Katy Trail Marian pilgrims explore Starkenburg shrine
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Ankles a little sore, heels a little calloused and hearts filled with joy, a band of pilgrims sang and prayed while ascending the road to Starkenburg.
At last, they came within sight of their destination.
“Coming up the hill and seeing the steeple of the church, with all the leaves changing color, the beautiful blue sky — that was incredible,” recalled Kathy Harkins, a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in High Ridge in the St. Louis archdiocese.
She was part of a five-day, 45-mile walking pilgrimage along the Katy Trail to honor the Blessed Mother in mid-October.
Father Timothy Foy, pastor of St. John the Baptist (Gildehaus) Parish in Villa Ridge in the St. Louis archdiocese, led the pilgrimage and offered Mass in seven rural churches along the way.
Among those were St. Anthony Church in Case, a bucolic and mostly silent structure near Hermann, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Starkenburg.
“Visiting the older churches — the sense of history, the Catholic history here and at the other places — it was simply amazing,” said Ms. Harkins after arriving at the shrine.
A group of students from Holy Rosary School in Warrenton in the St. Louis archdiocese joined the pilgrims on foot for the last day of the journey.
“If Jesus could carry His cross to Calvary, I can surely walk 11 miles,” said a Holy Rosary seventh-grader named Ava.
The school is about 15 miles from St. Patrick Church in Jonesburg.
“We experienced Jesus and some of the most beautiful scenery in Missouri on this trip,” said seventh-grader Chloe.
“The best part was visiting Starkenburg and seeing the inside of the churches,” eighth-grader Joey stated.
Trail mix
This was the sixth autumn walking pilgrimage Fr. Foy has led down the Katy Trail.
Each day included Mass, Adoration, prayer and fellowship.
Overnight accommodations and transportation were included.
Catholic and non-Catholic participants of all ages were welcome.
The trail was once the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which carried passengers and freight through central Missouri.
Much of the trail follows the Missouri River, surrounded by trees, bluffs and farms.
Pilgrims Dave and Lori Voss are members of St. Ann Parish in Silver Bottom, near Washington, and St. Patrick Parish in Laurie.
Both had a lot going on at home and only planned on walking with the pilgrims the first day.
“But when I got with this group, I knew we had to go another day,” said Mr. Voss. “We just had to go on, you know? We wound up going for all four days.”
Mrs. Voss said praying the Rosary together every day was most memorable for her.
“And today — these seventh- and eighth-graders from Holy Rosary, they sang in Latin as we were walking on the trail,” she said. “It was beautiful! So reverent, so reverent. It was just awesome.”
53 and 45
Shirley Kent wanted to make the pilgrimage but wasn’t sure she could handle the 45-mile walk.
Could she?
“I just did!” said Mrs. Kent, a member of St. Joseph Parish of Cottleville, largest in the state.
Her husband Dean played a supporting role, following in a car along Highway 94 and stopping with the group at each church.
“Any pilgrims that needed help, I could help them,” he said.
The pilgrimage coincided with the couple’s 53rd wedding anniversary.
“I asked (Dean) if I could do this on our anniversary,” said Mrs. Kent. “He said yes, and Father gave us a special blessing.”
Mrs. Kent said she’ll always remember that she walked 45 miles on her first pilgrimage.
“I can do all things in Him Who gives me strength!” she said, echoing Philippians 4:13.
“Amen!” said her husband.
Family ties
Pilgrim Jane Halfers grew up in the Baden neighborhood in St. Louis.
Generations of her family, descendants of German immigrants, went to Mass in Holy Cross Church and Holy Cross School.
“My ancestors went there. I went there. We had cousins in every class,” she said.
Her longtime pastor, the late Monsignor Martin Hellriegel, who penned the lyrics to the hymn “To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King,” often told stories about Starkenburg, where he had assisted as a seminarian and offered his First Solemn Mass after ordination.
“I’ve never been here before,” Mrs. Halfers said softly. “We were the last couple he married. He was blind by then.”
Now a member of St. Alban Roe Parish in Wildwood, she walked three of the four days of the pilgrimage.
“Arriving here was the highlight for me,” she said.
She delighted in viewing the Nativity scene Msgr. Hellriegel had brought from Germany, and the Bible stand he had used while pretending to offer Mass as a child.
Both are on display in the St. Martin Church Museum near the shrine.
“We receive”
Fr. Foy celebrated Mass in the shrine’s stone-vaulted chapel.
He said in his homily that the Blessed Mother no longer grieves for the death of her Son, but for people who turn away from Him.
“We’re brothers and sisters in our need for a Savior,” the priest stated. “In our waywardness, we receive Christ.”
After Holy Communion, the children and adults chanted the “Salve Regina” — “Hail, Holy Queen.”
Fr. Foy led everyone in singing “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” for the recessional.
“It’s a fitting song, expressing our gratitude to God for bringing us here and achieving the victory He has given us,” the priest stated.
He said it was a joy to see children and adults walk together while growing in faith.
“I know He’s calling us to witness to faith,” Fr. Foy stated. “That’s the thing we need more of now.”
He called on everyone to present the fruits of the pilgrimage prayerfully at God’s feet.
“It’s not our glory; it’s God’s glory,” he stated.
“10 out of 10!”
Other Holy Rosary students talked about pilgrimage:
“If Jesus and the others on the pilgrimage could walk for four days, I can certainly do one day,” said Claire, a seventh-grader.
“No pain, no gain!” said seventh-grader Faith. “We can walk for all those who can’t walk.”
“I enjoyed going to Starkenburg, especially when I learned that my family was a part of that parish,” said seventh-grader Wyatt.
“The Marian pilgrimage was a lot of fun and a great experience,” said Ken, an eighth-grader.
“10 out of 10! I would recommend this trip to others,” said Maggie, a seventh-grader.
Eighth-grader Noah said he had just read about Terry Fox, who ran across Canada to raise money for childhood cancer treatment.
“I just thought that if he could do that with a prosthetic leg, I can do this pilgrimage,” Noah stated.
Mr. Voss agreed with all of them.
“It’s a magnificent experience,” he said. “I feel clean and cleansed. It was very fulfilling — very, very, very fulfilling. I’ll definitely be here next year.”
The right track
Mrs. Harkins said she was a little nervous about signing up for the pilgrimage, but it turned out great.
“I’ve visited a lot of churches, I am a daily Mass-goer, but this was definitely an entirely new experience,” she stated. “I found nature — the fact that we were out in nature, praying as a community.
“I feel like I’m part of a tribe, a wonderful tribe, a Catholic tribe!” she said.
Fr. Foy said he hopes that joy and those lessons will last.
“I’m just praying that we can take this spirit of fraternity that we’ve received over these past few days, and carry that out into the world and continue that spirit of charity and joy,” he said.
