(Above) Arrival of the Pilgrims at the Shrine.

The Pilgrimage for the Restoration on its 30^th Anniversary

Yesterday we had the joy to be  present at the 30th “Pilgrimage for the Restoration” at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York. It was a perfect day for this event. The contingents of pilgrims made their way to the shrine carrying their banners and often pushing their strollers; their order, discipline and demeanor were impressive. As far as I could see, the organization of the event seemed very thorough and competent. 

Over the years the details of this pilgrimage – the overall itinerary, the day of arrival and the program of the final day  – have frequently varied. This year, on reaching Auriesville on Sunday, the pilgrims first descended into the ravine  –  the most secluded and sacred spot of the shrine grounds. For this is where St. Isaac Jogues buried the bones of his martyred companion St. Rene Goupil. Next, they processed to the Coliseum, where a  Solemn Mass was celebrated,  accompanied by splendid music and in the presence of a bishop. Finally, after the conclusion of the Mass, relics of the saints revered in Auriesville were reverenced. 

If  numbers alone were the only criterion of success, this year’s  Pilgrimage for the Restoration was an outstanding achievement. One of the leaders estimated there were 700 to 800 pilgrims present; more may have joined for the concluding Mass. It is a dramatic improvement in participation compared to the situation around 2013. 

Now the Pilgrimage for the Restoration began in grandly successful style in the1990s. Numerous organizations participated, and a large congregation attended the concluding Mass in the Coliseum. Among other reasons for this impressive achievement was the uniqueness of this liturgy at that time in North America:  it was one of the few occasions at which a traditionalist could experience a Solemn (or Solemn High ) Mass. 

Already by 2008, however, attendance at the pilgrimage was decreasing. Was it the increasing availibility of more convenient traditional Masses? Or perhaps some foolishly thought “restoration” of the traditional liturgy had been achieved and no further work was needed? By 2013 the pilgrimage had dwindled to an affair of some 100-200 pilgrims. Then, the Jesuits in charge of the shrine started to exclude the pilgrims from the Coliseum. When, in 2015,  the Jesuits abandoned most of the Auriesville site it even seemed as if the shrine might permanently close. 

Perhaps recovery started precisely with the exit of the Society of Jesus from the shrine in 2015. For the new owners refurbished run-down grounds and buildings and were more welcoming to the Traditional Mass. The persecution of the traditionalists by Pope Francis starting in 2021 undoubtedly helped to reenergize the commitment of traditionalists to this pilgrimage.  Finally,  the emergence of competition in North America, notably the Three Hearts pilgrimage in Oklahoma,  may have also incentivized participants in this part of the country.

Let us recall that the Chartres pilgrimage,  the original model and inspiration for the Pilgrimage for the Restoration, also descended for a time into routine – perhaps even stagnation. But in the last several years the Pilgrimage of Christendom in France has enjoyed record attendance, in good weather and in bad. So much so that its success has become a major concern for the Vatican and the French hierarchy. But these impressive results could only have been achieved thanks to the persistence of the pilgrims through the leaner years.  The same is true in Upstate New York:  the persistence of the traditionalist pilgrims to Auriesville year after year – and the organizers – preserved the pilgrimage and laid the foundation for this year’s success.

(Above and below) The arrival of the pilgrims.

(Above) Prayer in the Ravine.

(Above and below) Processing from thr Ravine to the Coliseum.

The start of the Mass.

(Above) The choir was excellent.

In a recent visit to the cathedrals of England we encountered the traces of the prior occupant: the Catholic Church. Here and there the memory – and sometimes the tombs – of the medieval saints are preserved. For the devotion to the saints was and still is characteristic of the Catholic Church in England. Many of the great cathedrals owe their architectural splendor to the medieval pilgrims who thronged to the graves of the saints revered there.

Of course, the most famous saint was Thomas Becket. His shrine in Canterbury Cathedral was the main pilgrimage destination of England – as immortalized by Geoffrey Chaucer.

(Above and below) The place in Canterbury Cathedral where St. Thomas Becket’s magnificent shrine once stood. The Church of England seems to have no difficulty in commemorating “St. Thomas of Canterbury” – whose cult in England was extirpated by that denomination’s founder.

(Above and below) Where St. Thomas was martyred.

Saints often had been outstanding bishops of their diocese and leaders both in Church and state. (Above) The (former) tomb of St. Osmund in Salisbury Cathedral: pilgrims could see or touch the relics of the saint through the openings. The famous reliquary was destroyed in the Reformation. (Below) The tomb of St. William, the patron saint of York. (York Cathedral)

Durham Cathedral still contains the tombs of two early English (Anglo-Saxon) saints. (Above) Saint Cuthbert (ca. 634 – 687) (Below) The tomb of Venerable Bede (672/3 – 735) in the “Galilee” chapel. They both were instrumental in the founding and consolidation of the Catholic Church in England. The relics of both had been translated (moved) to Durham early in the Middle Ages.

