By Father Garrett Braun
From Fields Afar
The Aviano Air Base — St. Joseph parish council has a chairperson for Cultural Tours & Pilgrimages. Though not a standard parish council position back home, this appointee coordinates several parish trips, big or small, every year. It turns out that Aviano’s location at the heart of central Europe makes it strategic not only from a military perspective but also for pilgrimage sites. Everything from major Catholic destinations, such as Lourdes or the Vatican, “down to” lesser known shrines or the tombs of saints in the local area. Needless to say, I find myself in an enviable position as the priest of the on base parish.
On Saturday, April 25, the Feast of St. Mark, we took one of these pilgrimages under the leadership of our Cultural Tours representative. By 0700 (7 a.m.) more than 25 parishioners of every age and rank were on a local train bound for a day trip to Venice — just one hour south of base. We made our way to Basilica San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica), where St. Mark himself is buried, on his feast day — with the Patriarch of Venice celebrating Mass in one of the most beautiful churches in Christendom, in one of the most iconic cities in the world. Those are the kind of days when you remember that you’re spoiled! Blessed … but spoiled.
My favorite part of the day was seeing the people of our parish coming together. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, was strengthened that day because of a prayer-experience leveraged by the Chapel. The common experiences of travel: ordering espresso together; trying to not get lost in the alleyways and canals of Venice; and most especially in encountering Jesus together in the Eucharist, were all opportunities for the Holy Spirit to act.
There are all kinds of ways to leverage experiences to build community in our parishes, and many don’t require traveling through Europe. St. Meinrad and the Monastery Immaculate Conception of the Sisters of St. Benedict are incredible pilgrimage sites of serenity and prayer. The Minor Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Vincennes has a crypt-chapel with Servant of God Simon Brute buried beneath the sanctuary. Even a trip to another parish, a game night or a Theology on Tap provide the same kind of opportunities for fellowship and community that larger pilgrimages provide. Travel and dazzling sites can be powerful means but they are certainly not the end goal. That goal is always the same — community with each other and the living God. This goal can be attained in any number of ways, and striving for them has an importance that echoes deep into eternity.