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Our Upper School Pilgrimage Program is an approach to student formation that is unique to JPG. A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred destination, undertaken as penance or in pursuit of a more profound conversion. This practice is deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian history. The faithful have always gone on pilgrimages because the difficulties of the journey convert our hearts and call us to become more vibrant witnesses of our faith.
Pilgrimage has also always been an integral part of Upper School student life at JPG. Inspired by John Paul II, who as a priest and professor used to take young people kayaking and camping in order to teach them about the Faith in a relaxed setting, we bring students outside the classroom to have powerful, personal encounters with Jesus. In 2014, we inaugurated the Junior Pilgrimage to Rome when teachers accompanied a dozen juniors to the canonization of our patron, Pope St. John Paul II, on Divine Mercy Sunday. After the success of that trip, pilgrimages for the other grades were added in the years that followed.
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During their individual pilgrimages, 7th and 8th graders participate in retreats, field trips, and outdoor excursions that focus on the themes of friendship with Christ and with one another. Freshmen are introduced to JPII’s Theology of the Body teachings at a four-day retreat and then tasked with sharing their faith as they lead a 5th and 6th grade retreat at JPG. The sophomore class seeks the face of Jesus in those in need as they volunteer in work projects in the Houma-Thibodaux area and visit the Blessed Seelos Shrine in New Orleans.
Juniors travel to Italy to visit ancient ruins like the Roman Forum, to admire priceless works of art like the Sistine Chapel, and to pray at the tombs of saints like JPII, Francis of Assisi, Peter, and Cecilia.
Finally, in their culminating pilgrimage experience, our seniors venture to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where they experience the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation while testing their physical and emotional limits. They take turns in pairs leading the day’s hike and supported their peers as they follow the voice of Christ “to the heights.”
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