Bishop Earl Fernandes will lead 47 Catholic pilgrims to France for “Returning Love for Love: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Jesus” starting May 31, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, and returning to Columbus on June 9.
The pilgrims will focus on responding to the loving heart of Jesus during the trip to France, which is taking place during the Jubilee Year celebrating the 350th anniversary of the revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Paray-le-Monial.
The highlight will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on June 7 at the Visitation Chapel in Paray-le-Monial. The group will attend a private Mass on the feast day at the Chapel of the Visitation, where 350 years ago Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary, revealing His heart and asking her to spread this devotion to others.
Father Jonathan Wilson, pastor of Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church, will accompany the pilgrims on the trip, which will be led by Emily Jaminet, executive director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, and coordinated by Corporate Travel-Catholic Pilgrimages.
The pilgrimage will provide an opportunity to encounter the life of many significant saints, including St. Margaret Mary, to whom Jesus appeared in 1673; St. Vincent de Paul; St. Catherine Laboure, who received three apparitions of the Blessed Mother in 1830 in France. St. John Vianney, patron of priests; St. Bernadette, whom the Blessed Mother appeared to at Lourdes; and St. Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Ss. Zelie and Louis Martin.
These saints and many other important sites are found in France. Among them are the church with the longest-running Perpetual Adoration and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre.
Another highlight will be Bishop Fernandes leading a trip to venerate the relics of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of the diocese.
“We couldn’t be any more excited to go on pilgrimage with the bishop,” Jaminet said.
The group will also visit Omaha Beach, which is a five-mile stretch of Normandy coast in France that was used by Allied forces during the D-Day invasion in World War II on June 6, 1944. The pilgrims will pray at the site for the repose of the souls of the brave soldiers on June 2, just days before the 80th anniversary of this significant day of freedom.
Father Wilson recently shared that traveling as a pilgrim requires much prayer and patience, saying that the group is going with a “purpose” — to grow closer to God. He also reminded the group at its kickoff meeting of the need to be open to new people and to make sure to have “phun” -- a new kind of fun where you are open to the Lord in a new way and encounter a deeper conversion.
The pilgrims represent multiple parishes in the diocese and beyond. They will be praying for loved ones and for the needs of the Church.
In Columbus, Masses will be offered for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart with the desire that all people will be united in the love of the Lord while asking Jesus to pour forth new graces into their lives and renew the faithful so that they might grow in holiness.
