As the Church celebrates a Jubilee Year — a special time of grace that has been celebrated every 25 years for centuries — St. Paul native Luke Larson writes about five pilgrimage destinations.
Two of the destinations — the Jubilee Family Shrine in Sleepy Eye and the tomb of St. Peregrine at St. John’s Abbey and University Church in Collegeville — are official jubilee pilgrimage sites in this Jubilee Year. All five sites help illuminate the Catholic faith and history of the Church in Minnesota.
There are more than a dozen official jubilee pilgrimage sites in Minnesota that the faithful can visit as part of the Jubilee Year and the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence. Three of the official sites are in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: The Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, and the Basilica of St. Mary and St. Maron Catholic Maronite Church, both in Minneapolis.
New Ulm’s Way of the Cross
Established in 1903 alongside the Lourdes Grotto by Sister Flavia and Father Alexander Berghold, this sacred site reflects New Ulm’s enduring Catholic legacy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, it’s a peaceful retreat open year-round, with the chapel welcoming visitors from April to October.
Fort St. Charles and ‘Minnesota’s Forgotten Martyr’
Founded in 1732 by French Canadian voyageurs, this reconstructed 18th-century fur trading post houses the northernmost chapel in the contiguous U.S., a testament to the courage of Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre Aulneau, “Minnesota’s Forgotten Martyr.” Accessible only by boat or snowmobile, this sacred site offers a rustic retreat for priests and pilgrims, featuring a new chapel, cabins, and the serene beauty of the Northwest Angle.
The first prayer in America? The mystery behind Our Lady of the Runestone Church
Discovered in 1898, this ancient stone, inscribed with Norse runes, recounts a 1362 journey by 30 Norsemen, possibly Catholics, who invoked “Ave Virgo Maria” (Hail Virgin Mary) amidst tragedy. Housed in a charming A-frame church, this devotion celebrates Minnesota’s potential as the first U.S. site of the Gospel, Mass, and martyrdom. Whether history or myth, the runestone inspires pilgrims to embrace hope, guided by the Blessed Mother.
Jubilees abound at the Jubilee Family Shrine
A perfect replica of the original chapel in Vallendar, Germany, this cozy chapel, seating about 30, invites pilgrims to deepen their bond with the Blessed Mother through the Schoenstatt movement’s Covenant of Love. Founded in 1976, a year rich with anniversaries, this official Jubilee Year pilgrimage site in the Diocese of New Ulm offers quiet prayer, daily rosaries in May and October, and retreats fostering family life and Marian devotion.
The story of an early Christian martyr buried in the North Star State
Housing the relics of St. Peregrine, a second-century Roman martyr who boldly proclaimed Christ amidst persecution, this sacred crypt offers a profound connection to the early Church. Transferred from Rome to Germany in 1731 and brought to Minnesota in 1927, St. Peregrine’s bones rest under a stone altar, visible to visitors.
