Couple shares Passport Pilgrimage journey
By Reagan Scott
for the Register
This summer, Tamara and Kevin Hood began a journey that they hope to complete by the end of the year—stopping at every location on the diocese’s Eucharistic Passport Pilgrimage.
Bishop James Conley invited the diocese to embark on a Eucharistic pilgrimage leading up to the national Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis next July. He announced the program in August.
The pilgrimage invites people across the diocese to visit specific churches, during exposition and adoration. Free “passports” have been distributed to all parishes in the diocese, listing the locations and hours avialable, and each designated location included in the passport has a stamp, so pilgrims may stamp their passports when they visit.
There are 17 churches or chapels on the list, and people are encouraged to visit any or all of the sites, as they are able.
Converts to the faith, the couple were looking to spend time with the Lord, and each other.
Tamara said she and her husband had first heard about the program at their parish, the Church of the Holy Spirit in Plattsmouth, which is one of the 17 stops on the pilgrimage.
Knowing they would have some time off work the week before Labor Day, the couple prayed about where to take a short vacation in Nebraska, and decided they wanted to visit parishes in the diocese.
“It was a last-minute thing we decided to do as a result of some prayer and a solid purpose,” Tamara said. “We wanted to grow in our awareness of our diocese by going on this pilgrimage during our week’s vacation right before Labor Day.”
The fact that the forecast was predicting one of Nebraska’s hottest weeks on record didn’t deter the two in the slightest as they made their way to Lincoln, which would serve as their “base” on the first leg of their passport journey.
From Lincoln, Kevin and Tamara made their way to St. Joseph Parish in York for their first stop. They also made it to each of the Lincoln stops—Blessed Sacrament, the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, the Pink Sisters’ Adoration Chapel of Christ the King, and St. Michael Parish.
Tamara said their favorite visit though, was their stop for midnight adoration at Ss. Mary and Joseph Parish in Valparaiso.
“We thought we might see one other person in this small town at midnight but no, several people were already there in adoration. More arrived when we were leaving,” Tamara said.
Since they were already in the area, the pair added their own stops to their journey, visiting St. Patrick Parish in Lincoln for Mass, and Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly for adoration.
Tamara said while the trip did present some logistical hurdles as the couple worked to plan which parishes they would visit based on the times they had adoration available, the time praying with her husband was beautiful and peaceful.
At first, Tamara said she and Kevin thought they were “supposed” to spend an hour at each of the stops, but each time they arrived at a new parish, they simply went inside prayerfully to see where the Holy Spirit would lead them, and enjoyed finding different prayer aids in the pews at each parish that they could use to direct their time.
“We just relied on the presence of the Lord,” Tamara said.
Even outside of adoration, Tamara said she and Kevin love praying together, even in silence.
“It’s a beautiful blessing to set aside the time in our busy lifestyles,” she said. “Our Lord calls us to spend time in prayer and adoration… we want to obey our Lord daily, weekly, all our lives. We choose worshipping and following his ways on this life journey of sanctification.”
Tamara and Kevin both came from a Protestant faith background, and believed that what Jesus taught in John chapter six was true: “I am the bread of life ... For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:35a; 55-56).
“Our calling to the Catholic Church revolved primarily over wanting to fully participate in the Eucharist,” Tamara said. “Into our marriage I shared with [Kevin] that I believed and wanted to partake in this mystery of faith. To my utter surprise and joy, he shared my belief.”
Tamara said it was her friend Sandy who knew about their desire to understand the Eucharist, and invited the two of them to RCIA. Both became Catholic on Pentecost Sunday in 2020 and were able to renew their vows in the Church earlier this year, in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary.
Little did they know that beginning their journey to the Church would lead them to where they are now, undertaking a journey to adore Jesus in the Eucharist across the Diocese of Lincoln.
“While we did think maybe others would find our quest a bit unusual, we were enthusiastic about going on this pilgrimage,” Tamara said. “It expanded our view of our extended Catholic family.”
The couple enjoyed seeing the variety of churches on their trip, and meeting people from across the diocese.
Kevin said, “I enjoyed talking with others as we entered or left adoration. We even ran into a lady, Phyllis, from our parish who now lives in Lincoln and was almost done with the Eucharistic retreat.”
Tamara and Kevin plan to complete their journey in two more trips, one to the southern part of the diocese, and one to the northwest.
To anyone considering participating in the pilgrimage, Tamara said, “Go. Start somewhere. Believe that it’s possible to grow through a simple act of obedience. Listen and watch as you go.”
Courtesy photos
