Campus to host ‘Way of Faith’

By Michelle Martin
Staff writer

Jubilee year festivities will continue in September with the “Way of Faith” at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, home of Mundelein Seminary.

The campus will welcome up to 15,000 visitors Sept. 15 and 16 to the “Way of Faith,” and for tours of the seminary and university campus, located near Route 176 and Route 45 in Mundelein.

“It’s a beautiful campus, and most people never really get a chance to see it,” said Father Wayne Prist, chairman of the archdiocese’s Millennium Committee.

The event also mirrors a weekend event held on the campus in 1926, the same year as the great Eucharistic Congress at Soldier Field, Prist said.

In 1926, nearly a million Catholics converged on the 800-acre campus for the conclusion of the Eucharistic Congress—a feat Prist would not want to duplicate.

But the archdiocese does want to show off one of its jewels to those who otherwise wouldn’t see it.

“It really is an asset to the archdiocese,” Prist said, “and we want it to be a legacy as well.”

Participants in the “Way of Faith” will be led on guided walks around the lake on the campus, stopping at a number of live tableaux commemorating significant moments in the history of the church in the archdiocese, starting with the arrival of French explorer Father Jacques Marquette in 1673, Prist said. The walks will end at the foot of Our Lady of the New Millennium, the 33-foot statue of Mary that has been displayed across the archdiocese.

Along the way, pilgrims will pray and sing according to a script being developed. Cardinal George and the auxiliary bishops are expected to be among the leaders.

The road around the lake is about 3 miles long, and Prist said each group is expected to take about an hour or maybe a little longer to finish its journey.

Workers are repairing two bridges to make it possible to walk all the way around the lake, Prist said.

For those who would like to visit the campus, but would prefer a less demanding itinerary, the archdiocese will offer guided tours with stops in the auditorium, the chapel and a few other buildings, also concluding at the foot of Our Lady of the New Millennium.

Workers also are refurbishing the auditorium in advance of the visitors.

To accommodate as many people as possible, participants must choose either the campus tour or the Way of Faith, Prist said.

Parking for both groups will be free. Those participating in the Way of Faith can park across the street from the campus at Carmel High School and walk through the front gates. Those who are coming for tours will park elsewhere and take shuttle buses to the campus.

Tickets will be made available through parishes and through the archdiocese’s Millennium Office hotline (312) 751-7999.

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