Dear Friends,
I want to share with you a little about our parish pilgrimage to Italy. I know that not everyone gets a chance to spend a week praying, traveling, and discovering the heart of our faith. For this reason, please know that we prayed for you and the entire St. Peter’s community throughout our time away.
There were 36 of us in total, almost all parishioners from St. Peter’s. We visited the Vatican and attended a Wednesday audience with Pope Leo. “St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge” was announced on loudspeakers as he drove by in the ‘pope mobile’ to pray with all of us. For me, it was an amazing connection bringing St. Peter’s in River Edge to St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass and a visit to the tomb of St. Peter.
We visited Assisi, Florence, and Bologna where we prayed at the tombs of St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Carlo Acutis, and St. Dominic. One pilgrim parishioner said of the experience:
“The pilgrimage experience with St. Peter’s was uniquely memorable. With gratitude, I was able to witness for the first time, historic sites in Europe and in the Church, while traveling with people who were kind, welcoming, encouraging, and prayerful. The laughter and joy we shared were only surpassed by the holiness of the intimate masses in the chapels, the prayers we shared, and the beauty of the art, architecture and country of Italy. We were touched by the Holy Spirit. What a gift!”
We brought your prayer intentions—both those written and the ones in your hearts—and prayed for them daily.
Someone else said:
“It is hard to put into words what this pilgrimage meant to me. I have always been a prayerful person, but this trip has added a new dimension to my connection to my faith. Sharing this with a group from St Peter’s was meaningful too. New friendships have formed and others have grown. The feelings of kindness and purpose in my life is a wonderful thing.”
I love being able to accompany pilgrims from here at St. Peter’s to discover the Universal Church beyond the walls of our church here in River Edge. We returned filled with grace, friendships and ready for a few good nights of sleep! I am overjoyed to have shared this experience and am grateful to Fr. Paul and the parish staff for covering while we were away, and to Marissa for her organization prior to and leadership during the pilgrimage.
I pray that the graces we received overflow here at St. Peter’s for all of us and encourage each of us to pray for the health of Pope Leo and the holiness of our community here.
In prayer,
Fr. AJ
