‘All for the honor and glory of God’

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Church bells began to peal about 12:20 p.m. on July 13 as close to 40 pilgrims walked down Main Street in Glen Lyon, ready to turn a corner and ascend the last hill to St. Adalbert’s Church.

“I don’t think they usually ring at this time,” pilgrimage organizer Raphael Micca said. “I think they’re ringing for us.”

The bells, which segued from plain ringing to the melody of the hymn “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” matched the joyful mood of many in the group, who had just hiked 6 miles, mostly through the Pinchot State Forest, from their starting point at St. Mary’s Church in Mocanaqua.

“I made it; I made it. My first pilgrimage,” Lucille Temperine of Dallas said with quiet satisfaction as she walked the last few steps.

Days in advance, she had worried about how tiring the 6 miles might be. But she was determined to take part in the pilgrimage, as she explained, “all for the honor and glory of God.”

A walking pilgrimage is an ancient Christian tradition, Micca said, “with many continuing to this day, such as the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Pilgrimage to Chartres in France.”

On a more local historic note, Micca said the present-day pilgrims were walking in the footsteps of mining families of the late 1890s and early 1900s who used to travel on foot from Mocanaqua to Sunday Masses in Glen Lyon before St. Mary’s Church in Mocanaqua was built.

The recent walk was a prayerful activity, with participants singing hymns and praying the rosary and a Litany of the Saints during various parts of the trip.

Several of the pilgrims carried prayer intentions with them, either in their hearts or physically, written on paper and slipped into a pocket.

“I’m walking for peace and truth and unity for our country and the world,” said Pat Zaborsky of Wilkes-Barre, who “felt compelled” to participate when she heard about the pilgrimage.

“I’m loving this,” Zaborsky added. “I love the woods.”

“I saw it on my church bulletin,” said Ali Schappert, a home-schooling mom from Hanover Township who invited her friend Jill Snowdon to join her.

“We don’t sacrifice enough,” Schappert said, indicating the pilgrimage was a way to give of her time and energy.

Rick Matysik of Sweet Valley also called the event “a good sacrifice,” as well as a way to show his four children that spiritual activities “are at the center of our lives,” he said. “Not an afterthought.”

The Matysik kids include Hannah, who was about to turn 21 the day after the pilgrimage; Abigail, 18; Michael, 15, and Sam, 8.

Sam appeared to be the youngest participant this year, just as he had been last year when Micca arranged his first Mocanaqua-to-Glen Lyon pilgrimage.

Earlier this year, Micca said, he had been uncertain about whether to arrange the 2024 pilgrimage — until Sam asked about it. Micca took that as a sign to go ahead.

Also striding along on the journey was the Rev. Philbert Takyi-Nketiah, a native of Ghana who recently was named administrator of Holy Spirit Parish — which encompasses St. Mary’s, St. Adalbert’s and a third worship site, St. Martha’s in Stillwater.

Faith Kropiewnicki of Glen Lyon was glad that her visiting relatives Sharyn and Erin Fine of Vestal, N.Y., who were in town for a family shower, decided to accompany her.

As Sharyn Fine explained, it would be a chance to show her daughter St. Adalbert’s, the church she attended when she was growing up, as well as the woods she used to explore.

The day started with a prayer service at St. Mary’s in Mocanaqua, after which the group set out walking. Micca’s dad, Mike, carried a cross at the front of the procession. “It’s an honor,” he said. Several other people, sometimes taking turns, carried flags with images of St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, and the Eucharist as well as an American flag that had an image of the Sacred Heart sewn onto it.

When the pilgrims reached Glen Lyon, one resident standing by a lawn mower paused and saluted the American flag. Another resident, sitting on her front porch, called out, asking if anyone wanted a drink of water.

Moments later, the pilgrims neared the church, where Father Philbert celebrated a Mass. Then St. Adalbert’s Altar & Rosary Society hosted a lunch of hoagies, salad, fruit and desserts.

As they talked about their experiences, it was clear the pilgrims who like to spend time outdoors were especially grateful to Micca for organizing this particular kind of spiritual exercise.

“I like the feel of the woods, and its relationship to the church,” said avid hiker Patrick McMullen of Glen Lyon.

And even though she’d originally had her doubts about the journey, Lucille Temperine of Dallas seemed more elated than tired as she headed toward a school bus for the ride back to Mocanaqua, where her car was parked.

“I’m so happy to be here,” she said. “I’m so happy I did this.”