Auriesville Pilgrimage

The Pilgrimage for Restoration is a traditional, walking pilgrimage from the Lake of the Blessed Sacrament, N.Y., to the Shrine of the North American Martyrs at Auriesville, New York State (USA), undertaken each September near the feast day of the martyrs. Inspired by the annual Pentecost Pilgrimage to Chartres, the pilgrimage, now in its 28th year, draws upwards of 700 faithful, young and old alike, to be transfigured in Christ, to do penance, and to make reparation for sins against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.

Wending its way through the beautiful evergreen forests of the Adirondacks, the pilgrimage follows the same paths as the martyrs, continuing the holy work of St Isaac Jogues and other early missionaries in the very territory where they once labored to convert the pagan Hurons and Iroquois. Mass in the Extraordinary Form is sung daily. Chaplains accompany the walking column throughout the pilgrimage, hearing confessions, offering meditations, and providing spiritual counsel. Strengthened with song, prayer, and the sacraments, pilgrims brave every discomfort of the 65-mile journey with fortitude and great joy.

Following the model of the Chartres pilgrimage, pilgrims walk in brigades formed from parishes, colleges, or other groups. Each brigade marches under the flying banners of their patron saint. Those who cannot take on the full march, such as families with young children or older pilgrims, make their own pilgrimage of prayer and penance through a common life in camp, also walking a short distance with the column each day. Much camaraderie is enjoyed along the way. As the three-day journey reaches its climax, the weary pilgrims climb the hill where Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de La Lande, and René Goupîl were tortured and martyred. In reverent silence they venerate the Ravine which holds the relics of St. René, before celebrating the final Solemn High Mass in the Shrine. There, on the ground sanctified by the blood of saints, the Pilgrimage for Restoration invokes the intercession of the martyrs, desiring that Catholic Faith restore the likeness of God, by grace, in every dimension of our lives, our nation, and the world. https://pilgrimage-forrestoration.org/ • https://pilgrimagefor-restoration.org/blog/