28-04-2025
GR Diocese group leave for Rome pilgrimage
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — As Catholics worldwide await the conclave's choice of Pope Francis's successor, Diocese of Grand Rapids Bishop David Walkowiak blessed a group of West Michigan Catholics at Ford Airport before their pilgrimage to Rome.
The group of 44 people from across West Michigan will spend 10 days traveling to sacred sites, a journey planned months ago. Due to mourning closures, some destinations will be inaccessible, but the pilgrimage carries added meaning during the Year of Jubilee — which the Catholic Church believes is a time in which God's holiness transforms us and is celebrated every 25 years.
Kind of almost more fitting because of the message that Pope Francis delivered. The way he lived his life is really what we're looking for as Christians, whether you're Catholic or whether you're with another faith, is really what we're trying to achieve. Pope Francis represented that,' Joe Reynolds, parishioner of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Wyoming, said.
'This is quite meaningful for us during this time, to be in the city during this time of nine days of mourning. We hope we'll have a glimpse of the procession into the Sistine Chapel of the cardinals as they prepare for the conclave,' Father Lam Lee, chair of the Diocesan Jubilee Committee, said.
The group returns to West Michigan next week.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