Such was the faith of Catholics in medieval England. But what of the age of the Reformation and beyond?

Canterbury Cathedral still houses the grave of another more recent Catholic archbishop. Cardinal Reginald Pole, the last Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, was one of the most outstanding prelates of Europe and even was considered for the papacy. He was archbishop under Queen Mary I and supported her in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to restore Catholicism as the official faith of England. The extent to which he was involved in her campaign against heretics is disputed. But scholars like Eamon Duffy think that despite this “failure” of a Catholic restoration, Mary and Pole planted the seeds fof the recusant resistance of the next 270 years. Tragically, Pole died in 1558 while under bitter attack by the possibly crazy Pope Paul IV.

(Above) The tomb of Cardinal Pole in Canterbury Cathedral.

(Above) The tomb of the repudiated Queen Catherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral (up to the time of Henry VIII, an abbey). She was buried here in 1536. Her tomb was subsequently destroyed by the Puritans – the existing decorative slab is a contribution of the late 19th century. We should reflect on her life and its lessons for the Church of Amoris Laetitia. A second tragic Catholic queen, Mary Queen of Scots, was once also buried in Peterborough. But her son, King James I, eventually had her body moved to Westminster Abbey after he ascended the English throne in 1603.

(Above) A list of the martyrs of York displayed in the York Oratory (Roman Catholic!)

The English Catholic Church especially reveres the martyrs of the Reformation period onward. Their relics, of course, are not found in Anglican cathedrals! One of the chief of these was Margeret Clitherow of York. She was put to death in a particularly gruesome manner in 1586 (she was pressed or crushed to death). A relic of her survives in the Bar Convent ( a clandestine convent and school established in the 17th century by the Mary Ward sisters)

(Above ) A chapel of St. Margeret Clitherow in the picturesque “Shambles” of York. This was thought to have been her house – but a subsequent renumbering of the houses on the street had been ignored. Her real house still exists, across the street from the chapel. Note the arrangement of the altar….. (Below) The relic of St. Margertet Clitherow – her hand – in the chapel of the Bar Convent.

Finally, not a tomb, but, like the Bar Convent, an ancient reminder of the penal times. The former chapel of the Bavarian embassy – now known as the Church of Our Lady of the Assumptionn and St. Gregory – dates to the period when London Catholics could only worship in chapels of embassies of Catholic countries. The Bavarian chapel, after having been destroyed by the mobs of the anti-Catholic Gordon riots of 1780, was rebuilt around 1790. It is thus one of the oldest Catholic churches built after the Reformation in England. It was, however, extensively redecorated in the 19th century. After a number of recent vicissitudes, it has been entrusted to the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. As in the case of the chapel of St. Margeret Clitherow, please note the arrangement of the altar.

These mementos of the English martyrs and the sufferings of the penal times are especially relevent to traditionalists. For we are still officially persecuted – this time by the establishment of our own church. Reflection on the history of the Catholic Church in England helps put our situation in perspective. Consider the surrender of almost the entire English hierarchy under Henry VIII – except for one bishop, St. John Fisher of Rochester. The persecution of Catholics that began then lasted, with a few reprieves, almost 300 years! And if physical violence had (mostly) died down after the 17th century, at all times in these years English Catholics were denounced, segregated, and excluded from most aspects of public life. Yet they persevered and in the 19th century a Catholic renaissance did indeed take place. One of the main spiritual leaders of that recovery, St. John Henry Newman, is about to be made a doctor of the Church. But this renewal was only possible by virtue of previous generations of Catholics who had kept the faith through seeemingly hopeless times. And also by the sacrifice of so many who paid the ultimate price for that faith.

A Solemn Mass was celebrated yesterday at the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Harlem to celebrate the patronal feast day.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament concluded the Mass.

Solemn vespers as celebrated yesterday at the “Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.” (Fr. Enrique Salvo, Rector). Fr. Armando G. Alejandro, Jr. of the Ordinariate was the officiant. There were some very familiar names among the ministers and servers….

The music was an extraordinary selection of what might have been heard on a Marian feast in Mexico City in the 18th century. Mr. Jared Lamenzo led the schola and orchestra.

Once again last October, the Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum assembled in Rome for its annual pilgrimage to Saint Peter’s Basilica. I want to add a few observations to what has already been reported. Our own photographic record can be found on this site. 1) The number of participants, primarily of the laity, happily continues to increase. Furthermore, a considerable number of clergy participate.  In this respect, it is nothing like the American “National Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage” in Washington on October 8 of this year, where no clergy were present. This year the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage proceeded with relatively few glitches (aside from the unanticipated closure for restoration of the church of Santi Celso and Giuliano in front of which the pilgrims assemble on Saturday before setting out for St Peter’s.) 

