Day 13. Howard Park, South Bend to University of Notre Dame: Hope

Saturday, August 26

Walk: 3 miles

Ox Cart: 0

Temperature? Who knows! It was a fine day.

What can I say? It was a pilgrim party, a huge pilgrim party that started with photos and music and speeches at Howard Park. It became a parade, spanning about a mile and including marching band, through town. There was a somber period as we prayed at the graves of Father Sorin and the brothers who traveled with him from Vincennes to South Bend.

It was pretty much contained chaos, especially so when we arrived on campus. Mass was followed by a huge picnic on South Quad. Although the school and community celebrated around us, it was a bittersweet day for the core pilgrims.

I realize posts have been on the dry side (just the facts, ma'am) and skeletal. I had intended meatier recaps of each day but the Trail became bigger than I had ever imagined. Even if I had retained more, had more time to pass it on to you, I don't believe I could have expressed all the things I felt and thought or described adequately the nature of the Trail.

Still, I hope that whatever I could put together on any given day was a peek through the window at the surreal adventure I've been on for the past two weeks.

Go Irish!

Brothers and seminarians of Holy Cross College presented a Nary medal to each pilgrim as we walked past on our way to the Log Chapel. There we left the stones of intention we'd carried on our journey.

We ended on Bond Quad with Mass.

In front of the Administration Building (golden dome got cropped out) and still standing.

Jim on the new football field. After Mass, core pilgrims and their families were given a tour of the renovated locker room and the opportunity to touch the "Play Like a Champion" sign as we headed to the field for a last huddle and photos.