Holy Land Pilgrimage

Mundelein Seminary has many traditions — one of which is sending the men of Third Theology off to the Holy Land for a good chunk of the spring semester.

It is an incredibly enriching and unforgettable experience any seminarian could ever have.  After all, what better way to study Scripture than to be in the land where it all began?  The land where Jesus was born, baptized, and died; the land where he preached and performed miracles;  it’s also the land to where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt; it’s the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity, as well as the land of milk and honey; dare I mention, it is also the land with more museums per capita than any other country in the world!!! The list goes on and on.

And year after year since pre-Theology days, my friend Danny and I would brave a cold January evening (or early morning) to bid farewell and offer our support and prayers to 3T men.  Each time we enthusiastically waved our arms and hands goodbye, we mirrored our thoughts: “You know, that’s gonna be us someday on that big bus.”

WELL, TIME SURE FLEW RIGHT BY!  I cannot even begin to fathom the fact that MY 3rd Theology class — the Class of 2020 — boarded the bus on the cold dry afternoon of Friday, January 11th, 2019 on our way to O’Hare airport to embark on a much-anticipated pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

After a long flight from O’Hare to Frankfurt Germany, we found a moment to grab a coffee as we waited for our flight into Israel.

Although some of us soon-to-be deacons were beyond exhaustion (due to lack of sleep) from the night before, there was sheer joy and comfort in knowing that your brothers are with you, whether on that big black bus or in spirit.