FONDA - Walkers holding banners and pushing strollers were the norm along village streets Saturday morning as residents stepped outside of their homes to see why long lines of people were heading toward Fultonville.
"What is this walk all about?" one local resident shouted as the mass of humanity made its way through town. Brother Andre Marie patiently walked over to the man to tell him the group's members were participating in a Catholic pilgrimage from Lake George to the Auriesville Shrine in memory of St. Isaac Jogues, a Catholic martyred at the site by members of the Mohawk tribe 367 years ago.
Jogues was captured by the Mohawks and taken by canoe to the area through which the pilgrimage now takes place. People have come together for the past 14 years to pay tribute to Jogues' and his companions' martyrdom.
The 65-mile pilgrimage began Wednesday in Lake George. Some participants made their way to the National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in the village by Friday and camped at the site overnight.
They were joined by many others Saturday, who came on the pilgrimage's last day to meet with those who had been part of the trek from the beginning.
"When God places a pilgrimage like this in your backyard, go," Glenville resident David Pietrusza said.
Walkers held crosses and recited the rosary prayer as they walked along in separate brigades. Members of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office were out to control traffic to protect the group, which stretched as far as the eye could see along Route 30A.
The walkers made sure to make room for priests with the group who were hearing confessions as they walked, ensuring the outdoor confessional remained private.
"Lots of people have gone to confession [this year]," Marie said. "Lots of people are receiving the sacraments."
The pilgrimage boasted participants from Texas and Green Bay, Wis. Plenty of children lined the route.
"It's a good thing for members of a family to experience, and it offers them the opportunity of making a pilgrimage a spiritual cause for themselves," South Orange, N.J. resident Mark Fagan said.
The pilgrimage finished at the shrine in the early afternoon Saturday. Participants held a Holy Mass at the Coliseum Church at the Auriesville Shrine afterward. They will hold another Holy Mass at an indoor chapel there early this morning.
