In this post, Chesterton of Massachusetts supporter Adrianne Niall reflects on how incorporating family pilgrimages into her summer vacations helps her family keep God at the center of life even when routines are interrupted.
One of the themes often expressed in homilies during the summer is that God never goes on vacation from us, so we should never forget Him when we go on vacation. I remember hearing this message during my journey as a young Catholic; I thought it was a little silly. It seemed to me that not taking a vacation from God was intuitive.
Oh, my young, naive self! These days, as a mother, I realize that summer makes it difficult to keep our regular prayer habits going. Our routines have changed. Kids are not in school and would rather sleep in and play. Our schedules are interrupted by travel. With all these changes, it can be difficult to find opportunities to feed my family spiritually.
Even for myself personally, summer poses a challenge to my prayer routine. During the school year, daily Mass is an essential part of my faith journey - but with our more relaxed schedules, my commitment to attending on a daily basis can peter out in the summer months. Does this mean I’m taking a vacation from God? I don’t think so, but it is also not putting God where He belongs. How can we as a family change our focus during the summer?
Family Vacation as Pilgrimage
Like most families, we take a family trip every summer. Family time is significant for my husband and me. We want to instill the importance of family and the domestic church in our children, and taking time for our family and spending time together is how we express these values. As part of the domestic church, we must find time for God even while on vacation. The way we do this while on vacation is, first and foremost, always making sure we find a church to attend on Sundays and Holy Days. (The website www.masstimes.org is a great resource for this!) But, if possible, we take it a step further by also going on a short pilgrimage while on vacation.
Through the years, we have gone to many shrines and stayed in many religious houses while on vacation. Our family has visited all the major holy places and shrines in upstate New York: Our Lady of Fatima Shrine (Lewiston, NY); the Sisters of St. Francis (Niagara Falls, NY); Our Lady of Victory Basilica (Lackawanna, NY); Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine (Fultonville, NY); the St Kateri National Shrine (Fonda, NY); and St. Mary's Church (Swormville, NY), which was founded by St. John Neumann. On one of our trips, we visited the Franciscan University of Steubenville. We have also been on a family retreat at Little Sisters of St. Francis in Danville, New Hampshire. Sometimes these trips are planned, and sometimes they are handed to us by God. When we are on a family trip, it becomes part of the adventure to find Masses to attend at new churches and new religious sites to visit.
Favorite New England Pilgrimage Sites
When summer interrupts your normal prayer routine, making it a point to plan a family pilgrimage adventure is a good way to keep your summer sacred. From our experiences, we’ve found that family pilgrimages don't have to be grand or take you far away. They can be incorporated into other vacation activities, showing kids the interplay between the sacred and the everyday.
There are many places in Massachusetts and New England that you can visit as a pilgrimage:
Our Lady of La Salette Shrine (Attleboro, MA): Great anytime of year, but especially during Christmas!
Our Lady of Fatima (Holliston, MA)
The Divine Mercy Shrine (Stockbridge, MA)
St Joseph the Worker (Lowell, MA)
The Shrine of the Little Flower (Burrillville, RI)
St. Anne's Shrine (Fiskdale/Sturbridge, MA): Great to combine with a trip to Old Sturbridge Village!
Madonna, Queen of the Universe National Shrine (Boston, MA)
The Shrine of Lourdes (Litchfield, CT)
St. Anne Shrine (Isle La Motte, VT)
Father Peyton Center (North Easton, MA)
I pray that you find value in committing to making your summer sacred by finding a shrine or pilgrimage site far or near to visit. Our relationship with God, like our family life, ebbs and flows. During the ebb of summer, it is helpful to make an effort to find focused time during your vacation to enhance the domestic Church with a family pilgrimage.
Want to read about a real-life example of a family pilgrimage in action? The Nialls' 2023 summer vacation highlights the joys and trials of family life and demonstrates how family pilgrimages can be an opportunity for spiritual growth and connection in unexpected ways. Click here to find out more about their summer adventure.
Comments