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Brockton Pilgrims Journey to Graymoor During Jubilee Year of Hope

Faithful from Chapel of Our Savior reflect on unity, renewal, and the legacy of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, who began their ministry at the Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1961, welcomed a group of 33 pilgrims to their spiritual home in Graymoor, New York, on the weekend of September 27–28.

Led by Fr. Ken Cienik, SA, the pilgrims embarked on this sacred journey during the Jubilee Year of Hope, visiting the place where the Servant of God Fr. Paul Wattson, SA, and Mother Lurana White, SA, co-founded the Society of the Atonement in 1898.

Fr. Cienik, who also serves as Director of the Father Paul of Graymoor Guild, which promotes the cause for canonization of Fr. Wattson, guided the group through a weekend of prayer, reflection, and fraternity.

Upon arrival, the pilgrims celebrated an outdoor Mass at the tomb of Fr. Paul Wattson. They then visited the Friars’ cemetery, where many were deeply moved as they recognized and reverenced the gravestones of friars who had served at the Chapel of Our Savior over the past 64 years.

The heartfelt applause offered in gratitude for these men’s lives and ministries was among the most touching moments of the weekend.

The group later visited the outdoor Shrine of St. Anthony before sharing dinner and concluding the evening with prayer, a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration, and Benediction in St. Francis Chapel.

On Sunday morning, the pilgrims joined Fr. Jim Puglisi, SA, and Fr. Ken for Mass at Our Lady of the Atonement Chapel. Each pilgrim received a special memento of the journey—a parchment scroll signed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, designating Graymoor as an official pilgrimage site during the Jubilee Year of Hope.
 
Following Mass, the pilgrims had time to explore the grounds of Graymoor and visit the book and gift shop before returning home, hearts renewed by faith and the enduring spirit of unity that continues to inspire the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement’s mission.