By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
At the start of 2026, seminarians in the Diocese of Evansville’s House of Formation made a pilgrimage to Canada and the northeastern United States.
Diocesan Director of Vocations Father Tyler Tenbarge and first-year seminarians Jeff Helfrich, Landon Mayer, Sam Naas and Austin Wolf took a pilgrimage to Catholic shrines and saints of Canada and the northeastern United States.
Father Tenbarge said with the recommendation from The Program for Priestly Formation for seminarians to form devotions to American saints and learn about the history of the church in the United States, the diocese began an annual pilgrimage to the shrines of the North American martyrs in 2023 with first-year seminarians in the House of Formation. He said visiting the tombs and walking in their footsteps “captures a pilgrim imagination far more deeply than reading a book can.”
“We added stops at other saint sites, as well, and the men have been inspired to imitate and share what they have learned every year,” Father Tenbarge said. “Going back to the roots of Catholicism in the United States guides them as they move forward to discern and prepare for priestly ministry in our own diocese.”
Among the many places the seminarians visited were Our Lady of Victory Shrine in Buffalo, New York; the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland; Martyr’s Shrine in Midland Ontario, Canada; and the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal in Canada.
Helfrich said his favorite location they visited was the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The museum with her accompaniments portraying her path to sainthood was very inspiring, he said.
Naas said one thing that surprised him was the relationship of Servant of God Bishop Simon Bruté, who is buried in the St. Francis Xavier Proto-Cathedral in Vincennes, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
“Before visiting St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s shrine, I knew they were close, but I didn’t realize how intertwined their lives were,” Naas said. “Simon Bruté wasn’t just a priest or spiritual director of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He was her close friend and guided her through the loss of her two children.”
Naas was also surprised by the simplicity in the lives of the saints. He noted St. André Bessette, who grew up in a poor family, was illiterate and sickly, and only could become a porter within his religious community.
“I was reminded many times that I don’t have to be someone great to become a saint,” Naas said. “Sainthood is possible and achievable as long as you are willing to fully rely on God with complete trust.”
Naas said the trip was beneficial to him in particular as he discerns the priesthood by showing him how ordinary people did extraordinary things. The saints he saw showed him what it truly means to live out his vocation, he said.
“My vocation, no matter if it is to priesthood or to something else, will always push me to love God and those who God has put in my life. This pilgrimage showed me that trusting completely in Jesus will benefit me always.”
Helfrich noted the Catholic Church is a deep well-spring of truth, history and revelation. There is so much depth that it helps to experience some of the history and culture in person and to walk in the steps of the saints who fought the good fight of faith as a reminder that holiness is possible.
“The path to the priesthood, from pre-seminary discernment to ordination day, is not always easy,” Helfrich said. “This trip served as a reminder of all of the men, many of these being priests, who laid down their lives so that we all can know God and love him in this life and in the life to come.”