I was fortunate to be a part of the first J2A pilgrimage at Trinity. For those who don't know, part of the Journey to Adulthood curriculum is a pilgrimage to grow in spirituality and step outside one's comfort zone. For many young people, it's their first trip out of the country or without their families. For me it was both.
Our class traveled to Taize, France and Liverpool, England on our journey. We were a small but brave bunch, none more so than our fearless leaders Mark and Kathy Shackelford and our relatively new rector, Fr. McKee. The eight of us boarded a plane from Tulsa to Chicago and then we were off to France. Honestly, I was terrified. I had been away from my family before. But, I had never flown across the ocean or without my parents. Even though I had known six of the eight people for a majority of my life, this was uncharted territory.
When we arrived in Taize, a monastic community in the French countryside which hosts thousands of young people every year, it was hot. And we were jet lagged. And hungry. Your typical whiny American teenagers. Or I'm sure that's what everyone thought. But soon we got into the groove of things. Emma and I joined a small group with other young people from across the globe, where we spent our time talking about our beliefs and why we believe them. Stephanie, Matt and Gareth, being over the age of 16, were assigned "jobs" as service to the community. We attended church several times a day and had time to reflect.
If you've never been to a Taize service at Trinity, go. That is the closest you can get to being there without hopping on a plane. Except there's air conditioning. And seats. Overall, what I took away most from my time in Taize was a stronger conviction in my beliefs. The realization that I believed what I did because I really believed- not because my parents did or my church told me to- was the greatest gift I received from Taize.
The trip to Liverpool brought us closer to our roots. We visited cathedrals and castles and stayed with the friendly and generous parishioners of McKee family friend Ray. They taught us about our heritage in way you can't learn by reading it in a book. We also had a lot of fun. We toured more than one soccer stadium, toured the Beatles museum and engaged in a laughter filled scavenger hunt. The memories I made on my J2A are ones I will cherish for a lifetime. And I know that every young person who has gone on the four pilgrimages since mine would tell you the same thing. While there are plenty of silly stories that we all could share, the lasting effects are to our spiritual health. Our pilgrimages have made us spiritually stronger.
None of the last five pilgrimages could have taken place without the support of parishioners. The support of Trinity allows a expensive trip to be a little less of a burden for families. This summer's pilgrimage will take our 9th and 10th graders on a journey to Italy, where they will discover some of our Christian faith's oldest communities. They are going to travel to Rome, Assisi and Florence to learn from the earliest Christians and learn about themselves along the way.
So how can you help? Buy some awesome stuff at the youth auction on March 6th. If you want a sneak peek at the goods, they will have an auction preview at the annual Mardi Gras party on March 5th. There are always great items and some fabulous dinners and events to purchase. And you can feel good about your new Vera Bradley bag or your weekend at the lake with the knowledge that by treating yourself, you are helping shape a young person's faith experience. Pretty sweet deal, yeah? And think of it this way, if you have children, some day they will be in J2A and planning a pilgrimage. So pay it forward.
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