Pilgrimage ends but 'there is no finish line'

Editor's note: This is the third and final installment of a three-column series. Check the March 25 and April 20 editions of The Catholic Week online at mobarch.org to read the first two columns.




As the sun set on my 24-hour Vigil on Lough Derg (St. Patrick’s Purgatory) in Ireland, I was ready to sleep. I was up for about 36 hours which does not include my difficulty in sleeping the night before the pilgrimage began. After night prayer on the second day, we were allowed back into the dorms where I had left everything including my shoes on the first day. I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep very quickly.
When I awoke the next morning, I put my bare feet on the ground to start a new day. When I stood up, my feet immediately felt pain. I looked at my feet and they were swollen from walking the past two days without shoes on hard surfaces. My immediate thought went to how I was going to finish the pilgrimage when it was difficult to just stand up. The final day was light compared to the first two days but I still had to complete one final station. Pilgrims have the choice for completing the final Station either inside St. Patrick’s Basilica or outside on the penitential prayer beds. I was having trouble walking but I started my final Station outside but half way through I went inside to complete the Station. Despite pain in every step, I did finish my final Station. 
I had completed the pilgrimage and it was time to depart the island. We were allowed to get our stuff including our shoes and head to the boat to take us off the island. When I put my socks and shoes on my feet, I immediately felt relief from the pain. I did not have a cellphone or any way of communicating with my father so I was hoping he was on the mainland. To my relief he was waiting when I walked off the boat. Our next stop was in southern Ireland so we headed that way.
Even though the pilgrimage on the island was completed, the fast continued until midnight of the third day. The only food I had eaten for three days was toast. Even though I was hungry, I felt fine. When we stopped for dinner, it would have been easy to order a hamburger but I wanted to see this through. Looking back, I am amused that I thought that I could never make it through three days on one serving of toast per day. When I woke up the next day, I had a traditional Irish breakfast and it was amazing!
My father and I continued our trip through Ireland and we visited Our Lady of Knock, the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, and other beautiful locations. I am very blessed that I was able to spend this time with my father and that will always be my fondest memory from the trip. I am also grateful for the opportunity to participate in the pilgrimage on St. Patrick’s Purgatory. I had a lot of hesitation leading up to the three days but God gave me the strength and courage to follow through and I believe that I felt closest to God at that particular time. Without distractions that come with my daily life, I was able to focus on prayer in order to strengthen my relationship with Jesus. The biggest lesson I learned is that putting my trust in God will help me overcome obstacles. I used to have a T-shirt that read “There Is No Finish Line.” I incorporate that phrase into my life because every point in my life is leading me toward something new. I feel that all of my experiences are building on each other to make me more faithful to God.
— Tex Phelps is the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
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