GREENFIELD, INDIANA, July 14 — The stable composition of the Seton Route pilgrims along their journey has been five lay people — four lay women (Natalie Garza, Zoe Dongas, Amayrani Higueldo and Marina Frattaroli and one layman (Dominic Carstens) — one seminarian (Christoph Bernas) and one chaplain (Father Roger Landry).
They have been complemented each week by members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFRs)— priests, religious brothers, novices in formation, and postulants looking forward to becoming novices. The pilgrims have also been accompanied by members of the pilgrimage Caravan, like the four Daughters of Mary, Mother of Healing Love, Beth Neer, and Jan Pierson.
Just like at the beginning of the pilgrimage, however, when because of scheduling conflicts there was not a CFR priest available and Father Stephen Rooney from the Diocese of Rockville Centre substituted as a Seton Route Chaplain, so over the course of the last week, when it appeared that there would not be a CFR brother available, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage team recruited a seminarian to take a place, Charles "Chaz" Irwin of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
As things happened, Brother Damien Joseph Novak, CFR, was in fact able to be present, but the Seton Pilgrimage team was delighted to have the presence of Chaz with them for the past eight days.
Chaz, 31, is a late vocation, having served as a tennis player and coach for the last 15 years. He is going into his second philosophy year of preparation for the priesthood. He found out about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage from the director of the spiritual year program for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Father Frank Giuffre, who encouraged him to apply.
"Once he told me it would be a week walking with the Lord, I couldn't turn it down," Chaz said.
Chaz came on pilgrimage immediately after completing a 30-day retreat based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Among the highlights of his week on the road, he said, "A lot of the homilies have lit a fire in my heart. Riding in the van with Christ was amazing. Even though I have tried to journey before with Christ in my heart, it was different seeing Him before me."
He also said that being able to "see the fervor of some of the priests," like Seton Chaplain Father Roger Landry and the pastor of All Saints Parish in Guilford, Indiana, Father Jonathan Meyer, has been a huge lift for him, "seeing what good priests can do" and having deep conversations with them."
He said, "I haven't been living the faith for that long, but the priests that I've met have changed my life and my perception of what a priest should be. They have had a huge impact on me just in the little time that I have spent with them. I want to do more for the church after after this."
The priests' fire, he said, "lit a fire in my own heart."
He likewise said he found his fellow Seton Route pilgrims "amazing people." They're very intelligent and very faithful. I have loved hearing their stories. At first it was a little awkward joining them because they are all pretty close, they've been through various experiences together and I walked in as an odd ball out. But they've been more than welcoming and super interested in getting to know me and my story. They've been loving and sharing their love with me. I'm grateful that I've met them."
He said he has very much enjoyed participating in the many Eucharistic processions throughout the week, which were a new experience for him.
"I had never done a Eucharistic procession before. To see it done, and then to see that many people come together, to see the church come together and walk literally with Christ, was beautiful. It's beautiful to see that there's a passion to do this and a passion to continue to do this in the church.
He was asked whether he finds any parallels between his 16 years as a tennis professional and the life of faith, he said, "I think there has to be a desire. One also has to look with the end in mind and to see the goal. Knowing that Christ is our end and life is about spreading His love are key. You see that focus in sports and athletics.
"I think growing in faith has changed the way even that I teach tennis, from trying to help somebody to be the best tennis player possible to trying to help him or her become a better person. And if I can help players to know Christ, even if it's not directly knowing Christ and the Catholic faith, if I'm able to spread Christ's love and give them just a glimpse of what the faith looks like, through my actions, there's so much meaning to it."
Though baptized a Catholic as an infant, Chaz says, "I didn't live my faith. I chased after worldly things and sought for that to fill this opening in my heart. Through a lot of pain, a lot of struggle and a lot of death, I was forced to look up. That brought me to the Eucharist, to an Adoration Chapel. When I was there, God pulled a veil back. I just knew that he was there, that he existed. He put in a desire in me to know Him more and to give my life to Him. He filled me with His love and His peace that I had never felt before. And I've been chasing that relationship from that day on and been diving more deeply into the faith."
He added that living the Catholic life "has healed a lot of wounds in my soul with the Sacrament of Confession, through receiving the Eucharist daily, and through the sacraments in general. So I want to give this to other, the joy, love and peace that I've received from the Church. I hope to do this for other people and be of service to give to others what God has given to me and what other people of the faith have have given to me."
He has a special desire to help addicts, "who've gone through similar things that I have, I think it's the best thing that I could do. That's when the priesthood came up. I looked a little bit at religious life, but it seemed like the priesthood was the simplest route for me to go based on my circumstances. And so that's the route that I'm on now and I think the route God wants me at right now."
He said his week on the road with Jesus has strengthened him as a seminarian on the journey, God-willing, to the altars.
"The fire from the homilies, the witness of faithful people, the fervor of those I've been around, have all put a new and stronger desire in me to replicate this in the rest of my life plus. Being a part of this Eucharistic Pilgrimage has been so inspiring. I want to do Eucharistic processions in my home at my own parish, in my city and we'll see where that leads. It's just been an honor to be part of this."