Natalie HoeferLast Updated: October 14th, 2022Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections, World News
I was 9 years old when I checked out a storybook from my Catholic school’s library about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to three shepherd children in Portugal in 1917. The story mesmerized me. I felt a bit of holy jealousy, since Lucia, one of the seers, was my age at the time … Read More
Andrea JoinesLast Updated: October 6th, 2022Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections
The traditional Catholic dedication for the month of October is to the Holy Rosary. This tradition dates back to the late 16th century after the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope Pius V attributed the victory of the Holy League over the invading navy to the power of the Rosary. He had called … Read More
Natalie HoeferLast Updated: September 22nd, 2022Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections
What month has the most Marian feast days? Surely it’s May, the month of Mary. Or perhaps it’s October, the month of the Rosary? Surprisingly, the answer is September. Three Marian feast days were celebrated this month: the Nativity of the Blessed Mother on the 8th, the Most Holy Name of Mary on the 12th … Read More
Andrea JoinesLast Updated: November 15th, 2022Featured Pilgrimages, Marian Shrines of Europe, Spiritual Reflections
August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart. This may seem odd nowadays, considering the Feast of the Immaculate Heart is in late spring or early summer. However, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart was once celebrated on August 22nd – the Octave of the Assumption – for a period of about 25 years. Towards the … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: May 18th, 2022Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe, Saints
It was a warm May afternoon, pleasantly sunny and warm. The 16th century architecture wrapped around the square, slowly swelling as 10,000 people earned their spot in the sprawling courtyard, woven around fountains and structures, corralled in by hardy trail markers. The general attitude of the growing crowd was gentle exciting, growing with each ticking … Read More
Andrea JoinesLast Updated: May 11th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
Nine years ago, while I was in the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, our priest shared a story about one of our fellow pilgrims. At seventeen, she was one of the younger ones in our group and was on this pilgrimage with her older siblings and parents. We had recently walked five days on … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 23rd, 2021Featured Pilgrimages, France, Holy Land, Ireland, Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe
This week, we celebrated the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and this Sunday, we look forward to commemorating the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. With only four days separating these two feasts, Our Lady is brought to the forefront of our days during this time. During pilgrimage, our hearts are also drawn … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: January 20th, 2021France, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
In 2013 I was blessed with the opportunity to join a local church group on pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal. We began by walking the English Route of the Camino de Santiago into Santiago de Compostela, Spain, followed by a visit to the shrine at Fatima, Portugal. Though it was one pilgrimage, I had two … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: December 19th, 2019Holy Land, Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Saints
In the St. Wenceslas tale that is told around this time of year, we see a king’s mercy and compassion. Good King Wenceslas, who has had songs and story books made of his life, set out one winter’s night with his squire to take food and firewood to his poor subjects. The snow was deep, … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 4th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Spiritual Reflections
The Old Testament shows the prefigurement of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. In 2 Samuel, Uzzah is struck dead for touching the ark of the covenant and David feels unworthy to bring the ark to Jerusalem. So, David takes the ark to the house of Obed-Edom where the ark remained for three months. While … Read More
The “Litany of Loreto” is a powerful prayer composed in the Middle Ages and embraced by pilgrims at the Marian Shrine in Loreto, Italy, where tradition claims the original house of the Virgin Mary was transported. For centuries, the shrine has attracted pilgrims from all over the world. As a result, many of these pilgrims … Read More
Erin McCole CuppLast Updated: July 13th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories
By Erin McCole Cupp “You’re going to Lourdes? Oh, the Candlelight Rosary Procession—it’s so beautiful! You’ll love it.” I heard this from many corners as we prepared for our family’s pilgrimage. As the summer approached, our family read books about Lourdes, poured over the Lourdes website, and watched videos and documentaries. I remember the five … Read More
Erin McCole CuppLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Ireland, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories
By Erin McCole Cupp“Uncomfortable silence” is a phrase that has taken on multiple meanings of late. We can’t drive without the radio playing. We can’t sit anywhere without the buzzing of this text or that notification. We can’t even let our minds be quiet for more than thirty seconds before we pull out the smartphone … Read More
So, you’ve decided to make a pilgrimage. You’ve registered, purchased insurance, and obtained the right travel documents … but there’s so much more to a pilgrimage than the practicalities of travel! You’re not just going on a vacation. You’re putting yourself in God’s hands in a very special way, asking Him to show you what … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: April 1st, 2022France, Italy, Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje
What does “incorrupt” mean?The word “incorrupt” means “not having undergone decomposition, especially of a human body.”What is an incorrupt saint? In the realm of Catholicism, an incorrupt saint is one whose body experiences little, no, or delayed decomposition after death. It is believed that divine intervention has allowed a number of human bodies to forgo … Read More
