Someone once told me that a tourist moves through a place, while a pilgrim allows a place to move through them. I’ve taken this wisdom to heart each time I have traveled, a privilege I’ve been afforded innumerable times since I boarded my first flight at eighteen. This privilege has been unexpectedly extended during my short tenure at the CSTM. During these two years here, I have had the opportunity to travel internationally three times in various capacities. I have viewed each trip as a sort of pilgrimage, a spiritual practice that has allowed me to encounter God in new places and new people.
Monument of Antonio de Montesinos, Dominican friar and missionary, in Santo Domingo, DR.
Last winter I traveled to the Dominican Republic with a group of BC undergraduates as a graduate assistant and adult mentor for Arrupe International Encounters, a year-long formation and immersion program organized by the Office of Campus Ministry. As we encountered communities in the DR—particularly in bateys, communities built around the sugar cane industry that face high rates of material poverty—we sought to connect faith and global justice. We had studied the history of the island and its current challenges before our trip, but by being in the country and with the people, we witnessed the connection between the two in a way we could not do from Boston. These types of trips remind me that both human suffering and human flourishing transcend borders. Such a pilgrimage calls me to follow Jesus’ example of solidarity in my daily living, for we are all connected to each other.
Overlooking the town and surrounding beauty of Hallstatt, in the region of Upper Austria
This past summer, I traveled to Linz, Austria with a group of master’s students from CSTM and PhD students from BC’s theology department to study theological German at the Katholische Privat-Universität (Catholic University) Linz. As my classmate and I reflected on in a previous CSTM Encounter blog post, living and studying in Linz for two months afforded us the opportunity to forge relationships with local Austrians and expats. I also had the great fortune to connect with the natural world. Traveling the country on days off, I felt an acute awareness of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ words: The world is charged with the grandeur of God. One cannot help but dwell in awe of the grandeur of God’s creation while sitting along the banks of the Donau (Danube), or beholding the towering majesty of the Traunstein (Traun Mountain) from below. During these winter months in Boston when the days can be dark and cold, I recall these moments of grandeur. They bring me deep consolation and enliven my prayer.
View of St. Peter's from the rooftop of the Jesuit Curia in Rome
In October I was a member of the CSTM delegation that traveled to Rome for the second session of the Synod on Synodality. Several of us in our group agreed that we experienced Rome like never before. Our week-long pilgrimage took us to holy sites such as the Ignatian Camerette (Ignatius Rooms), where St. Ignatius spent his time in Rome and where he died; to witness the inner workings of the Roman Curia at various dicasteries; and to the Paul VI Aula to partake in a Q&A with members of the Synod. The experiences of this carefully crafted week taught me about the Church of the past, present, and future. In turn, I’ve reflected on what it means to be part of the Pilgrim Church. As a member of the People of God, I have inherited an ancient tradition which continues to journey together today and tomorrow. Meeting fellow pilgrims from 14 other Catholic colleges and universities—as well as synod members and numerous folks working in Rome—deepened my understanding of the call to co-responsibility on our shared journey as the People of God. (Additional reflections on the week can be found on the CSTM Encounter blog and at Jesuits Global.)
My Jesuit education has inspired me to see myself as a pilgrim on journey, borrowing from the title of St. Ignatius’ autobiography. While my journey continues even when I am at the CSTM, I view these mountaintop experiences abroad—in DR, Austria, and Rome—as formative parts of my theological education. Each has exposed me to a specific facet of Christian discipleship: solidarity and justice, creation and relationship, and ecclesial and communal co-responsibility. I recall these tangible, embodied periods often as I engage in the formation of my mind. From a distance, these places and people continue to move through me, and for this grace I am eternally grateful.