Taking a step back in time, to touch eternity

SAN ANTONIO LEGATES RECALL BREATHTAKING PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY

Steve and Elizabeth Crawford, members of Legatus’ San Antonio Chapter, frequently look at each other and reminisce about the Legatus pilgrimage to Italy that they took last October with Legates from across the country.

Steve and Elizabeth Crawford

The pilgrimage was a memorable and life-changing experience for Steve, who has a career in real estate, and Elizabeth, the CEO of Senero Wealth Management in San Antonio. The Crawfords, who have been married for 19 years and have four children, discussed their private tours in the Sistine Chapel and their meeting with a saint’s daughter in an interview with Legatus magazine.

Where did you go on last year’s Italy pilgrimage?

Steve: We started in Milan. We took a day trip to Lake Como with the group. We also met with St. Gianna Molla’s daughter in another day trip and spent the whole day with her. Then after Milan, we went to Rome for the last five days of the trip.

What was it like spending a day with St. Gianna’s daughter?

Elizabeth: You think of saints as people who lived hundreds of years in the past, and here you were looking at the relics of a saint who was born in the last century and who has a daughter there present. I think one of the neat things to hear her talk was how she referred to St. Gianna as ‘Mama.’

Steve: We went to her mother’s grave, and while we were all there, this man came up, dressed as nicely as he could be in a suit, and he asked if St. Gianna’s daughter was there. Once he got her attention, he dropped to his knees and asked her to intercede on his behalf to her mother for some family members who were having trouble conceiving. Seeing her hold his hands and give a blessing was just an amazing experience.

Had you done the pilgrimage before?

Steve: Not the Legatus trip. Elizabeth’s parents are Legates and they went on the trip in 2005. So we’ve been hearing about the pilgrimage for a long time. During their trip they had an audience with John Paul II in his personal library. There are photos in their home of them holding and kissing the hands of John Paul II. We got the opportunity this past fall to do it, and we decided it was a trip that we needed to take, to experience it for ourselves. And it was undoubtedly one of the best trips that either of us has ever taken.

What were some of other highlights of the pilgrimage?

Steve: We’d never been to Lake Como, and it was beautiful. Everything in Rome, with the access we got in the Vatican, was Catholic-centric. We got to go to the North American College, which didn’t seem like it was going to be a highlight. But for me, I really enjoyed getting to have lunch with the diocesan seminarians who were there from not only North America but from all around the world.

Would you do this pilgrimage again?

Steve: Absolutely. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about it. Frequently we will look at each other and say how and when are we going to do this again. It’s difficult with a growing family and with small children, but it is very high on our bucket list to do the Legatus trip again.

What would you tell a Legate who is thinking about the pilgrimage?

Elizabeth: We look at each other and say all the time, “Italy.” It just created a bond between us and a bond with our faith. You’re just exposed to things you would never have access to. I got to do the readings at the St. John Paul II chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica when it was closed to the public. You’re investing in memories when you take the trip.