At Notre Dame Academy, our eighth-grade students participated in a three-day pilgrimage in April. Their amazing journey began at NDA with an early morning Mass with Father John Bauer, who also accompanied us on our trip. We then drove to Our Lady of Guadelupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. We enjoyed the beautiful grounds, amazing Votive Chapel, relics in the main chapel as well as its Memorial to the Unborn. We next traveled to Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin. We spent the following day immersing ourselves in the experience of Mary’s visit to Adele. Our group walked from the Church of St. Joseph into the shrine grounds while praying a rosary. We enjoyed Mass, adoration, confession and meditation in the crypt as well as purchased sacramentals which Father John blessed for us. Our final day included time at the National Shrine of St. Joseph (so special during the year of St. Joseph) and a Mass and tour of the St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere. While on their pilgrimage, our NDA students enjoyed time for fellowship and fun, but, most significantly, they truly embraced the opportunity to get to know their faith and Jesus in a more personal way.

Bonnie Jungels, principal
Notre Dame Academy, Minnetonka

This article about our annual 8th Grade Pilgrimage by Dr. Jungels was published in The Catholic Spirit. The trip has been an annual event at Notre Dame Academy since 2014, and is a great way to cap off an K-8 Catholic education.

Notre Dame Academy