Student Pilgrimage to Italy
The journey for the Junior and Senior classes of Stella Maris Academy did not begin under the Mediterranean sun, but in the sharp, pre-dawn chill of a Duluth February. Thirty-five students, accompanied by faculty and school President Andrew Hilliker, traded the familiar snowy vistas of Lake Superior for a flight path that led through Philadelphia and across the Atlantic. They weren’t traveling as tourists, but as pilgrims—embarking on a ten-day odyssey intended to transform their faith from a classroom subject into a lived reality.
After landing in Rome, the group bypassed the city’s chaos for the serene, olive-studded hills of Umbria. Their first stop was Greccio, the site of the first living nativity, before ascending to the medieval stone walls of Assisi. For three days, the town of Saint Francis and Saint Clare served as a "base camp" for the soul.
In Assisi, the air felt different—thinner, quieter, and heavy with history. The students visited the Basilica of St. Francis, where the saint’s body remains, and the Sanctuary of Spoliation, where the remarkably preserved body of Blessed Carlo Acutis lies in state. Seeing a saint-to-be wearing a track jacket and sneakers struck a chord with the students. "I’m literally in the footsteps of a saint right now," Caroline reflected, marveling at the proximity to such holiness.
One of the most physically demanding and spiritually rewarding moments occurred on the slopes of Mount Subasio. Led by Father Scott, the group hiked to the Carceri Hermitage—the rugged caves where Francis and his early friars sought God in silence. On the descent, many students chose to walk barefoot over the uneven stones, a traditional act of penance. Senior Isaiah noted the weight of the gesture: "We walked barefoot for the suffering people... offering up that pain to help them. It was moving and powerful."
From the silence of the mountains, the pilgrimage shifted to the vibrant, intellectual pulse of Florence. Though the group was met with a persistent, gray Italian downpour, the weather couldn't dampen the scale of the *Duomo*—the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Its massive red-tiled dome and intricate marble facade seemed to grow out of the narrow alleys, appearing suddenly as the students turned corners.
While some time was spent exploring Dante’s House and perfecting the art of the cannoli in a pastry class, the students’ eyes remained fixed on the sacred. During a moment of free exploration, students Caroline and Annabel wandered into a nondescript church, only to discover a pillar believed to be the one where Jesus was scourged. "It was just so random," Caroline said. "In every church you go into, something amazing is there." This sense of constant discovery turned the city of art into a living classroom of the Passion.
The road to Rome led through Orvieto, a city perched atop a volcanic cliff, where the group stood before a cathedral so ornate it looked like a gilded jewelry box. They arrived in the Eternal City just as the Lenten season began, celebrating Ash Wednesday Mass at the ancient Basilica of Santa Sabina. Rome offered a dizzying contrast between the ruins of a pagan empire and the triumph of the Cross. One afternoon, the students stood within the jagged walls of the Colosseum. "Seeing where all those people died for our faith... it gives you a deeper look into how seriously we should take it," Isaiah remarked.
Later, they visited the *Scala Sancta* (the Holy Stairs). Brought to Rome by Saint Helena, these 28 marble steps are believed to be the ones Jesus climbed to meet Pontius Pilate. Following a centuries-old tradition, the students and faculty climbed the stairs on their knees. President Andrew Hilliker recalled the intensity of the moment: "You physically feel the pain, but looking up and seeing the students participating in that way... that was handedly the most moving part of the trip for me."
The spiritual climax arrived on Wednesday morning in St. Peter’s Square. Amidst a sea of thousands, the Stella Maris group found themselves mere feet from the "Popemobile." As Pope Leo XIV drove by, blessing infants and waving to the crowds, the "Office of the Papacy" became a human reality. "He’s a real person! He was right there," Annabel exclaimed.
Between the basilicas and the ruins, the students immersed themselves in the "culture of the cafe." They learned that in Italy, coffee is a communal standing event—a quick burst of espresso and conversation at a marble counter before moving on. The food, too, was a revelation. From multi-course dinners featuring authentic pasta (and a stern warning from their guide, that fettuccine alfredo is for tourists) to Isaiah’s surprise "lobster pasta" that featured half a literal lobster, the pilgrimage was a feast for the senses. Annabel’s go-to fuel for the long walks? A constant supply of salted caramel and coffee gelato.
As their flight touched down back in the United States on February 21, the students returned to a Duluth that looked the same, but they did not. The "grueling" pace of the trip—early mornings, late nights, and miles of walking—had forged a new perspective.
"I feel like I'll still be thinking about what I'm learning for a long time," Caroline reflected. The pilgrimage taught them that God is found both in the "gold-covered ceilings" and in the quiet, lonely moments of a long journey. For the Junior and Senior classes of Stella Maris, Italy is no longer a place in a textbook; it is the ground where their faith took root in a new and ancient way.
