by Katie Vasquez
For the past two months, Sister Mary Rose Chinn has logged lots of miles in her car.
“California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa,” Sister Mary said. “I forgot Iowa, Illinois. And here we are in Indiana.”
The nun’s cross-country trip — following the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and driving and walking the St. Junipero Serra route in the West — was for the body of Christ.
When she was tired from the long days, she set up a tent at local campgrounds, which may be humble for some, but for her, this tent has been a necessary part of her pilgrimage.
After hearing about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in May, the California nun felt called to join, but she couldn’t be a perpetual pilgrim because she was over the maximum age of 30.
So she decided to join on her own because she felt this journey would be a true test of her faith.
“That was the point of my conversion when I first came to Mass,” Sister Mary said. “I always ask; I was questioning at the time because I read the book of Leviticus that there were all different laws about offering sacrifice, but there was no sacrifice in the different Protestant churches I’d been in.”
It turned out that time alone with Christ was exactly what she needed.
“Being able to be in solitude and in prayer, you know, and total dependence on the Lord of what’s going to happen and being protected because a lot of people say ‘You’re by yourself?’,” Sister Mary said. “I’m going, ‘Well, I’ve got all the angels and saints in heaven, souls in purgatory with me.’”
After more than 2,200 miles across the country, she hopes others will be as inspired by the body of Christ as she is.
“The focus really is on Jesus. and there’s much more to the homily, the talks that are given and even the perpetual pilgrims really make it a point,” Sister Mary said. “The Catholics need to be upfront about their faith and not hide it.”