Youth Pilgrimage to Italy

Throughout my previous two years at Peoria Notre Dame I have grown tremendously in my faith.  I am positive that one of the biggest catalysts of that has been the religious sisters there. Their order is called the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary and I have been largely involved with them since my freshman year.  

So with that being said, they just announced that they will be going on a pilgrimage to Italy in Spring 2019 specifically for high school students and our formation.  The main purpose is to walk in the lives of bold saints. The saints are greatly important & influential for me because they show me practical ways in which to live a life of holiness.  As you may know, there is this thing called the universal call to holiness - meaning we are all called to holiness, which is the perfection of love & charity. Each and every one of us are called, seriously, to be saints.  I am completely awestruck at this great opportunity the Lord has presented me with to walk around their cities and homes while learning more and having a deeper understanding of their lives. The saints we are visiting are St. Maria Goretti (martyr), St. Giuseppe Moscati (doctor of the poor), St. Padre Pio (stigmatist), St. Mary the Mother of God, St. Francis of Assisi (founder of the franciscan order), St. Clare of Assisi, St. Gemma Galani, Bl. Chiara Luce Badano (my confirmation saint), St. Gianna Molla, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, & St. John Bosco.  

This trip is particularly meaningful to me because my confirmation saint is Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, a bubbly italian teenager with a particular devotion to Jesus Forsaken whose life was taken by cancer in 1990 when she was only 18.  Therefore, on the pilgrimage I would get the chance to meet and talk to her parents along with walk around her home & go into her room. Another reason I feel the pull to go this year is because I won’t have this same chance again, they will not be doing this next year.  

The trip cost is 3,550 dollars excluding spending money.  This includes airfare, hotels, transportation, book, breakfast daily, and some dinners.  We will be visiting 13 cities in 13 days over spring break (April 10-23). Those include Rome, Nettuno, Naples, Pompeii, Pietrelcina, San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Loreto, Assisi, Luca, Turin, Sassello, and Milan. - really astounding cities!!  Just to be clear, this is by no means a vacation. We will be constantly praying, contemplating, reflecting, & meditating on the Word of God, waking up very early & going to bed late, seeing a new city every day, traveling in a bus, going to mass everyday, visiting holy sites, and most importantly walking in the lives of the saints including visiting their homes (& Mary’s house!!).

I know that there is no way I can make all this money on my own so in humility I am asking you, if you have the desire and are able to help me fund this trip, please do. Though I will be working to earn money, I cannot go without fundraising.  I understand that you may not be able to give anything & if that is so, please research these saints and learn from them! Share my campaign on social media and please keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine!