We would like to thank the diocese for providing us with the opportunity to participate in this year’s Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage.
We attended the one-day pilgrimage on August 8 and were very blessed by the experience.
It was very well organized with the needs of the pilgrims in mind, especially on the warm days it occurred.
It was so gratifying to see the enthusiasm of the youth and young adults, most of whom were part of the three-day pilgrimage.
Bishop Hying provided a very visible, joyful, and friendly presence. He walked the whole 11 miles of the route and personally thanked all the pilgrims at the journey’s end.
The opening Mass at Sinsinawa Mound, that he presided over, was uplifting, celebrating the feast day of St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order in which Father Mazzuchelli was a member.
Afterward, pilgrims had the opportunity to see his relics and those of other saints at the Mound.
It was also nice that several diocesan priests and women Religious participated in the event, both the one day and three day.
Lorie Ballweg, the vocations coordinator, did an excellent job in driving the route, stopping at various points to offer pilgrims much appreciated and needed water and other provisions as well as providing encouragement.
Being part of the pilgrimage helped us to learn and appreciate Father Mazzuchelli, his path to possible canonization, as well as to be blessed with many graces and a renewed determination to be a part of the diocese’s evangelization efforts.
Brian and Diane Pillsbury
Baraboo