What if?

On the Lord's providence + pilgrimages

The Tatra Mountains, a place near + dear to Saint John Paul the Great’s heart

As I zipped my last suitcase shut the night before the first Catholic Feminist pilgrimage, I turned to my husband and with a typical-of-me overdramatic sigh, said I am never doing this again.

Our pilgrimage partner is the absolute best at ironing out details, so it wasn’t that. I had the childcare lined up, so that wasn’t an issue either. And my passport was up to date—I’d quadruple checked, thanks to 8 thousand reminders from my Extremely Organized Father.

But I was nervous.

Nervous as hell, and that’s probably an appropriate comparison because there’s no reason why I should have been nervous to go spend two weeks in one of my favorite countries with a bunch of fierce, faithful feminists. But I was! I was so nervous I almost threw up at the airport. I’m a sit-down-and-drink-a-margarita-while-talking-the-spiritual-life kind of girl, not a GrOuP lEaDeR. What if people thought I was lamer in real life than I was on the podcast (which, for the record, is true)? What if I got too introverted + exhausted and accidentally snapped at someone? What if our tour guide didn’t show up? What if people paid four thousand dollars to have the worst trip of their lives? What if someone got COVID? What if—what if—what if.

That trip—those two weeks in October of 2021—completely reinvigorated my faith.

I walked away from the Catholic Feminist Pilgrimage feeling restored + refreshed in spirit.

And when 2022 hit, which was the hardest year of my life, I frequently drew upon that well.

I remembered my prayers in Lourdes; I texted spiritual sisters I’d eaten beautiful French breakfasts with; I flew across the country to see a family that’s become a dear friendship. I remembered the overwhelming feeling of grace that washed over me as we sang an acapella Good Good Father in an ancient chapel and the trek uphill to Notre Dame de Grace in Honfleur. I remembered the goat cheese, the glitter of the Eiffel Tower against the night sky, and the absolute belief that what Kathryn had been telling me for months was true: the Lord will craft this trip, and who is meant to go on it will be there.

I had been so focused on the what ifs. But what if…God used that trip to strengthen my heart for a difficult journey ahead? What if he allowed me mountaintop experiences and celebrations, if I put down my pride long enough to enjoy them? What if he knew I needed an army of faithful Catholic sisters in my corner, and saw fit to provide me with a few more? What if he wanted to encounter me in new ways, in hidden old chapels and Lisieux cafes?

The day after I got home, I turned to my husband again. But this time, I asked if he’d be okay if I did another trip in the future.

“The pilgrimage was a time of great grace for me. I was not only inspired by the lives of our patron saints, but also those of the incredible people around me. It was a beautiful reminder that I am not alone in striving for sainthood as a woman in today's culture: a reminder I definitely needed!” - E. Walker, 2021 pilgrim

I would love to return to France one day with a group of rowdy Catholic feminists, but this time, we’re off to Poland on October 15-25 2023. I can’t wait to share this special country with 30 (ish) of my new best friends. Does Poland have the glitz-and-glamour of Paris? No. But what it has is a rich history steeped in Catholicism and beauty and grit. It has stunning mountains and fascinating monuments of martyrs. It has creaky old pubs and stunning cobblestone streets. It has pierogi (the plural of which, my Polish husband would like to remind you all, is pierogi).

I’m bringing along my college friend as our priest, and I’m happy to tell you I’m taking Kathryn’s advice this time around: knowing that the Lord has his hands on our trip and who is meant to come will come. So I wanted to extend that invitation to you: is God asking you to zip up a suitcase and renew your passport?

Spots are limited to preserve the intimacy of our experience (we’re taking fewer pilgrims to Poland than we did to France, because I learned on that trip the importance of forming deep, meaningful relationships on pilgrimage!)

Our itinerary:

Day 1: Explore Old Town, ditch the jet lag + get to know one another!

Day 2: Visit a museum focused on Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko, who was murdered by communist agents. We then visit the Niepokalanow Sanctuary and the Franciscan Monastery linked with St. Maximilian Maria Raymond Kolbe and travel to Czestochowa.

Day 3: Visit the Jasna Gora Monastery where we see the Treasury, the Knight’s Hall, the Refectory, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The highlight of our visit will be a viewing of the famous icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa to which miraculous powers are attributed!

Day 4: St. John Paul the Great loved the mountains, so we swing by Zakopane for the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Fatima, a chapel constructed in 1999 in gratitude for his assassination attempt before going on a cable car ride through the Tatra Mountains.

Day 5: We visit the famous chapel of St. Kinga and the underground world of chapels carved from salt in Wieliczka. We then travel to Krakow for the second half of our time together.

Day 6: A free day in Krakow to pray, rejuvenate, and explore one of Poland’s coolest cities.

Day 7: A short drive from Krakow brings us to Wadowice, JP2’s hometown, on his feast day. We’ll be able to see his childhood home, which is now a museum, as well as his favorite church—the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary.

Day 8: Again, a short drive from Krakow will bring us to Auschwitz, the infamous concentration camp where 2 canonized saints were put to death. We’ll pay our respects to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and St. Maximilian Kolbe and receive a solemn tour of this historic site.

Day 9: We head to the Divine Mercy Center to see the famous Divine Mercy image and pray at St. Faustina’s former convent and tomb.

Day 10: Return home

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out by responding to this email. I would love to chat with you about the trip.

In Him Through Her,

Claire

PS — LENT STARTS WEDNESDAY! If you’re still praying over what to do for a Lenten practice, here are 40 Catholic Feminist Practices for Lent to help you brainstorm.