young adults, the trip was not just a vacation, but an opportunity to make real connections to Jesus. The Gospel is no longer distant to them. The pictures they can now recall when hearing of the death and resurrection of Jesus, or the call of Peter or other Apostles, can lead them further on their own journeys of faith, the pilgrims said.
“After I returned home, I became really passionate about learning more about my faith,” King said, “and also more about the people who inspire me.” †
More photos
(All photos taken by Katie Berger, Copyright 2007)
