By Philip Shibler, 9th grade
On September 20th, 2024, the Saint Louis de Montfort Academy drove from Herndon, Pennsylvania to mid-state New York, a five and a half hour drive north. The destination was the Frosty Acres Camping and RV site. However, this was only the beginning of a three day campout and eighteen mile pilgrimage to Auriesville and the North American Martyrs Shrine. We were going in penance to the place where the famous missionary priest Saint Isaac Jogues and several of his companions were martyred after much torture by the Iroquois Indians. Here was to be our goal.
Monday morning, the day of our 18 mile pilgrimage, we awoke at 7:00 a.m. and soon had breakfast. We then loaded into the bus, drove to the starting point, and after unloading, we began to walk. The morning was long, but it was filled with many prayers and sacrifices including the rosary. Throughout the miles, there were several rests and snacks. At about 1 p.m., we stopped for a longer rest and lunch. It consisted of massive subs, chips, drinks, and fruit. It was very satisfying. However, we still had about 7 miles to go and soon continued walking. With the aid of several more rests during the afternoon, we finally made it to our destination.
At the end, those who could make it ran up the hill that Saint Isaac Jogues had run will going through the gauntlet. Here, the Indians had made him run uphill through two lines of Indian braves who had sticks, clubs, knives, hatchets, or anything that they could get their hands on. After we got to the top of the hill, we visited the shrine and several outdoor grottos. We then went down into the ravine were another of the North American Martyrs, Saint Rene Goupil had been killed. There, we sung Solemn Vespers of the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Afterwards, we enjoyed delicious pizza, chicken, salad, and soda. Following a good night’s rest, we drove back to the Academy. This was the Saint Louis de Montfort Academy Auriesville pilgrimage to the North American Martyrs Shrine.