In our case, after a young pilgrim’s screening process has been completed, he applies to The Remnant for sponsorship to walk the great Pentecost Pilgrimage to Chartres. His application letter is printed in The Remnant Speaks so that readers can send either partial or full sponsorships in his name. The names of his donors and their intentions are placed on a list to be read aloud each day on the road to Chartres and included in our chaplains’ Mass intentions.

The pilgrimage is NOT a vacation!   It is a classic medieval-styled walking pilgrimage across France, coupled with a Catholic immersion program designed to use historians (Dr. John Rao and Jamie Bogle), Catholic activists (Christopher Ferrara and myself) and priests (Fr. Gregory Pendergraft) to rekindle in the hearts of our pilgrims the fire of divine love for God and His Church.  This pilgrimage is all about restoring Catholic identity and the sense of crusade in defense of all things Catholic. This is an extrememly difficult and physically-challenging pilgrimage during which the pilgrim walks for twelve hours a day, sleeps on the ground at night and nourishes himself with only a meager pilgrim's fare. It's the real thing. 

If you decide to sponsor one of the young pilgrims, please understand that you are entering into a spiritual partnership in a tradition as old as Christendom—where Catholics pool their resources in order to send a young member of a parish or town on pilgrimage for the good of the whole community.  You will be prayed for each and every day (by name) and I will not allow our young pilgrims to forget that Remnant pilgrimages are all about the call to holiness, Catholic action and counterrevolution.

When it comes to gaining the graces of pilgrimage, sponsors are essentially non-walking pilgrims who are with the pilgrimage every step of the way. In fact, as the leader of the U.S. Chapter one of my challenges each year as we walk the rough terrain, rain or shine, is to clearly read the long list of names of Remnant readers and their many intentions into a megaphone as the chapter listens and then prays the rosary for our sponsors. It is a beautiful thing, and the spiritual connection to the “pilgrims” back home is always very strong. 

Your donations to the Youth Fund are tax deductible, of course, but the partnerships forged between pilgrim and sponsor are so much more important than that with frienships developing in some cases that last for years.

To help the young traditional Catholic pilgrims walk this pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady and the Holy Face of Jesus, please send your donations to:

The Remnant Youth Fund
PO Box 1117, Forest Lake, MN 55025

Or

 

Seeking Pilgrimage Sponsors

Dear Remnant Readers: My name is Michelle Ivezic. I am an 18-year-old high school senior in Portland, Oregon who is the 7th of 9. My family's parish is St. Brigitta's—a Church that never stopped saying the Latin Mass, even through Vatican II's (VII) reforms, because of my grandparents' persistence.

Why is the Latin Tridentine Mass important to Michelle Ivezic? Because it brings me closer to Christ. The traditional Mass has helped me develop a deeper relationship with the Lord: it shows His Divinity, inspires me to independently search the Way, and shows His relatable humanity.

The Divinity of God gives me hope in a disheartening world. Today, the only thing keeping me from being a cynic is God. Injustices against the unborn, corruption in business, immorality in government, and a culture of animosity all are discouraging. Yet God gives me the wisdom to know that, if I try to make an impact, even universal divisions can heal. Isn't "to be Catholic" synonymous with "to be universal?"

I feel the Holy Spirit descending upon my heart, challenging me to research doctrine and dogma on my own. All of the intricacies in the Tridentine Mass make me want to know more: Why do the Low and High Masses have different postures? What are the stories of the saints mentioned during the Mass? Who are all those Assumed into Heaven? Attending the Latin Mass evokes metanoia; it makes me curious and grow in faith continually. Even more, the Latin language itself helps me connect with the Lord. I do not just know: I understand. There is a certain power to Romans' language (perhaps because Jesus spoke Latin along with Aramaic, Hebrew, and others).

During consecration, the elevation of the Eucharist, I have a glimpse at Jesus' humanity. At the real agape. Jesus was here, is here, and will be here. He humbled himself by becoming human. I see this humility best in the Tridentine Rite because everyone shows reverence. During the Latin Mass, reverence is a testimony to self-honesty, to understanding "there nothing without Him," as John puts beautifully in the last gospel. By God humbling Himself through the incarnation, I have an example of humility and a closer relationship with God. He is not just a transcendent Being, but takes personal interest in everyone; He shows disinterested love (in the sense of absolute selflessness).  

Going on the Chartres Pilgrimage would be a phenomenal experience; it would strengthen my sense of justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Living in Portland, Oregon—a renown "Churchless" area—has challenged my faith, and I think this spiritual experience would enkindle a desire to be a better evangelist. I hope my actions and intentions can become an obvious sign that God is Love. However, I will suffocate my pride to say: I need guidance. As a gardner of the Church who knows the roots of the Mass were torn out and completely replanted during VII, I wanted to be guided by master gardeners, not human "creators," as seen in the Spirit of VII The lack of balance between openness to development and continuity of tradition is disconcerting. Therefore, I want to network with Tridentine worshipers for a proper, total love of God to flourish.

Michelle Ivezic (Fully Sponsored)

The Chaplain Fund

The Remnant Tours is deeply committed to the moral, spiritual and physical wellbeing of each of our pilgrims.  We engage Chaplains and Chaperones to ensure a safe and spiritually productive environment at every step of the way. Our main chaperone, Mrs. Joan Mahar, has been with us for many years and is very much loved and respected by the young pilgrims.  Each year, of course, she needs assistants, and this year we have found two. All of our chaplains and chaperones are volunteers. They ask not one penny for their services, but are fully committed to this Catholic action. However, The Remnant must still find a way to finance their transportation and accommodation. Anyone wishing to help out, under the same terms as the Youth Fund—your name will be added to the Pilgrimage Prayer List and your intentions will be remembered every day—please make your tax deductible donation at the PayPal link below:

 

Or by snail mail:

The Remnant Chaplain and Chaperones Fund
PO Box 1117  
Forest Lake, MN 55025

Brad Montgomery.........Fully Sponsored
Zoe Frisch....................Fully Sponsored
Sophia Stuckey............Fully Sponsored
John Pheasant……......Fully Sponsored
Dominic McFadden......Fully Sponsored
Daniel McNichol...........Fully Sponsored
Joshua McDonald....... Fully Sponsored
Nicholas E. Heiny…….Fully Sponsored
Gabriella Gladney........Fully Sponsored
Joseph Cavanaugh......Fully Sponsored
Mark Chamandy...........Fully Sponsored
Benjamin Montgomery..Fully Sponsored
Samuel Ratner..............Fully Sponsored