Her name was Madeline.
She was elegant, inquisitive, and had an air of virtue about her.
She and Marina, a perpetual pilgrim on the Seton Route, were the designated trailblazers for the New York City leg of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
Their job was to navigate slightly ahead of the procession to guide, direct, and point out all the potholes along the path--and steer them clear of the fire hydrants, trash piles, and oncoming foot traffic.
The procession and the Blessed Sacrament would wind their way from Westchester Country into the South Bronx, through Manhattan, to Brooklyn, and ultimately into the vast, historic harbor that lies in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty before departing the city that never sleeps for points west.
We'd cross paths frequently over the first long hours of processing under the crystal blue sky.
My attempts to capture a decent photo often made me the very object they were trying to steer around until the awkwardness of the perpetual encounters led to an introduction.
She was from Colorado.
She found herself in New York City as a pre-med student at Columbia University, where Fr. Roger Landry serves as University Chaplain and as her Spiritual Advisor.
Over the following days and hours, we'd drift in and out of each other's orbit.
There were brief, witty exchanges about upcoming obstacles mixed with feature-length dialogues that broached existential topics.
She expressed the challenge of being a pre-med student at Columbia and how she felt called to it despite the grueling work.
I advocated that Mass is the single most important thing a person can accomplish on any given day.
She hypothesized that devout Protestants were easier to evangelize than lapsed Catholics.
And she asked seeking questions…
"So, what's the best way to evangelize people…other than with photos…" smirking, she pressed.
I maintained that receiving the Eucharist daily empowers you to evangelize, well, anyone. And it wasn't really you, but Christ's Presence within you, that made the difference.
And so forth and so on.
Over the days, we'd pass through an array of NYC neighborhoods, from Little Havana to East Harlem, Wall Street to Williamsburg, and everything in between. And we'd brush up against many of New York's great iconic structures, as well as some semi-iconic ones.
Like the new Yankee Stadium—the one that replaced "The house that Babe built" with a sleek, modern edifice built of stone and steel.
It's what they call progress.
I call it sacrilegious.
But I digress.
Then there’s the beloved Brooklyn Bridge.
Or the dreaded Brooklyn Queens Expressway. A roadway that will effortlessly take time off of your stay in Purgatory.
But also at the Lady who graces the harbor with her golden torch who’s welcomed scores of immigrants including St. Mother Cabrini.
We'd also stop at all manner of churches along the way, from smaller ethnic parishes uptown to the grandest of them all, St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown.
To my mind, these were our Jericho's and Jerusalem's--our Gallilees and Damascus's.
Over time and miles, I wondered if this was what it was like for the disciples as they journeyed with Christ from town to town.
I wondered if their conversations were not unlike ours.
Peter speaking to James and then drifting over to John discussing all manner of things. Someone lugging around water, and someone leading the way who knew how to get where they were going…all the while in the Presence of Jesus.
On our final day, as we approached Our Lady of the Angels, our final Brooklyn destination, she reappeared.
And smiled, saying, "I was hoping that I'd see you again. Because you've given me a new perspective on the Communion of Saints…"
"Because if we never meet again, I look forward to seeing you again in heaven."
I'll leave it at this.
You could live an entire life without it making any sense or simply burn it to the ground through bad behavior…
But when you walk the path with Christ and surround yourself with His followers…
When you live a life recognizing that He is everything and He is all.
You'll never walk alone.
And it is simply impossible to have better companions.
Our Savior.
And His chosen.
It may be the road less traveled, but you’ll never walk it alone.
A few photos…












I wish to express my sincerest thanks to the crew at EWTN—Montse Alvarado, Shannon Mullen, and Kara West—for making these trips possible. Be sure to visit the National Catholic Register, Catholic News Agency, and all of the EWTN channels for continuing coverage of the Eucharistic Revival.