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
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
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
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: November 27th, 2018Ireland, 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
Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 3rd, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe
With any pilgrimage that you may embark on, there are plenty of ways to be immersed into a spiritual experience. You may be able to touch a relic, visit a place where Jesus may have walked, or come within feet of the Holy Father during a Wednesday Audience. But at Lourdes, the everyday pilgrim not only has the option to be immersed spiritually, but also physically, when they partake in the ritual of bathing at St. Bernadette’s Grotto.
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 16th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories
When I first stepped foot inside the Sagrada Familia almost four years ago I was more than a little offended when a fellow art student commented that this iconic structure was “ugly.” In last week’s article, I explored the two completed facades and how they encapsulate the fullness and depth of the Catholic faith. Read More…
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 14th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories
The Barcelona skyline isn’t really that impressive. All of the buildings tend to blend together; they share the same brown color and none of them soar higher then 3 or 4 stories tall. So when your eye wanders upon the vast Sagrada Familia in the distance, it seems even greater in size. Read More…
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 14th, 2020Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories
When I first walked through the doors of the Sagrada Familia, I entered as a study abroad art student, not a pilgrim. My breath was immediately taken away by the magnificent dancing colors of the grand windows and the columns that seemed to branch up into the sky for miles. Read More
