Seminarians make pilgrimage to Holy Land

Matt Duclos and Stephen Yusko of the Albany Diocese were among 34 seminarians and three priests traveling on pilgrimage to the Holy Land recently.

The group left Rome Dec. 22 and flew into Tel Aviv, staying at a guest house on the Sea of Galilee for six days. During that time, they were within walking distance of the church built around the rock on which Jesus prepared a breakfast of bread and fish for his apostles; the Mount of Beatitudes, on which Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount; the Church of the Multiplication, the site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish; and Capernaum, the fishing village from which the apostle Peter hailed. During their stay they also made a day trip to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth and to Mount Tabor, the site of Transfiguration.

Of all the moments they experienced on pilgrimage, Duclos said the Sea of Galilee was the most powerful. “It was much easier to personally connect to the experience Jesus and others with him must have had,” Duclos said. “They were looking at the same landscape, they were hearing the same waves and walking along the same coastline, and they were experiencing the rain and the wind just as I was.” 

Seeing the sunrise and sunset above the Sea of Galilee was one of Duclos’ favorite highlights, he told The Evangelist via email from Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he is continuing his studies for the priesthood.

“For me, this was a tangible visualization of the Incarnation,” he said of his pilgrimage. “Jesus, fully God, entered into the world as man and connected heaven to earth and the divine to the human. He did this for the people who heard and touched him in the crowds as he lived among us, and indeed he continues to do that for all of us today.”

While away, Duclos carried with him approximately 50 prayer intentions collected through Facebook, personal notes and emails sent in from people throughout the Diocese and his home parish, Corpus Christi in Round Lake. Reading through the list of intentions each day, Duclos was surprised by the honesty and openness people displayed in their requests. 

“Many intentions had to do with members of their family or difficult health situations or people who had recently died,” Duclos said. “Others had to do with vocations and prayers for priests and the Church. And others were for peace in the world, for an increase of faith, and in thanksgiving to God for the blessings people have experienced.”

As Duclos carried his list of intentions with him everywhere he went, making sure to include each and every one of them, he celebrated the “mutual joy” he said the prayers lent to his experience. 

“It was a privilege to carry these intentions with me as I visited these significant sites,” Duclos said, “and I really appreciated how it kept me connected to many people at home.”