Spiritual Walk: the Wisconsin Way

Experience of Lisa Calvez - 
a Verbum Dei Missionary Pilgrim
 
On August 6-11, 2024, three VD missionaries in Chicago and three young women embarked on a pilgrimage in Wisconsin, known as The Wisconsin Way. We completed the first phase of the whole journey from the Our Lady of Champions to the Holy Resurrection Monastery for five days, walking an average of 13 miles per day. 
 
It was an incredible experience from the outside and inside! Externally, we were immersed in rural Wisconsin's wonderful creation, scenery, and landscapes. The long walks (quite an exercise!) on the farmland left us with many simple lessons in life that we often neglect in our busy city routine. Mary and Jesus very much accompanied our spiritual experience as we went deeper into our knowledge of ourselves, our companions in the journey, and our relationship with God and Mary. It was refreshing, renewing, fun, challenging, and healing in many ways.
 
God had a lot of surprises for us in our journey, manifested in concrete people. Fr Andrew Kurz, who started this journey, welcomed us warmly, and our stay at the WI Way Albergue was very pleasant; a very lovely family we met at a diner who then invited us to visit their family on their farm gave us an incredible witness of life of a family who lives their faith and mission as a family; the kids we met at the park, the woman who gave us water, the person at the diner, the Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Monks, the owner of the Inn, and many others!
 
This journey has marked a before and after in our lives. This is the beginning of the GAP program that we will have this year with two of these girls and two others where we can accompany them in deepening their relationship with God and their search for God’s will in their lives. We will continue to treasure these words in the WI Way, “Pray with Mary, Walk with Jesus.”



Experience of Norma Hernandez - a Young Adult Pilgrim
 
This spiritual walk retreat to Wisconsin was such a beautiful experience. Being away from the city, the noise, and the routine of daily life was something I didn’t know I needed. It was truly a week full of so many surprises and great adventures with everybody. This experience allowed me to disconnect from the distractions and reconnect with God and myself. The moments of silence, meditation, contemplating the nature we were surrounded with, the long walks; also the moments of joy, singing, sharing, playing, and getting to know each other were blessings that the Lord gifted me with. Something that made this retreat so special is that Our Lady Mary was closely walking with us during the entire spiritual walk. Praying the rosary and reading bible passages about her, helped me renew and strengthen my relationship with her.
 
One of the highlights of this adventure was meeting the Langer family, a remarkable family dedicated to spreading God's love by welcoming pilgrims to their home and farm. They have even built a beautiful chapel for the community. Their warm welcome and the tour of their farm, where we met their animals—kitties, donkeys, baby goats, chickens, and their adorable dog, Penny—left a lasting impression on me. The Langers’ witness of God's love and mission touched my heart and gave me an experience I will
forever treasure.