Great Lakes 
Pilgrimage 2022

Pilgrimage to the Great Lakes 
August 2nd-10th, 2022

with Fr. Neal Nichols, FSSP

Experience the best of our American Catholic History traveling to the 
upper midwest states of Michigan and Wisconsin. Discover many of our hidden Catholic treasures and heroes and explore the extensive natural wonders including inland waterways of the Great Lakes. Ships can travel thru the Great Lakes from Duluth, Minnesota on the western end of Lake Superior all the way to the Atlantic. Retrace the steps of the early explorers who ventured west on canoes to discover the upper Mississippi. 

But most importantly of all this pilgrimage will take us to Champion, Wisconsin. Did you know our country was blessed with a stunning apparition of Mary in 1859 one year after Lourdes. It happened and in 2010 and Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin proclaimed the apparition of Our Lady of Good Help to be worthy of belief and has encouraged pilgrims to go this shrine to pray for healing and to receive graces. Here Our Lady's request to Adele Brise, a young immigrant women from Belgium, was to teach the children of this Wisconsin frontier land the basics of the Catholic faith necessary for salvation. Given our current state of affairs within our culture and country this call is as important now as it was in 1859. Take comfort to know how our Lady protected Adele Brise and many local people from the horrific Peshtigo Fire in 1871.  

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Highlights

  • The only officially recognized Marian Apparition in the USA
  • The Miracle Worker from Detroit
  • Greatest Catholic Missionaries and explorers in American History
  • Great Lakes Experience--Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior
  • Mackinac Straits and Mackinac Island 
  • 3 Magnificent Marian shrines
  • Extensive travel through Michigan and Wisconsin
  • Walking along the mighty Mississippi

Itinerary Application Travel Insurance

Tour Itinerary 

Day 1

Depart from your home city on a flight to Detroit, Michigan Metro Airport. Upon arrival transfer to nearby St Paul of the Cross Retreat Center to commence this unique Great Lakes Pilgrimage. Settle in for a two night stay and unwind in this beautiful setting. Tonight meet with our chaplain and fellow pilgrims.   

Day 2

Detroit’s origins date back to 1701 when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French fur trader, founded the site which later developed into the city of Detroit. The settlement came under British control and in 1783 was ceded to the United States. In 1805, Detroit became the capitol of the Michigan Territory attracting thousands of European immigrants. In the early 1900s the city became and remains to this day dominant in the global automobile industry. In 1902 entrepreneur and automobile maker Henry Leland named his company Cadillac after the founder.  

Full day to enjoy Detroit and to learn of its great Catholic Heritage. With the expansion of this new territory and wave of immigration arose the great need of missionaries to minister to the newly arrived immigrants and to bring the gospel to the native peoples. 

Visit the Basilica of St. Anne, Detroit’s oldest parish and one closely connected to the history of the city, to learn of its most prominent pastor, Fr. Gabriel Richard (a French Sulpician Priest). He became pastor in 1802 and served faithfully for 30 years bringing the gospel to the new world. He believed strongly in education and established schools including the University of Michigan. He also was trusted to act as a civic leader and elected a territorial delegate to Congress. A guild has been formed to study his life marking the first step to possible sainthood. Enjoy a docent led tour of the Basilica and pray at the tomb of Fr. Richard.   

Another stellar Detroit figure is Franciscan Friar Fr. Solanus Casey. He was a humble friar who was ordained a Capuchin priest in 1904 and devotedly served the people of Detroit. He also served in friaries in Huntington, Indiana, New York City and Yonkers, NY. Visit the Solanus Casey Center which is part of the St. Bonaventure Monastery to learn more about his life and the many miracles attributed to him. He is famously noted for encouraging those who came to him with requests to “Thank God In Advance”! He was declared Venerable in 1995 by Pope John Paul II and later beatified in 2017 after a thorough investigation of a miraculous cure attributed to him. His miracles are numerous and we hope that he will be granted status of Saint. Free time to explore the center to get to know this holy servant and to pray at his tomb.  

Day 3

Today travel upstate passing Bay City and Saginaw to the Shine of Our Lady of the Woods in the northern Michigan town of Mio in rural Ostego County. The inspiration of Fr. Herbert Rakowski, this shrine was constructed in 1953 as a testimony of faith with the help of parishioners and local citizens. It is a wondrous work of architecture, a limestone structure standing 42 feet tall and 120 feet wide. It is extraordinary not only in design but also in theme representing the most important Marian Apparitions of the world including Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, La Salette and Czestochowa. St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters is also on display. Overnight on the route to the Straits of Mackinac. 

Day 4

Our last stop in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan will be a visit to the National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods featuring the the “Figure of Christ on the Cross” in the forest shadowing Indian Lake. It is truly a site to behold. Here take time to talk to the Lord and be renewed in faith. 

Later this morning we cross over the mighty Mackinac Bridge crossing the Straits of Mackinac with Lake Huron on the eastern side and Lake Michigan to the west and arrive in historic St. Ignace where we will embark on a short ferry ride to Mackinac Island. 

 In 1670, Jesuit Fr. Jacque Marquette brought a group on Huron Indians to the island and established a mission. It became a fur trading center and today it is listed as one of Michigan’s most popular destinations. Visit the historical and pilgrimage site of St. Anne Church and learn of the life of heroic Magdelaine LaFramboise, a prominent fur trader and devout Catholic who gave generously to the Church in resources and time and was godmother to many and a key figure in Mackinac Island’s history. Enjoy free time to explore the waterfront shops or take a ride on a horse drawn taxi. See the world renowned Grand Hotel with its delightful gardens. Leaving Mackinac Island by ferry back to the northern shore our coach awaits us for the drive to Sault Ste. Marie for overnight. 