As far as I could tell, the serving clerical bureaucracy of the Catholic Church in Rome remained totally absent  – except for one scowling ecclesiastic who stared at the procession as it passed him the street. In this very week, of course, the Synod on Synodality, the face of the official Catholic Church,  was reaching its (preliminary) end. Its recommendations would open the door to a whole world of potential further change.

 Paix Liturgique organized its customary conference prior to the start of the pilgrimage. Despite all the distressing developments,  the atmosphere was positive and enthusiastic, free from polemics and apocalyptic emotions,  Speakers from Spain, the UK and Nigeria told of their encounters with Catholic tradition. Indeed, in the first  two cases their acquaintanceship dates only from the last several years! In contrast,  John Rao,  well known to us here in New York,  took us back to the 1970s and the first stirrings of the traditionalist movement in the United States. Cardinal Gerhard Müller gave a most moving and impressive presentation. In conclusion, Christian Marquant, President of Paix Liturgique, spoke enthusiastically and eloquently of the present dramatic situation of traditionalists in the Church: “They have lost, but we have not yet won.”  Traditionalism remains alive and well, yet it remains the target of continuing official disdain and relentless persecution.

At the Paix Liturgique conference: Cardinal Gerhard Müller (above); Prof. John Rao (below).

As always, the Saturday procession to Saint Peter’s attracts great interest from bystanders  – some of whom even give signs of approval. Like last year, at the direction of Pope Francis,  the final act of the pilgrimage has been limited to a solemn procession to the main altar followed by benediction before the altar of St. Peter’s chair.  The ceremony and music were splendid; Cardinal Müller preached eloquently on the significance of the city of Rome, of the Christianized Greco-Roman culture it exemplifies and of the historic role of Saints Peter and Paul who are buried in this city:

If ancient Rome was the idea of peace among peoples under the rule of law, Christian Rome embodies the hope of universal unity of all peoples in the love of Christ

…

Do not, therefore, build the house of your life upon ideologies devised by men. But upon the rock of personal friendship with Christ in the divine virtues – faith hope and love – so that you may then be able to say with St. Paul: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and delivered himself for me.” (Gal 2:2))

The concluding service of the pilgrimage – a Solemn Mass for the Feast of Christ the KIng – was held in the FSSP church of Santa Trinità. Its dimensions are grossly inadequate for a congregation of this magnitude – to secure a seat one has to arrive an hour or more earlier. That’s a trial especially for families with young children. Of course, at the same time in Rome other, far larger, churches stand virtually empty. That one of these could be made available to this pilgrimage – as opposed to the Anglicans or Copts –  is, at this moment, perhaps a fantasy under the current papal regime.  Despite the discomfort, the solemn mass, celebrated by bishop Eleganti, was exemplary.

So this year’s Roman pilgrimage makes one very clear statement to traditionalists: you are not alone. An increasing number of individuals and countries are joining this pilgrimage. And the pilgrims’ attitude is not embittered, but relaxed, confident, enthusiastic – and also composed and prayerful. Inspired by this commitment, I am “cautiously optimistic” for the fututre.

1. “Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage, Solemn Procession to St. Peter’s,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (10/31/2024); “Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage in Rome: Solemn Vespers in the Pantheon,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (10/29/2024)

On Saturday October 26, pilgrims to the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage in Rome processed to St. Peter’s Basilica led by his Excellency Marian Eleganti, bishop emeritus of Chur, Switzerland.

Last weekend for the Feast of Christ the King, Catholics from around the world gathered in Rome for the Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage to demonstrate their devotion to the Traditional Liturgy of the Church.

On Friday Evening, October 25, Solemn Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary were celebrated in the Pantheon, Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs, in Rome. The celebrant was Bishop Marian Eleganti O.S.B., auxiliary bishop emeritus of Chur, Switzerland.

We recently attended Saturday afternoon mass at the Priory of the Annunciation in Charles Town, West Virginia together with some other pilgrims who had participated in the National Latin Mass Pilgrimage in Washington. This was the (only?) opportunity to attend a traditional mass that afternoon in the greater Washington area. (Charles Town is more than an hour’s drive from Arlington, Virginia, where the pilgrimage commenced.)

Mass was celebrated by a priest of the Augustinian Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem. Since our last visit in 2014, the canons have accomplished remarkable things in restoration of their priory. The sumptuously decorated chancel (sanctuary ) and side altars are reminiscent now of medieval England, now of a Byzantine church. This is Catholic art as it should be: overflowing and superabundant.

(Above) The priory today; (below) in 2014.

Website of the Priory.

On Saturday morning , the National Latin Mass Pilgrimage took place, with a 7-mile procession from St. Thomas More Cathedral, Arlington to St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington DC.