The pilgrimage to Guadalupe, Mexico to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe was an awesome experience for me.  The physical and spiritual parts of the pilgrimage were very well balanced and enabled me to appreciate in a deeper way the beauties of my faith and the luxuries of our home country.  When we were backpacking on the broken tile covered paths through the wooded mountain, I was struck by the beautiful and green countryside.  I also remember the feeling of pity when we would walk through the more residential areas and saw the poverty the people lived in compared to the luxuries I enjoy back home.  We would pray and sing the rosary and chaplet as we hiked which always helped me to forget any pain or discomfort I was in from walking for so long.  When we weren’t hiking, I had so much fun just talking with the other pilgrims and playing soccer with everyone.  The spiritual side of the pilgrimage gave me a greater appreciation for my faith.  We all learned how to pray Vespers and the spiritual talks that we had every night helped me to walk a little closer to Christ and His mother.  I was so excited and happy when we arrived at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I was able to see the tilma for the first time.  Being a couple feet away from the tilma and realizing the how miraculous the apparitions to Juan Diego truly were helped me believe in a deeper way all the truths of my Catholic faith.  I don’t think I will ever be able to put into words all of the different things that I experienced on the pilgrimage, but I do know that deciding to go and visit Our Lady of Guadalupe was one of the best decisions I have ever made!!

                                                                                                            Megan