The three-day Our Lady of Christendom Pilgrimage (NSC, by its Italian acronym), an initiative of young people seeking “purity of souls” through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, acts of prayer, sacrifice and penance, recently took place for the first time in Italy.
purposefully NSC Italy Focusing on prayer, holy living and fellowship, the aim is to provide a way to grow spiritually, foster a personal relationship with God and a sense of belonging to the Church.
These young people, who participate in the traditional Latin Mass and do not belong to any religious organization or community, want to contribute to the restoration of the spirit of Christendom and the reawakening of the faith in a contemporary context marked by secularism, by providing opportunities where the Christian faith can be rediscovered in a living, concrete and shared way.
Giacomo Mollo, an Italian and one of the organizers, explained to EWTN News’ Spanish-language sister service, ACI Prensa, that the idea to organize the pilgrimage in Italy came from his participation in a pilgrimage organized in Spain, whose route leads from Oviedo to the shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga.
“After that long, three-day journey spent with many other Traditionalist Catholic youth following in the footsteps of the heroes of the Reconquista (the liberation of Spain from Muslim control), and after the blessing of Holy Mass, we decided that this beautiful form of evangelization, the pilgrimage of faith, which has converted Catholics throughout Europe for millennia, should also be organized in Italy and especially in Rome,” he explained.
Mollo, together with his friend Niccolo Toppi, started the initiative with the support of a large group of young volunteers and priests.
The pilgrimage, held April 25-27, brought together 160 people, including lay people, priests and seminarians, from countries such as France, Spain, Argentina, Ireland, England, Hungary, Mexico, the United States and Portugal.
“The experience was really beautiful,” Mollo said. “In addition to the smooth execution, we traveled to spectacular locations notable for both their natural beauty and spiritual significance for Catholics.”
Pilgrims reach Subiaco. | Credit: Photo courtesy of NSC Italia
a path full of meaning
The pilgrimage started from the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome and headed towards St. John Lateran, passing in front of the “Quo Vadis” church and crossing the Old Appian Way to reach Castel Gandolfo square around the papal residence.
Pilgrims visited the shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, to which Pope Leo XIV has special reverence, and attended Mass at Colonna Castle, the birthplace of Pope Martin V.
Their destination was Subiaco, where mass was said at St. Scholastica’s Church, concluding with a visit to the cave where St. Benedict, Europe’s primary patron saint, developed his rule and laid the foundation of Western monasticism.
Mollo highlights, “All this, combined with the penitential meaning of the journey, the universality of the Church demonstrated by the participation of pilgrims from many parts of the world, and the communication of faith experienced when participating in Holy Mass according to the ‘usus antiquier’ (old or ancient usage) of the Roman Rite, fills us all with an unimaginable feeling of gratitude, beauty and faith.”
Currently, organizers are working on next year’s pilgrimage, as they expect a larger number of pilgrims.
this story was first published By ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language affiliate of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
