All Souls Day pilgrimage to graves offers connection to local Church’s past

Special to The Criterion

An archdiocesan All Souls Day pilgrimage to the graves of archdiocesan priests will give pilgrims an opportunity to pray for the souls of those priests who have served the faithful of the archdiocese in previous years, and to learn about the history of the Church in central and southern Indiana.

Julie Motyka, archdiocesan archivist, and Father Eric Augenstein, archdiocesan vocations director, will lead the one-day pilgrimage on Nov. 2.

The pilgrimage will feature a visit to St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute, which is the burial place of Father Simon Lalumière, the first resident priest in the state of Indiana. Pilgrims will also celebrate Mass at the church.

From St. Joseph, the group will proceed to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, with a visit to the priests’ circle in the cemetery and also to the shrine and burial site of St. Mother Theodore Guérin. The trip will conclude with a visit to Calvary Cemetery in Indianapolis to pray at the graves of priests buried there, especially several former bishops and archbishops.

Pilgrims will have the opportunity to explore these sites and to learn about the priests buried there. The archdiocesan archives also hopes to use this pilgrimage as a starting point for a project to collect photographs of the graves of archdiocesan priests buried throughout the archdiocese. Pilgrims, as well as those unable to attend the pilgrimage, are encouraged to photograph the graves of priests buried near them and send these images to the archdiocesan archives.

Motyka said the pilgrimage will help individuals feel a stronger connection to the Catholics of the local Church’s past, and to grow in their lives of faith.

“As we continue the work of the Catholic Church in central and southern Indiana, it is important to remember those who have gone before us in faith,” Motyka said. “This pilgrimage will allow us to learn about the priests who served our parishes in the past and inspire us to continue to build upon the foundation they laid. Also, a pilgrimage to priests’ graves on All Souls Day will remind us of the importance of praying for the souls of those who have died. ”

Pilgrims will board the bus at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center, 1400 N. Meridian St., in Indianapolis, at 7:45 a.m. and will return at approximately 5:30 p.m.
 

(For more information, contact Carolyn Noone at 317-236-1428 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1428, or e-mail cnoone@archindy.org. The pilgrimage fee is $69 per person, which includes deluxe motor coach transportation, bag breakfast, and lunch. The trip will be filled on a first-come basis. To register online, log on to www.archindy.org/pilgrimage.) †