As a student of MODG, I was blessed enough to not just be able to attend but also document, for the second year in a row, the Three Hearts Pilgrimage. This year I volunteered to be a medic, given my CPR and First Aid training, and if anything, that made the experience even better. As I walked with my church chapter, Regina Caeli Parish of Houston Texas, I captured these photos.
The Three Hearts Pilgrimage is a Catholic Pilgrimage that is held every year in October.
It is a 35 mile hike over two days to Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma. It originally started out as a camping trip for three fathers and their sons but this past year, more than 43 states were represented by a church chapter and more than 3,000 pilgrims attended!
The walk is designed to be sacrificial per their motto; “Find beauty in sacrifice”, and it is. Sleeping in tents for two nights and then walking more than 23 miles in the heat the next day is difficult. But the comradery, perseverance, and faith that is witnessed is unparalleled. B
By the time all of the pilgrims reach Clear Creek Abbey, they are covered in dirt and incredibly sore but they are still rejoicing for they have finally reached the house of the Lord. Mass is offered both days as well as walking confession and rosaries in order to keep the morale up but nothing compares to the Pontifical High Mass that is offered by Cardinal Burke at the end.
These photos show the beauty and the pain of the walk, some pilgrims walked barefoot to fully offer up their suffering while others just dealt with multiple blisters and other ailments.
Young boys held their state flags as they walked and volunteer medics worked around the clock to make sure pilgrims were being taken care of.
There have been multiple stories about pilgrims offering up the walk for a certain intention and their prayers being answered. One case was when a mom walked the pilgrimage for the conversion of her Catholic father. Upon arriving home, she found out that he was praying the rosary and eventually died in a state of grace two weeks later.
This is truly a life changing experience, one that even though it is uncomfortable and painful, you can’t stay away. You become closer to God, your prayers are answered, and your faith is changed.
