Directors of Evangelization Going on Pilgrimage
I’d love to pray for you!
Dear Parishioners,
On June 1, 2026, along with staff from the Archdiocese and fellow Directors of Evangelization from other Families of Parishes, I will be flying to Mexico to embark on a capstone pilgrimage. This pilgrimage is the final step for those of us who have completed the year-long training program called Mission Formation. At these monthly training and retreat sessions, the Archdiocese focused on taking attendees deeper into evangelization and discipleship, helping us to grow spiritually and discern steps for our evangelization efforts. We can use our learnings to better build disciples and go forth on our mission to spread the gospel within our Family of Parishes’ bounds.
For me, this trip will be an extraordinary journey to the single most visited Marian sanctuary in the world, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego. We will get to pray before his sacred tilma, admiring the beautiful and miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It has been a dream of mine to go to this holy place since I was in high school when I first fell in love with Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Mexico also boasts 500 years of Spanish Catholicism, with rich traditions and impressive architecture, with fountains and cobbled streets. We will explore grand churches and admire the beautiful countryside, attend a traditional dance performance, relish in the great food, and most importantly, be commissioned by Our Lady for the work we are embarking on when we return.
However, a pilgrimage is not a vacation. It is a sacred journey undertaken with purpose, prayer, and openness to transformation. I ask that you pray for me as I prepare, travel, and remain attentive to God’s work in my life while I'm on pilgrimage.
Pilgrimage is never undertaken alone. Before my last pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2023, I collected prayer intentions before I left, and then stopped and prayed at each of the holy sites for those people and their intentions. I'm happy to say that my prayers were very fruitful! For example, while on that pilgrimage I was praying for my best friend and a man she was seeing, and within weeks of getting home, she was engaged to him! I very much believe in the power of prayer.
For this pilgrimage to Our Lady, who is the model disciple, please send me your prayer intentions! I would love to pray for you! I will carry these intentions with me, written in a small notebook, and lift them up in prayer at the sacred sites we visit. Please email me your intentions by Friday, May 29, and I will confidentially pray for them.
I look forward to sharing more about my trip when I return. Thank you all in advance for your prayers, and please keep our Family of Parishes in your prayers as well. I believe we are going to experience a revival in our faith this next year, so let's pray in earnest for the Holy Spirit to come to us!
Blessings,
Mrs. Randi Hom
Director of Evangelization
