Several students, teachers and staff from Lourdes Catholic School in Bettendorf walked from school to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport on a Jubilee Year pilgrimage last month.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
When the Davenport Diocese chose five Jubilee Year churches earlier this year, Lisa Ewing thought it might present an opportunity to get her students at Lourdes Catholic School in Bettendorf involved.
“I envisioned it as a faith-based activity for eighth-graders who wanted to participate,” the middle school religion teacher said. She contacted Father Jason Crossen, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bettendorf and Father Thom Hennen, pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, to get their blessing and to choose a pilgrimage date.
It was “just an opportunity for fellowship, a faith experience and an indulgence,” Ewing said. “We had talked about the Jubilee Year. A couple of Lourdes students had gone to Rome over spring break to go through St. Peter’s Jubilee door, and we wanted a way to experience that at home. Walking made it more of a real pilgrimage — kind of a mini Camino. Our group was small, due to other commitments like sports practices or after school activities.”
On May 9, nine eighth-graders, seminarian Blake Riffel, Lourdes Principal Katie Selden, teacher Ellie Vanlandshoot and Ewing began the pilgrimage with the sacrament of reconciliation at Lourdes. Ewing made a processional cross, which students carried during the 70-minute walk along the Mississippi Riverfront from Bettendorf to Davenport. “We stayed on the bike path when we were able.” On the riverfront, the group took turns leading the rosary.
“Some of our group had not been to Sacred Heart before, so walking through the 10th Street door was quite a surprise,” Ewing said. A few others unable to make the walk joined the group at the cathedral.
Father Hennen presided at Mass and Father Dane Dickinson, Our Lady of Lourdes’ parochial vicar, concelebrated.
Father Hennen said he knew the daily Mass crowd and pilgrimage group would not fit in the chapel, where daily Mass usually takes place, so he opened up the church. “Also, the purpose of their visit was to make a Jubilee Year pilgrimage to the cathedral, so I wanted them to be able to walk through the main doors and see the actual cathedral rather than just the chapel.”
He acknowledged the students during Mass and spoke to them afterward about the cathedral’s history, pointing out some of the saints depicted and other features of the building. The yellow and white papal bunting over the cathedral doors went up after Pope Leo XIV was named pope and made a good setting for the group photo.
These Lourdes students shared their impressions of the pilgrimage:
Makayla Martinez said the pilgrimage “was a great time to expand my faith with rosary and a Mass. The cathedral was beautiful and different from other churches. I like the Apostles in the windows.” Grace Snyder added, “The cathedral was a beautiful place and I loved the architecture.” For Molly Reilly, “It was a long walk, but it was all for Jesus. I am glad I went.” Gabby Hovey thought the walk was easy. Taylor Camarena said she “had never done a pilgrimage before and it was a really fun experience. My favorite part was saying the rosary together along the river.”
