Catholics participate in a rosary walk for evangelization and vocations earlier this month. The group walked from St. Stanislaus Cemetery in rural Riverside to Hills City Park, where Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at Mass.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
HILLS — One-hundred Catholics journeyed with Mary on a 4.5-mile rosary walk for evangelization and vocations earlier this month.
The pilgrimage began at St. Stanislaus Cemetery in rural Riverside. A statue of Mary, perched atop a processional platform carried by rotating quartets of clergy and laypeople, led the way. Pilgrims from Minnesota, Des Moines, Canada, New Jersey, Georgia and Maryland joined Catholics from the Diocese of Davenport in celebrating the Blessed Mother, following several days of Eucharistic adoration at St. Joseph Parish in Hills. Along the way, pilgrims prayed the rosary and sang worship songs.
Father David Paintsil, pastor of the Hills parish and of St. Mary Parishes in Nichols and Lone Tree, organized the pilgrimage with help from a lay committee.
First responders from Hills escorted the group as they journeyed to the Hills City Park band shell, where Bishop Dennis Walsh and about 100 additional Catholics waited to greet the pilgrims. “It was a beautiful and spiritual walk with Mary,” said Carol Kirkpatrick, committee co-chair.
Bishop Walsh presided at Mass in the park, and in his homily spoke of a profound pilgrimage experience he had during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio. “During COVID lockdown, my seminarian intern and my young parochial vicar came to me with an idea of doing a pilgrimage. I was the pastor of three parishes which were all linked by the historic Miami-Erie Canal.” The trio planned to walk the 10-mile canal path between the churches “carrying with us all the intercessions and petitions given to us by our parishioners.”
Exhaustion set in as they approached the final destination. A coworker, Sister Immacolata Scarogni, waited there with sub sandwiches and soda. The joy and relief Bishop Walsh experienced upon seeing her “changed everything,” he said. “We were no longer alone on the road; we were welcomed, known and loved.”
The moment seemed to exemplify what spiritual journeys are all about, he said. “A pilgrimage is not merely a long walk, a tour or an exercise in physical endurance. It is a journey undertaken in search of an encounter — a meeting between the restless human heart and the living God who comes to meet us.”
Mary went on her own spiritual journey after the Annunciation, the bishop continued. “Carrying the Eucharistic Lord within her, Mary became the very first monstrance — the living Ark of the Covenant — bringing the presence of Christ across the rugged hills to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth.”
Bishop Walsh encouraged Mass-goers to make three concrete resolutions: recognize God’s presence with joy, pray the rosary as an encounter, and become a living monstrance. “When you leave this pilgrimage and return to your homes, workplaces and neighborhoods, carry Christ with you. Bring his peace, his mercy and his joy to those who are suffering, lonely or searching for hope.”
After Mass, pilgrims and Mass-goers enjoyed lunch at the park, provided by volunteers from the three parishes.
Father Paintsil and local Catholics hope to host another rosary walk in 2027. “We expect this to grow,” Kirkpatrick said. “It touched so many who will certainly talk about it, and many are planning to come next year.”
