The Walk to Mary consists of a 21-mile walk from the Shrine of St. Joseph located on St. Norbert’s campus to the Shrine of our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI.  This event occurs annually on May 5th.

This pilgrimage was established to honor Mary and to show our devotion to her.  Every year people from around the country travel to northern Wisconsin to make this pilgrimage.  Over the past few years this walk has become increasingly more popular. For example, this year 2000 pilgrims gathered to walk.

People traveled from California, New York, Oklahoma and Florida, to name a few of the places.. These people show their devotion to Mary by making the arduous journey across the country to participate in the Walk to Mary.

The walk began promptly at 8 a.m. and lasted until 4:30 p.m. with a concluding mass at the Shrine of our Lady of Good Help. Along the way were pit stops where food, beverages and bathrooms could  be found.

The largest pit stop, about two-thirds of the way through the walk, is the main location for pilgrims to stop for food and water. This pit stop is where my family and I sat for a moment and ate lunch. The cold water never tasted so good.

After finishing up lunch we still had about five miles left, which is the hardest part of the walk.

As my family and I finished the walk just before Mass began, we quickly joined the other pilgrims in the chapel to celebrate Mass.  When the opening song began to play, a sense of calmness came over me. I listened to the people singing around me, and I realized this was the most beautiful part of the day and the true reward of the challenging walk.

Altogether I would strongly recommend this pilgrimage to a fellow student. Save the date for May 5th, 2019, when the next Marian walk will take place.