Angelus News | September 6, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 18

Pilgrims in line
for Communion
during Mass at
San Buenaventura
Aug. 11.
focused on the same thing: God.”
Serra’s example also helped Martello
endure the walk’s physical challenges.
As Martello’s feet began to blister, he
listened to fellow walker and St. John’s
Seminary faculty member Father Ray
Marquez talk about how Serra’s zeal to
share the Gospel proved stronger than
the painful ulcer on his leg that made
walking almost impossible during his
travels across California and Mexico.
“That was the motivation for me to
continue on today, and I’m so glad I
did,” said Martello.
Eleven-year-old June may have been
the youngest pilgrim to walk all 35
miles. Starting out on the journey with
her older sister, the realization hit her:
There was no turning back.
But remembering that the 35 miles
between missions was a small fraction
of what Serra walked regularly put
things in perspective. As the last few
miles of the walk got especially difficult,
she drew strength from praying
the rosary with the rest of the group.
“Once you were there, you could
either lay on the streets, or just go on,”
laughed June, whose family are parishioners
of St. Mary Magdalene Church
in Camarillo.
When they finally arrived at San
Buenaventura late Sunday afternoon,
the local Knights of Columbus formed
an honor guard for the pilgrims as they
sang the words of Catholic artist Matt
Maher’s “Lord, I Need You.” Then,
they followed Archbishop Gomez in
procession as he entered the Mission
Basilica with the Blessed Sacrament,
followed by a few moments of adoration
as the mission choir chanted
“Tantum Ergo” before Mass.
In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Slawomir
Szkredka thanked the pilgrims
for their witness to Serra’s legacy,
and for the prayer intentions they’d
brought along.
Then he quoted a line from a letter
Serra wrote in 1769 detailing the difficulties
of his mission in California:
“But to a willing heart, everything is
sweet.”
The nourishment offered by the
Eucharist, Szkredka explained, leads
to the kind of interior change that enabled
Serra to fulfill his mission.
“We know that when we go out from
the Eucharistic celebration, we will
face hardships and difficulties and
challenges. But we know that we go out
with a heart of love, that we carry Jesus’
heart in us.”
Looking ahead, the walkers’ summer
pilgrimage options include the next
Serra pilgrimage as well as the recently
announced 2025 National Eucharistic
Pilgrimage, set to finish in LA in June.
Martello, who celebrated his 28th
birthday during the pilgrimage, said he
can’t wait to bring friends from Arizona
and New York next year for a piece of
the real Serra experience — and the
sense of community it creates.
“There’s a real spirit of camaraderie,
like a big family,” said Wood. “It’s kind
of like a managed chaos. We’re all in it
together.”
Pablo Kay is the editor-in-chief of
Angelus.
20 • ANGELUS • September 6, 2024