Message from the Founder

Media

Aug 29

*On the road of the founders' first walking pilgrimage, to the Abbey of Gethsemani*

Dear Pilgrims,

I have shared before in different settings that it was an encounter with the Holy Spirit while on pilgrimage in Rome for Easter of 2013 that inspired me to found Modern Catholic Pilgrim. Ever since MCP’s founding pilgrimage in 2017, we’ve tried to follow the promptings of the Spirit.

We were founded to support young adults on multi-day walked pilgrimages around the country, ultimately adopting the mission “to deepen faith and build community across the United States through walked pilgrimage in the Catholic tradition.” The Spirit called us in 2019 to start supporting dioceses, parishes, schools, and religious orders in coordinating one-day pilgrimages. During the COVID lockdown of 2020, the Spirit called us to support self-led pilgrims for Mary and pilgrimages for racial justice and reconciliation. Later in 2020, the Spirit called me to quit teaching to focus full-time on MCP. That call, I have no doubt, was made to prepare me to direct the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for two years from July 2022 to July 2024.

Now, after over a year of discernment as an MCP team, it is clear the Spirit is calling us to refocus on our original mission of supporting others in planning their own pilgrimage initiatives. MCP is not meant to be an event-planning organization, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to step back from that role and step into the role of resource creator, especially as the Jubilee Year approaches, and the role of consultant so that local communities can integrate our expertise to lift pilgrimages off the ground and sustain them for years to come.

Having discerned these next steps as an organization, I have peacefully accepted the position of Executive Director for the Catholic Community Foundation of San Diego, starting October 1st. I will remain President of MCP to oversee the Jubilee Year projects and our support of pilgrimages around the country in 2025 and beyond. I'll be sad to leave the Twin Cities behind, but glad to return to another hub of MCP activity, as well as to live close to much of my family.

The Spirit has led us on a beautiful journey up to this point, so I cannot wait to take the next steps, and I look forward to continuing to share it with all of you. Know of my prayers.

Our Lady of the Way, pray for us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Under the Mercy,
Will

P.S. There are a number of different walked pilgrimage opportunities popping up around the U.S. We’ve compiled a list of many of them here.