The 15 parishioners from Hayward all walked the full 22-mile pilgrimage, although event organizers created joining points and a 1.7-mile Walk with the Children route so pilgrims can choose the length of their journey. (Submitted photo)
Fifteen parishioners from St. Joseph Catholic Church, Hayward, joined the annual Walk to Mary Pilgrimage from the National Shrine of St. Joseph to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in the Diocese of Green Bay.
The May 2 event began at the Old St. Joseph Church on the St. Norbert College Campus in De Pere and continued to the national shrine near Green Bay — a 22-mile trek. A record crowd, estimated at 10,000 pilgrims according to local news station WBAY, joined the 13th annual walk.
All ages participated. The parish’s director of Faith Formation, Lauren Eyer, who submitted the article and photos on behalf of the Hayward group, said, “I believe my dad was the oldest (74), and I was the youngest (31) in our group, which is entirely representative of the walk itself. All ages and abilities participate!”
She added, “We enjoyed nearly perfect weather on the walk. It was 50s and sunny, which kept us from getting too hot or too cold while we were walking. One of the event organizers later noted that he had prayed to Our Lady of Blue Skies and she never fails him.
“While walking, we linked up with a young adult group from Rice Lake. The Diocese of Superior is truly a family,” Eyer said. “Even though we hadn’t known that they would be there, we were fast friends as soon as we found them!
The day ended with Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. Thousands of people filled the field that was set up for Mass, and as continual waves of people filed in, the Hayward group slowly reassembled.
At the end, “Everyone was sore, several had blisters, but everyone was smiling,” she said. “There’s just something special about praying with your bodies on a pilgrimage!”