Day 5

Welcome to the fascinating city of Sault Ste Marie located on the Lake Superior’s most eastern point and at the entrance of the St. Mary’s River. The origins of this city date back to 1641 when Jesuit missionaries from France arrived here and were welcomed by the native Ojibwe Indians and offered the first Mass in this part of the world. They named the area Sault St. Marie which means Saint Mary’s of the Rapids. The river connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron and can be accessed by ships up to 1000 feet long through a series of locks (known as the Soo Locks) constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The freighters passing through typically carry iron ore and coal with much of the cargo supplying the steel mills for the auto industry. Remember the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song? She was lost in the gales of November just off White Fish Point a few miles from Sault and forever part of the city’s lore. Visit historical St. Mary’s Church (3rd oldest parish in the country) and the Tower of History, an observation platform standing 210 feet high with a spectacular view of the city, the Soo Locks and international bridge to Canada This afternoon travel westward to Marquette situated on the southern shore of Lake Superior.   

Day 6

Enjoy the morning in Marquette, the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Situated on the shore of Lake Superior, it is noted its role in the shipping of iron ore and is home to Northern Michigan University. Take a photo of the fascinating iron ore dock in the harbor. Visit the Cathedral of St. Peter and Baraga House. Pray at the tomb of Venerable Bishop Baraga and learn of the life and work of this holy priest and missionary from Slovenia who became the first bishop of Marquette and the northern territory of Michigan. He served the natives and the newly arrived immigrants with such compassion and love for souls. He became known as “the Snow Shoe Priest” as he trekked through heavy snow and over ice covered lakes on snow shoes to outlying villages and missions bringing the gospel and the sacraments to the native and immigrant alike. He learned to read and write the Ojibwe language to better serve the native peoples. His cause for canonization was opened in 2012. This afternoon travel south to Green Bay, Wisconsin passing through Marinette on the shores of Lake Michigan and a main center of the logging industry in 1800s with the timber being shipped south and used to build the city of Chicago.   

Day 7

Today we arrive at the privileged site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, set in the farm lands of Champion, Wisconsin near the western shore of Lake Michigan. It is the site of the only officially recognized Marian Apparition in the United States. Our Lady appeared at Lourdes in 1858 and in Champion in 1859. The message of a plea for conversion was parallel in both. This shrine is dedicated to Mary who appeared three times to 28 year old, Adele Brise (an immigrant from Belgium), with a heavenly plea. Adele was given a mission to “Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for their salvation”. Shortly after the apparitions a chapel was built and Adele began her catechetical Mission work traveling to outlying towns and villages teaching children how to pray, know and to love God.  

In October 1871, exactly 12 years after the first apparition, a terrifying forest fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin and burned over a million acres and claimed over 1200 lives. The fire spread to the farmlands surrounding the holy grounds and chapel. In great fear many of the local residents took refuge with Adele in the chapel seeking refuge from imminent death due to the intense fire. They prayed the Rosary through the night and carried the Statue of Our Lady around the grounds while intense fires raged around them. While the fires burned around the premises and chapel, those who took refuge with Adele were untouched. The lands outside the premises were desolated as far as they eye could see. But Adele and all with her were spared. This is a testimony of Mary’s protection and an invitation to implore Our Lady of Good Help! 

After a thorough inquiry, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay Diocese, found the apparitions worthy of belief and gave official Church approval in 2010. Time here to pray and learn more about this truly awesome encounter.  

After a short swing through Green Bay, we travel west through the beautiful Wisconsin Hinterlands as we make our way to the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin on the mighty Mississippi River. Part of our drive will be along the Fox River from Green Bay to Appleton and Oshkosh. In 1673, in their quest westward to discover new territory, Fr. Jacque Marquette and Canadian born Louis Jolliet and 3 others set out from Green Bay navigating the Fox River in 2 canoes. They canoed the length of the river deep inside of Wisconsin territory and they became the first Europeans to discover the Upper Mississippi. 

Day 8

This morning visit the magnificent Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe situated on the hills outside of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Arrive at the welcome center and begin the climb by foot or cart to reach the Shrine Church. Upon reaching the summit and seeing the church you get a sense of being in hills of Umbria, Italy. The Shrine Church was dedicated in 2008 by then bishop of La Crosse, Archbishop Raymond Burke (now Cardinal). In his words, “ The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin recalls the appearances of 1531 and proclaims once again her message of God’s mercy and love”. You will be awestruck by the beauty of the Shrine which reaches to heaven and leads one to contemplate the Divine. Take time to speak with the Friars and to pray at the numerous outdoor chapels. On our way back to the city, time permitting, visit the mighty Grandad Bluff towering over LaCrosse with an incredible view of the Mississippi River in sight of Minnesota and Iowa on the west side of the river. This afternoon enjoy free time in LaCrosse. Take a walk along the Mississippi River waterfront and take in the historical downtown. Farewell dinner. 

Day 9

Transfer to the nearby LaCrosse Airport for flight to your home city. 

Tour Details

Land Cost: $2650 plus airfare (based on double room occupancy)
Single supplement: add $695

Includes:

Land transportation by luxury motorcoach
Eight nights accommodation
8 Breakfast & 7 Dinners
Guided touring as indicated on itinerary
Daily Traditional Latin Mass
Cost is based on double room occupancy
Add $695 for a single room occupancy

To Reserve A Seat: 
Please click below to download and print an application. Complete the application and send it with a $350 deposit to the address below.  
Or call 1-800-334-5425 and we will be happy to send you one.

SYVERSEN TOURING
P.O Box 509
Bangall, NY 12506
Ph: 1-800-334-5425
Itinerary Application

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