A JUBILEE JOURNEY

Father, 93, and son make pilgrimage to all five diocesan sites

Paul L. Ladouceur, 93, and son make pilgrimage to all five diocesan sites. (Provided photo)

I started the Jubilee Year of Hope by attending Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Jan. 5. In your March 27th issue of The Evangelist, there was an article about pilgrimage sites designated for the Jubilee Year 2025.

So, along with my son, Paul, who is a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, the College of Saint Rose and the Culinary School at Hyde Park, we ventured to: 

April 13, Palm Sunday: We attended Mass at the Cathedral.

May 4: We attended Mass at Our Lady of Knock Shrine in East Durham.

June 8: We attended Mass at Rosa Mystica Shrine in Edmeston.

June 22: We attended Mass at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine in Fonda.

July 6: We attended Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville.

Some family members have asked which one we liked best and my answer was that all were unique in their own way and very inspirational.

I have a special connection with the Cathedral as I am a 1950 graduate of Cathedral Academy, which makes me 93! That’s what the calendar says! Our graduation took place at the Cathedral with the Bishop handing out our diplomas.

We made each “pilgrimage” a day event, stopping at a local diner for breakfast or lunch. I used the program from Jan. 5 as my scrapbook. 

I am sending you this information to let you know that beautiful places are right around the corner … and that there is time to make this pilgrimage in 2025.

Paul L. Ladouceur lives in Castleton-on-Hudson and is a parishioner at All Saints Church in Albany.