MSU students, Wichita Fall parishioners make a Jubilee pilgrimage on Pope Leo XIV’s election day
A group of pilgrims makes their way to the Year of Jubilee pilgrimage site, Immaculate Conception of Mary Church in Wichita Falls, on May 8, 2025. (Courtesy photo/Adam Tran)
WICHITA FALLS — On a sunny day in May, after many days of rain and flooding in Wichita Falls, a group of 30 people walked 2.7 miles from Our Lady Queen of Peace Church to Immaculate Conception of Mary Church in Wichita Falls.
The pilgrims included several youths and parishioners from nearby parishes, two priests, and 14 Midwestern State University students and their Catholic campus minister.
MSU Campus Minister Debbie Veitenheimer said the idea for a walking pilgrimage came to her when she learned Immaculate Conception was one of five designated pilgrimage sites during the Year of Jubilee in the Diocese of Fort Worth.
“So many other countries are comfortable doing walking pilgrimages, but you don't see that very often here [in the United States]. I just thought that would be really cool, and I wanted to do it at the end of the semester before finals so students could really take those intentions with them in prayer,” Veitenheimer said.
She asked Father Kyle Walterscheid, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, if the students could walk from his parish since the walk would be quite far from the MSU Catholic Campus Center. He agreed and suggested extending the event to young adults from the surrounding parishes.
Both Fr. Walterscheid and Father Bhaskara Nanduri, SAC, of Sacred Heart Parish accompanied the pilgrims on their journey.
Bare devotion
Julian Zamudio, a transfer student from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, is in his second semester of nursing school and his second year of involvement with MSU Catholic Campus Center.
The college student decided to walk the 2.7-mile pilgrimage barefoot.
Zamudio said he recently hadn’t done well on one of his nursing school tests, and he felt like Satan was whispering doubts to him. He mentioned the pressure of performing well within the competitive program.
“So, a prayer, I was telling God, ‘I'll offer you this and hopefully, you can give me the joy of being able to go on to the next semester.’ So I have a few blisters on the bottom of my feet, but it was worth it,” said Zamudio with a big smile.
A good opportunity
Allyson Hoang, volunteer leader of confirmation formation at Immaculate Conception, coordinated the pilgrimage with Veitenheimer. Hoang was an MSU student and active with the campus ministry for several years.
When she saw her parish had put a large, framed copy of Bishop Michael Olson’s decree designating Immaculate Conception of Mary as a Jubilee pilgrimage site in the narthex, she called Veitenheimer to learn more about it.
Hoang said Veitenheimer, her former campus minister, has continued to be a mentor to her.
“I wanted to make sure this was something anyone could be a part of because the Jubilee Year is only every 25 years, so this is a good opportunity. I made my [confirmation] students go as well, to be able to experience it before they get older and go to college and get busy,” Hoang said.
A pilgrimage and a pope
The pilgrimage was planned weeks in advance, but it turned out to be the same day the Pope Leo XIV was elected.
Some of the students talked about the excitement of his election on the same day as their pilgrimage. A local television station news crew stopped them on their journey because they thought the pilgrimage was due to Pope’s election. After Fr. Walterscheid explained, the reporter decided to interview some of the pilgrims about the new pope and include the pilgrimage in their evening news cast.
Denisse Naula, a junior accounting student at MSU who is from Ecuador, South America, said she liked how Pope Leo emphasized how the Church is one community during his first address.
“It’s something interesting. We are different churches, but we are all Catholics. We are the children of God. It's amazing that we all, as a community, can participate. We have three parishes here [today], and it's really, really nice to share with all of them,” she said.
Upon arriving at Immaculate Conception of Mary, all the pilgrims attended Mass and later gathered for a meal in the parish hall.
Father Michael Trac Pham, CRM, thanked the group of pilgrims at the beginning and end of Mass for making the journey to his parish.
“We are living in the Jubilee Year,” said the parish pastor during his homily. “Pope Francis asked each of us to pray. We are on the journey, and with every step we walk, we have come closer in relationship with Jesus. And our goal is to be united with our loving God.”
The Jubilee Year continues through December 28, 2025. In the Diocese of Fort Worth, Bishop Olson decreed five pilgrimage sites, including St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth, Sacred Heart Parish in Comanche, St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Flower Mound, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Fort Worth, in addition to Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish in Wichita Falls.
A picture of the group of pilgrims before a statue of Mary at the Year of Jubilee pilgrimage site, Immaculate Conception of Mary Church in Wichita Falls on May 8, 2025. (Courtesy photo/Adam Tran)