A Simpler Pilgrimage with Prior Christian Leisy, O.S.B. Dates: September 26 – 30, 2016
Many pilgrimages are long and exotic, to distant lands and wonderful destinations. That is terrific, but I am proposing a less exotic but equally wonderful pilgrimage, closer to home and not too taxing, for friends of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.
Where to, you may wonder? None other than to my home state, Oregon, and to three worthwhile and lovely pilgrimage sites:
- The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, run by the Order of Servants of Mary (usually called Servites), located in the city of Portland.
- The Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel, just 40 miles from Portland.
- The Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also just 40 miles from Portland.
Though one of the “least-churched” states in the entire country, Oregon is also blessed with three wonderful and beautiful Catholic pilgrimage places, all in or near the city of Portland.
The pilgrimage, then, is not a “tour of Portland” or the Oregon coast (you may wish to do that on your own before or after the pilgrimage), but a spiritual odyssey, celebrating Holy Mass together each day, as well as praying some of the Divine Office, and really taking time to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” while visiting these three sacred sites that are dear to me personally and presumably for those who join in the pilgrimage, even if you’ve been to one or more of the sites already.
To make it manageable, the pilgrimage will be limited to 18 adults (our Brother Benedict Hall will be #19 and I’ll be #20), first come first served, who will meet in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, September 26th, 2016, staying at the Howard Johnson Portland Airport Hotel, right across from the Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother (popularly called “The Grotto”), just 2.5 miles from the Portland International Airport, but a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the city. Pilgrims arriving in Portland earlier can easily walk over to The Grotto for a “first look.”
On Tuesday morning we will visit “The Grotto” as a group for a personal tour of this exquisite sanctuary, a pilgrimage destination for many, with a Holy Door in the Archdiocese of Portland in this “Year of Mercy.”
Tour guide at The Grotto will be its Creative Director, an old friend of mine who has worked there for 25 years. We will celebrate Holy Mass at The Grotto, have quiet time for prayer in the upper or lower gardens and chapels, lunch together and return to the hotel (across the street!) when we wish.
Wednesday morning will be a trip to Mount Angel Abbey, another Oregon treasure, 40 miles south of Portland, where Benedictine monks have prayed and worked since the late 1800’s. This is also where Abbot Philip and I first entered monastic life. The same basic format at Mount Angel Abbey as at The Grotto: visit the church, lovely grounds and the famous Alvar Alto library, celebrate Holy Mass, have lunch, some time for personal prayer inside church or out, and return to Portland and the hotel when we wish.
On Thursday morning we will visit to the beautiful Trappist Abbey in the “wine country” of the Willamette Valley, near the town of Lafayette, with a format as on the previous two days. These monks moved en masse from Pecos, New Mexico, to their new home in Oregon in 1955.
On Friday, September 30, the pilgrimage ends. Fly home that day or as you choose.
To keep things simple, pilgrims will make their own travel arrangements to and from Portland (Southwest Airlines is likely the best was to fly from NM and TX), as well as arranging lodging, at the Howard Johnson Portland Airport Hotel (503-256-4111), right across the street from “The Grotto” entrance. Free shuttle from airport to hotel, which is just 2.5 miles from the airport.
We will normally try to dine together in modest places, with pilgrims paying their own tabs. Breakfast will be provided at the hotel.
The other request is a $200 per pilgrim (or $300 per couple) donation to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert for us two monks’ travel expenses and some income for the Monastery.
We will also need to pool resources to pay for transportation to and from Mount Angel and the Trappist Abbey, presumably by two vans. None of the three pilgrimage destinations require entrances fees, (though a small admission for Upper Level at The Grotto), but all of them have book and gift shops!
When? September 26 (arrival day) – September 30 (departure day), 2016.
Can we expect you? Email Fr Christian at: monkchristian@gmail.com
Please don’t book flights until you hear from me that there are still openings. If “too many” sign up, we can consider a second pilgrimage in October or in 2017.
If time and energy permits, we could also take a look at two local historic and beautiful sites:
- The former Providence Academy in Vancouver, WA, and the former Precious Blood Monastery in Portland, close to where we’ll be lodging.
The three main pilgrimage destinations have websites, so you can have a closer look at what we will see there.
Sincerely,
Prior Christian Leisy, OSB
Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Abiquiu, New Mexico