Recapping the 2025 Walk to Mary Pilgrimage

By BRIAN HANSEN

I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.... Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them”

-Our Lady of Champion, to seer Adele Brise

The culmination of the diocesan Holy Family Retreats & Pilgrimage occurred on Friday, May 2, when 28 pilgrims from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester traveled to Wisconsin to take part in and experience the annual Walk to Mary pilgrimage. For over 12 years now, in early May, people of various ages, races, and nationalities all come together to participate in this sacred pilgrimage experience. In one day, pilgrims walk 22 miles to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion (OLC). This shrine is the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the United States of America.

Led by their chaplain, Fr. Joshua Miller, this DOW-R pilgrimage group began their sacred journey by first celebrating Mass in Rochester at Mary, Mother of the Eucharist Chapel in the DOW-R Chancery. From there, the group then loaded themselves up onto a coach bus that would take them to De Pere, WI, the starting point for the pilgrimage walk. During the drive, pilgrims introduced themselves to one another, prayed together, and engage in theological reflection and discussion. All of these exercises were intended to immerse each member of the group into the pilgrim mentality. This was an important reminder for everyone that going on pilgrimage is very different from going on vacation. While in route to De Pere, the pilgrimage group stopped in La Crosse, WI, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG). Pilgrims prayed in the shrine proper and at the various holy sites and memorials on the grounds. They also took advantage of walking the trails, perusing and purchasing items in the gift shop, and enjoying a nice lunch prepared by the shrine’s cafe. Following our visit at the OLG Shrine, the remainder of our travel time on the bus was dedicated to praying the Rosary. When leading us in prayer, Fr. Miller informed everyone that the group would be praying through all the mysteries of the Rosary (i.e. Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious). I, myself, had never gone through this type of spiritual exercise when praying the Rosary, but when doing it, I gradually entered more and more into a meditative state that pondered the various moments of Jesus’ life and ministry. By the time we completed this lengthy form of prayer, our pilgrimage group was very close to De Pere, and, upon arriving, we checked into our hotel, had dinner, and then went to bed early in preparation for the pilgrimage walk the following morning.

On Saturday, May 3, the day of the Walk to Mary, the DOW-R pilgrimage group left the hotel at 6:15 a.m. and drove to St. Norbert College. At the college, the group met up with all the other pilgrims in attendance for the walk at the National Shrine of St. Joseph. Located in Old St. Joseph Church, this shrine marked the starting point for the pilgrimage. Prior to the walk’s commencement, all the pilgrims participated in a brief prayer service; during the service, it was mentioned that over 7,000 pilgrims were registered for this year’s walk! Around 7:30 a.m., the walk began, and pilgrims then journeyed together on foot to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. During my time walking, I conversed with pilgrims outside of our DOW-R group; I found out that some of them came from states across the country (e.g. Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California). This news was a beautiful testament to the devotion and witness of the Catholic faith by the lay faithful! Some members of the DOW-R pilgrimage group walked all 22 miles while others walked only a portion of it. Once the pilgrimage walk was completed, our group then celebrated Vigil Mass with numerous other pilgrims. After Mass, the group then departed the OLC Shrine and returned to our hotel for dinner and some well-deserved rest.

Sunday, May 4, was a day dedicated to traveling back home to Rochester. Yet, our pilgrimage experience was not over. During the ride home, the DOW-R pilgrimage group prayed and shared with one another their spiritual insights and experiences from the walk. Among the pilgrims, there were feelings of joy and gratitude for all that they had undergone and accomplished the day prior. These conversations made time fly, and before we knew it, we were back at the DOW-R Chancery in Rochester. Here, Fr. Miller concluded our pilgrimage with a Mass of Thanksgiving.

In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to Fr. Miller and all those who participated in our diocese’s inaugural Walk to Mary Pilgrimage event. Thank you also to any people in our diocese who accepted my invitation in previous issues of The Courier to pray for our pilgrimage group. Your prayers made all the difference in making this weekend a truly blessed and spiritually transformative experience! In the years ahead, it is my intention to offer this pilgrimage experience as an annual diocesan event for our laity and clergy. Next year, the 2026 Walk to Mary will be on Saturday, May 2. That said, our diocese’s Office of Evangelization will begin promoting next year’s pilgrimage sometime in the fall of 2025. Please be on the lookout for promotional announcements of this diocesan event and prayerfully consider going on pilgrimage with us. Thank you and God bless!

Brian Hansen is the coordinator of adult and lay formation for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.