By Peter Rao ’24
In late September, over fifty students from Thomas More College walked the sixty-mile, three-day-long Pilgrimage for Restoration from Lake George to Auriesville, New York—the site of the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs.
Although not strictly a TMC event, so many members of the student body choose to attend this pilgrimage that it has become a familiar feature of the school year. Given the natural seriousness with which the students and faculty approach the practical “living out” of the Thomas More College education, it is no surprise that something as spiritually and physically intense as the Auriesville pilgrimage should become a part of the College’s communal life.
Upon returning to campus, two students sat down to share their perspectives on the experience. Before arriving at TMC, Patrick Nagle ’25 had never had the opportunity to attend the pilgrimage. This year, now having gone three times, Mr. Nagle expressed his gratitude for the College’s support. “It’s a blessing—the fact that the school will allow us to take time off from classes because they know how important it is to go on pilgrimage. The College bends over backwards for us,” Mr. Nagle continued. “It takes the spiritual life of its students very seriously.”
Mr. Nagle emphasized both the personal and communal benefits that going on pilgrimage has to offer. “From a community aspect, being able to go on pilgrimage and suffer together—and doing it early on in freshman year—creates a spiritual glue that keeps the class together.” He mentioned that it was comparable to a second orientation, albeit in a qualified sense. “Instead, it’s an orientation of the person. You share this intense spiritual experience, which helps strengthen the character of every friendship. I can confidently say that it is through that suffering that I become a better friend to those on campus.”
Jacinta Sigaud ’26 also expressed her appreciation for the event, explaining, “I think my favorite part of pilgrimage is the sense of community it fosters. You’re doing such hard things, but you’re doing them together. That’s the true beauty of pilgrimage—everyone coming together, suffering, rejoicing, praying, and reaching the destination together.”
Miss Sigaud has been on several pilgrimages over the years and remarked that she was happily surprised at the energy of this year’s participants. “I was really impressed with how positive everyone was. It can be so difficult when you’re walking for so long to encourage other people and remain enthusiastic. It’s actually fascinating,” Miss Sigaud continued, “how much it alleviates your own suffering when you try to alleviate that of others.”
That suffering is an unavoidable theme of the pilgrim’s life; so much so that it was part of what drew Mr. Nagle to go on pilgrimage in the first place: “There’s such a lack of it in our modern world that it really leaves a strong message when you walk sixty miles, not for prideful reasons, but for someone you care about; or for a soul, even if it’s your own.”
Miss Sigaud agreed: “I don’t think it would be a true pilgrimage if there was no suffering. I think of pilgrimage as a total surrender—a complete act of faith. You’re handing over all control to God, which is very humbling.” She concluded, “Pilgrimage helps you grow and makes you understand things about yourself that you would never have understood without the physical hardship and spiritual intensity of the experience. I’m really grateful to be at a college that understands that importance. It’s a privilege to go to class and on pilgrimage with the same people.”
For further reading:
From Merrimack to Auriesville: TMC Attends the 27th Pilgrimage for Restoration
