The Pilgrimage continues

St. Agnes by the Lake

Last Sunday the intrepid pilgrims continued their journey.  One of our traditions is to drive north to Door County to a little town named Algoma for Sunday Mass.  The church is a beautiful little building and is right next to the lake, hence the name St. Agnes by the Lake.  If the water level in the lake does not stop rising it might be renamed St. Agnes in the Lake! The group there has a pot-luck luncheon each Sunday so it’s fun to stay for that and enjoy visiting with friends we see but once each year.  

Then it is back in the car for the short journey to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help near the even smaller village of Champion. It is the site of the only officially approved apparition of Our Lady in the USA. Between last year and this they have built a new building which will seat  a large number of people. This will replace the tent they used to set up for large groups. The weather was less than pleasant so we visited the shrine, checked out the gift shop and the new structure and went on our way. 

Our way led to Eau Claire which we reached by 6:00 and was our destination for the evening. The weather alternated between rainstorms, drizzle and a little sunshine. After checking into the hotel we headed out for dinner to a recommended restaurant and enjoyed our meal. Then back to the hotel for needed rest after a busy day.

On Monday we skirted the Twin Cities and arrived in the St. Cloud area in time for lunch at another local color cafe. After sustenance we went on to Collegeville, the home of St. John’s Abbey and University, and Prep School and Seminary.  Needless to say it is quite a place. At one time, and probably still is, it was the largest Abbey in the world. It is noted for its mid-century (20th century of which I speak) modernist architecture.  Marcel Breuer designed the Abbey, the Church, the library and science buildings and some of the dorms. 

One of our goals was to visit the newly expanded exhibit of the St. John’s Bible in a special section of the library. It is beautifully done and very interesting. https://www.saintjohnsbible.org

The St. John’s Bible is the first hand-written Bible since the invention of the printing press. It was commissioned by the Abbey in celebration of their 150th anniversary. A special script was created for the text and the illuminations are done in a variety of styles using gold, silver, platinum, and a bevy of colors.  Some are quite modern and some very traditional.  It has become a famous work, pages of the Bible being featured on tour in art museums. 

The day was bright and sunny, perfect for enjoying a stroll through the beautiful campus all dressed in its autumn foliage. We shopped in the bookstore, the Liturgical Press and went to the beautiful lake on the property. It was a perfectly enjoyable afternoon. Dinner in an Irish pub following our check-in in St. Cloud.

Tuesday brought us back full circle to Sioux Falls in plenty of time for the weekly Benedictine Mass and Office in the evening and then out for dinner again at one of Sioux Falls finest. The travel, the eating, the sights, the prayers are all part of the pilgrimage. If you don’t believe me just read or re-read Canterbury Tales!

Wednesday after breakfast at the Queen City Bakery I bid the other pilgrims adieu and then I was off to the Prairie Center for the beginning of my last round of chemotherapy.  The first day is always the longest because of blood work, waiting for medicine and longer infusions so I was incarcerated for more than four hours. All went well.  The blood work looked good. The pharmacy is being remodeled so the robots are not delivering medicine. That means that human error enters into the equation so the medicine went to the wrong desk and had to be searched out. The nurse described the situation as “red neck medicine from a trailer park” since the pharmacy has been relocated to a modular unit parked somewhere outside the building. 

The other pilgrims reported in as they arrived safe and sound at their destinations. It was so good to see these close friends again and spend some time with them.  We’ve done this pilgrimage several years now and already have our reservations for next year!

Thursday and Friday were shorter chemo days and beautiful days outside so I took a walk each afternoon and got my steps in.  I also got my flu shot at the insistence of Friday’s nurse.

Today, Saturday, was perfectly lovely, sunny, warm, no wind!  Two good and kindly friends came to help with yard work. They cleaned up the leaves in the driveway, mowed, and moved ceramic flower pots to the safety of the garage so they won’t freeze and crack. I’m so grateful for all the help I’ve received.

It was a wonderful week full of joy. I know we can’t expect joy all the time. This quote from Henri Nouwen was in my e-mail this week. It is a good one to keep in mind when things go well or not so well as we all know will happen.

“The great secret of the spiritual life, the life of the Beloved Sons and Daughters of God, is that everything we live, be it gladness or sadness, joy or pain, health or illness, can all be part of the journey toward the full realization of our humanity. It is not hard to say to one another: “All that is good and beautiful leads us to the glory of the children of God.” But it is very hard to say: “But didn’t you know that we all have to suffer and thus enter into our glory?” Nonetheless, real care means the willingness to help each other in making our brokenness into a gateway to joy.”

I am grateful for all the real care I’ve received.