One attendee, lifelong Catholic Timothy Swan, came to the pilgrimage after attending all-night adoration the night before at Risen Christ Cathedral in Lincoln. As it grew late and the initial crowd thinned, Swan recalled the cathedral becoming uncomfortably cold.
“Jesus is good,” he said. “It was great. The only thing is, I bet Jesus was cold … There were a couple of times I did go out to my car and turn on the heat. But it was a lot of fun.”
Swan has been joining parts of the Junipero Serra Route from his hometown in the northeast corner of Colorado to where he grew up in Omaha, attending events in Sterling and Fort Morgan, Colorado, as well as Lincoln and Omaha.
“People have said that this must have been similar to the time when Jesus [lived] when the people followed him in large crowds, and then the woman with the hemorrhage just wanted to touch him,” he said of the processions.
With heavy limbs and tired feet, the pilgrims made their way to the top of the hill to reach the end of the procession at the Shrine of the Holy Family, an unusual-looking building of cedar and glass that overlooks the surrounding fields and freeway, its latticed roof reaching into the clouds.
The chapel is a repose for travelers, who may find solace in prayer by stopping in the wayside chapel, as well as travelers in spirit.
Lucas carried the monstrance along a narrow dirt path lined with wildflowers and tall grass, making a final loop around the hilltop shrine. He entered the pleasantly cool shrine followed by a small number of processors who were able to fit inside.
Built in 1993, the intricately designed hilltop chapel was the inspiration of four Catholics who each (independently) shared a dream to build a roadside chapel for travelers.
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An eye-catching archway of interwoven trusses forms its structure, while within its glass walls, a unique water element meant to reference baptism is built into the flooring.
The entrance to the shrine is marked by a cracked path with a pebbled waterway just under the surface. Small pools of water mark each pew, while a larger pool sits beneath the altar.
The Holy Family’s image is etched in the largest window above the altar so subtly the image almost merges with the sky on a partly cloudy day like this one. As they reflect or pray, the glass walls offer visitors broad vistas of green fields stretching out in every direction.
All was quiet except for the sound of trickling water flowing underneath the holy place, along with the murmur of song heard as the bishop brought the monstrance forward, blessing the processors with a final Benediction.
To those outside the chapel, Christ was still visible, seen through the glass walls. With the sunlight reflecting on the golden monstrance, the pilgrims inside and outside the shrine knelt before Jesus for an hour of adoration.
