‘Our earthly journey toward heaven’

By Becky Berreth

Shoes, high visibility vests, sleeping pads, and overnight bags littered the floor of the basement at Our Lady of Black Hills Church, Piedmont. A group of 15 pilgrims from Spearfish sat comparing blisters, walking pace, snacking, or sitting in silence while they waited for the home cooked meal at the end of a long day of walking.

They were part of the Pilgrimage of Hope – a 60-mile walk from Spearfish to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City. Eighteen participants began the pilgrimage on June 6. The journey was planned using the shortest route between the towns without spending a lot of time on service roads or the interstate. Day one consisted of 23 miles from Spearfish to Sturgis. Day two was 25 miles from Sturgis to Piedmont. Day three was 13 miles from Piedmont to the cathedral, where Bishop Scott Bullock hosted a reception for the pilgrims.

The group trekked to the cathedral to attain a plenary indulgence during the Year of Hope. Bishop Bullock designated the cathedral as a site for just that in a statement to the diocese in December 2024, “While plenary indulgences are often associated with a pilgrimage to a designated holy site in Rome, by my authority, I am permitted to designate a site in our diocese for such a pilgrimage. Therefore, I decree, in communion with the directives of our Holy Father Pope Francis, that, besides the holy sites in Rome, the faithful of our Diocese of Rapid City may obtain a Jubilee Year Plenary Indulgence.”

“Catholics go on pilgrimage to attain grace from God for the strengthening of faith and to make atonement for our sins,” explained Father Kevin Achbach, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Spearfish. “A pilgrimage represents the entirety of our earthly journey toward heaven in miniature, the arduous way of the cross and the hope of attaining new life in Christ.”

According to organizer Rebeccah Anglin, assistant to the director of evangelization at St. Joseph parish, the idea for the pilgrimage came from Father Achbach while visiting with the young adult group at St. Joseph parish. “He thought it would be really great if we could get a pilgrimage going, walking instead of driving. He brought up the fact that the bishop stated you could do a pilgrimage to the cathedral. It would be really cool if we could get a group going,” she explained.

The walk was open to anyone who was able to participate. “Our youngest walker was 15 and the oldest was 61,” said Anglin. “We’ve had at least one person from every decade, teens to 60s, walk with us each day.”

Pilgrims started each day with morning prayer before beginning their walk. They all carried a small booklet that had a map, tentative schedule, and prayers to pray along the way. Each day included check-in points with food and water and concluded at a parish where dinner and lodging were provided.

While they were walking, the group was encouraged to pray. Parishioners were encouraged to write down prayer requests for pilgrims before the three-day event. “Our Bible study group would send us prayer requests while we were walking,” said a participant Tami Wahlen. “We’d shoot them a picture every once in a while, in return.”

Other pilgrims shared ways the pilgrimage touched their spirits, bringing them close to God.

“I like to think about Saint Paul running the race to the finish line — an emulation of your journey to heaven,” said pilgrim Kyle Benjamin. “You’re pushing yourself, but also you’re in community and prayer, walking with people not in a metaphorical way.”

“Something that really came to mind is when Joseph and Mary walked for a day away from Jerusalem and then realized that Jesus was no longer with them,” said pilgrim Warren Black. “So, they spent the day going back, and then they spent a day searching Jerusalem right before they found Jesus.”

“Not all of us can go to Rome,” said Traci Isburg when asked why she felt it was important to be a part of this pilgrimage. “This connects us to all the pilgrimages in a small way. We’re part of the bigger picture.”