Off We Go!

The level of excitement is rising as the men of Theology I class depart on their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They leave from Sacred Heart Major Seminary on April 29, 2015. The day began with Holy Mass at 11 AM to give thanks to God for a great finish to the school year as well as praying for safe travels. Some of the family members of these men were present at the Mass to pray with their sons before they depart on this spiritual journey. It was beautiful Mass and a very touching one as the various members of Sacred Heart joined the Theology I men in prayer.

Following the Mass, they had lunch and received a blessing from the rector and were sent away with the blessing of those who were present. It was a small class with eleven men who were from various dioceses such as Archdiocese of Detroit, Lansing, Madison, Winona and Saginaw. They were not going on this pilgrimage alone but were accompanied by Fr. Gerard Battersby, vice rector of Sacred Heart, and Msgr. Daniel Trapp, the spiritual director of the theologate. The eleven men with the two priests then made their way to the airport to fly to Frankfurt and then to Tel Aviv.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a very important part of formation because it allows the men to encounter Christ in a very profound way. The men will be able to retrace the footsteps of Christ and stop at some of the places where Christ has been. This will help deepen the meaning of Scriptures for these men because they will have something concrete of which to preach about. From these experiences, the men will be able to preach to the people that they serve with zeal and fervor for they themselves have seen the places of which Scriptures has recorded.

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