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St. Ignatius Chesterton Academy upperclassmen participated in the school’s inaugural pilgrimage to Italy with the Chesterton Schools Network (CSN) in March.

St. Ignatius juniors, seniors and chaperones traveled with more than 150 other student and chaperone pilgrims from other CSN schools from across the United States. This pilgrimage experience was, in many ways, the culmination and capstone of students’ Chesterton Academy curriculum, which is a content-rich, integrated curriculum based in the classical tradition and the truths of the Catholic faith.

Pilgrims explored the great history, heritage and traditions of Roman Catholicism through a program of tours and immersive experiences. This included encountering the relics and tombs of saints, exploring the wonders of ancient churches and enjoying art and history from across the ages. The pilgrimage also included private daily Masses, as well as Eucharistic Adoration, for the group at historic churches. Pilgrimage chaplains Fr. Joseph Johnson of Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities and Fr. Ryan Adorjon of Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family celebrated the Masses, with students serving the Masses.

The pilgrimage included six days in Rome, a day in Florence, a day in Orvieto and two days in Assisi. Rome included visits to St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica, tours of crypts and catacombs and visits to many of the early Catholic churches. The day in Florence included taking in the beauty of the city accomplished by artists who were deeply inspired by their faith. Their handiwork inspires a deeper love for the Divine. The pilgrimage featured a day trip to Orvieto, home to the Duomo of Orvieto—one of Italy’s finest Gothic cathedrals and that serves as a solemn reliquary for the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena. Two full days were also spent in Assisi, following in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare, learning their stories and call to voluntary poverty and praying at their tombs.

St. Ignatius Chesterton Academy, which serves students grades 9 through 12, opened in fall 2021 in Kaukauna. It is one of more than 50 CSN schools across the country. This pilgrimage experience is a regular, biannual part of the Chesterton Academy experience. The high school was an expansion to the existing St. Ignatius Catholic School–the region’s only Catholic classical school–which serves students 3K through grade 8 in Kaukauna.