Make every vacation a family pilgrimage

It’s only January, to be sure. But as many of us bundle up against the cold and painstakingly clear driveways of snow, thoughts inevitably turn to the warmer months of spring and summer and the opportunities they provide for travel and leisure.
 
We take vacations from work and home, of course, but not from our Catholic faith. Except under the rarest of circumstances, our Sunday obligation to attend Mass remains. Fortunately, online resources such as masstimes.org and discovermass.com make it easy to locate a Catholic church along our planned route or near our vacation destination.
 
But vacation travel presents another opportunity. Whether we travel alone, as a couple, with children or grandchildren, or with other family members, we can make it, in part, a family pilgrimage. It doesn’t need to be an all-day commitment: it can be as simple as a one-hour visit to a beautiful Catholic shrine, church, or historic site for the sake of spending a short time in prayer and contemplation.
 
Consider identifying a shrine or pilgrimage site that coincides with your vacation plans and make it part of your itinerary. It’s a wonderful way to keep mindful of our Catholic faith even as we enjoy our time away.
 
Here are just a few suggested pilgrimage stops — some better known than others — to be found in various parts of the U.S. and Canada.

Southern comfort. New Orleans is among the most Catholic cities of the southern U.S., so choosing a Catholic church there is like being a kid in a candy store. While taking in the art galleries, food, and entertainment of the French Quarter, stop in to the historic Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, which was built in 1794 and remains the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the U.S. Another good historic stop after a fine meal of jambalaya and gumbo is the uptown National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, where an all-night prayer vigil held by the Ursuline Sisters and local residents imploring the intercession of the Blessed Virgin is credited with helping an outnumbered and poorly equipped American brigade turn back a British Army attack during the War of 1812.

After the falls. Niagara Falls is beautiful in the summer months. If visiting from the Canadian side, you’re close to the Canadian National Shrine of St. Thérèse of Lisieux as well as the tiny rustic Holy Rosary Shrine, just 20 minutes southwest of the falls off Regional Road 84 (watch for the large white roadside cross). If you’re on the American side and heading toward Buffalo, NY, to sample original-style buffalo wings or the locally popular “beef on weck” sandwich, drop 10 minutes further south to Lackawanna to Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica. There you’ll find a splendid environment for prayer along with the Father Nelson Baker Museum, which honors the beloved priest who built the shrine and whose cause for canonization has been opened.

On, Wisconsin… Planning a trip through Wisconsin to sample some cheese and enjoy the Great Lakes? After your tour of the Green Bay Packers’ historic Lambeau Field, visit the nearby National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Adele Brise in 1859. Wisconsin, in fact, is home to several other notable Catholic pilgrimage sites, among them Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse and the Holy Hill Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, in Hubertus.
 
Mission driven? If your travels take you anywhere along the California coast between San Diego and Sonoma, you’ll be near one of the 21 missions founded by St. Junipero Serra and later Franciscan missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. If in the Central Coast region, take a break from body surfing and head off the beaten path to Mission San Antonio de Padua (1771) in Jolon, one of the more rustic missions and the third to be established, or Mission San Juan Bautista (1797), perhaps the most beautifully restored. 
Midwestern gems. If you’re headed for Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, consider stopping in at the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, located in Laurie off state Route 5 just north of its junction with state Route 135 adjacent to St. Patrick Church. Summer Masses are celebrated for lake crowds in the outdoor amphitheater, and a bronze Mother’s Wall of Life is inscribed with the names of some 5,000 mothers and mother figures. If you plan to continue on west to Oklahoma City or southwest into Texas, you might want to exit Interstate 44 to south U.S. Route 377 to visit the National Shrine of the Infant of Prague in Prague, OK. It has a small but interesting collection of Infant of Prague statuary and garments, and there’s a themed playground for the young ones with picnic tables that offer a welcome break on your road trip.

GERALD KORSON is editor of Legatus magazine.