Southern Nebraska Register
Forty-three pilgrims from the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln participated in the seventh annual “Three Hearts” pilgrimage Oct. 16-17, a 35-mile walk in Oklahoma.
The Lincoln Diocese pilgrims, members of several different parishes, walked as the “St. Francis of Assisi Chapter.” Father Craig Clinch, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Hastings, and Father Anthony Ike, FSSP, from St. Francis of Assisi Oratory in Lincoln, were chaplains for the group.
The annual event is a two-day penitential walk, offering physical and spiritual sacrifices for the defense of the traditional family and the sanctity of life. The “Three Hearts” in the name of the pilgrimage refers to the hearts of the three members of the Holy Family. The pilgrimage concludes at Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Abbey in the Ozark mountains near Hulbert, Okla.
Led by Chapter Captain Matt Rauert, the pilgrims began walking Friday, Oct. 16, after attending a 5:30 a.m. Mass. Along the way they prayed, sang and listened to meditations. The walkers arrived at the second campsite, 24 miles down the road, as the sun was setting.
The walk resumed Saturday morning, with pilgrims on the road by 7:15 a.m. They arrived at the entrance to the abbey – 11 miles away – shortly after noon. The final mile was led by the monks from Clear Creek and was marched in silence.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone from San Francisco offered an outdoor Pontifical High Mass for the approximately 2,500 pilgrims who had gathered from across the country to participate.
More information on the annual pilgrimage is available at www.threeheartspilgrimage.org.
Photos courtesy Ron Lawson
