Dear Brother Knights -- 

We are beginning the "Lenten Journey" to Holy Week and Easter 2012! As some of us have never had the privilege of making a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I would like to suggest that we make this Lent a "pilgrimage of the heart"! You already have your passport -- your Baptismal Certificate -- so come to the Pilgrims' Send-Off and Blessing on Ash Wednesday, to receive your "pilgrim's badge" -- a cross of ashes on your forehead! It is a pilgrimage, so you will want to 'travel light' -- figure out what kind of baggage you want to get rid of; baggage you can easily do without -- grudges, resentments, bad habits, etc. A pilgrimage is not a sprint, so be prepared for the long-haul -- it will take us 6 weeks to get to our destination! There will be a number of stops along the way -- times to get ourselves refreshed and strengthened to carry on -- the Stations of the Cross prayed on Fridays, daily Masses, a Lenten Parish Mission in March! A wonderful part of the Pilgrimage experience is sharing meals and stories with fellow pilgrims (remember The Canterbury Tales?) and we can do that together at the Fish Dinners in our own K of C Hall on Friday evenings! No pilgrim should be without a map -- so you know what to look for and not simply breeze by -- and that map is the Sacred Scriptures! Check out the "map" every day -- look up and read the daily Mass readings! Nor should a pilgrim (or a Knight) ever be without their "beads"! Pray the Rosary every day of the pilgrimage -- at least one decade of the Rosary -- and focus on the Sorrowful Mysteries, to enter more deeply into the reason for the pilgrimage!

You might want to keep a journal of your pilgrimage -- a few jottings every day to note your progress and to be able to remind yourself later of the experience!

You also might want to send postcards or notes -- drop a line to loved ones and let them know that you are praying for them on your pilgrimage through Lent!

Visit the holy places -- which the Irish call "thin places" -- where heaven and earth are very close: the Divine Mercy Chapel, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Sierras, the Prayer Garden, are all "thin places". Limit your television viewing and your newspaper reading -- you're going to be on pilgrimage and you don't need any distractions! We won't always see one another while we are journeying, but we will be coming together on Palm Sunday to enter into the events and experiences of Holy Week, and, finally, for those pilgrims who persevere, there will be a solemn welcome and blessing, as we renew our Baptismal Promises and celebrate the Resurrection!

Please make your plans now, and arrange your schedule to make the Lenten Pilgrimage your top priority as we set off together for Easter 2012!

Vivat JESUS!

fr. greg