Local Catholics participate in 2-day pilgrimage from Idaho Falls to Pocatello

IDAHO FALLS – The Saint John Paul II Catholic parish hosted a pilgrimage this weekend to help church members grow in their relationship with God.

The Way of St. Joseph Pilgrimage kicked off on Saturday at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Idaho Falls. Participants gathered at 905 South Lee Avenue around 2:30 a.m. to begin a 54-mile walk. The first leg of the walk took them to St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Blackfoot.

The second leg of the journey kicked off around the same time on Sunday. Participants gathered at the Blackfoot church and began walking to St. Joseph’s Chapel in Pocatello, where the event will conclude.

Participants had the option to walk some or all of the journey. The group took bathroom and water breaks along the way.

In a video posted on the parish’s website, Father Nelson Cintra explains the purpose of the two-day event is to “be shed of our attachments to the world and things that are preventing us from growing in virtue and in our relationship with God.”

He cites Romans 5:3-5, which reads, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

The pilgrimage is happening during a Jubilee year, a worldwide event for Catholics that happens every 25 years in commemoration of the “anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord.” It’s a Holy Year for members of the faith to strengthen their relationship with God by traveling to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to obtain spiritual grace and blessings.

Catholic churches across the globe are designated as sacred sites for those unable to visit Rome who still want to participate. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 439 North Hayes Avenue in Pocatello is one of two chapels in Idaho designated as a sacred site.

RELATED | 128-year-old Catholic church in Pocatello receives special designation as Jubilee begins

An EastIdahoNews.com user sent us photos of people participating in the pilgrimage Sunday afternoon as they were walking along U.S. Highway 91/Yellowstone Highway north of Chubbuck.

Take a look below.

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