Catholic Youth Expeditions makes Rocky Mountain pilgrimage
APPLETON — A group of 21 young adults, many from the Green Bay Diocese, received a blessing from Fr. Tom Farrell, pastor of St. Pius X Parish, before the 8 a.m. Mass July 10. From there, they boarded a decked-out former school bus for a Wyoming extreme back country adventure sponsored by Catholic Youth Expeditions (CYE), a diocesan-supported outdoor camping experience founded in 2002 by Fr. Quinn Mann.
What the group didn't know was how much providence would guide this trip, from its coincidental beginnings to its grace-filled conclusion.
Fr. Quinn Mann celebrates Mass for expeditioners near the trailhead at Big Sandy Campgrounds. (Jennifer Lee | For The Compass)
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For a slide show of photos from the Wyoming excursion go to this link.
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When Fr. Mann met Green Bay's new bishop, David Ricken, last year, he knew they already had a lot in common. During the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, Canada, then-Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan hitched a ride with the expeditioners on the CYE bus and liked what he saw. When he learned that Bishop Ricken would be heading to Green Bay, the archbishop gave him a heads-up about CYE.
It helped that Fr. Mann's mission had a similar one to that of Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) in Lander, Wyo., which Bishop Ricken helped found while leading the Diocese of Cheyenne. At the heart of both is an exercise of mind, body and spirit to draw into a more personal relationship with Jesus and his church.
Since then, Bishop Ricken has appointed Fr. Mann as assistant vocation director for the diocese, with approval of his full-time directorship of CYE.
In keeping with the "verso l' alto" (Italian for "to the heights") motto of one of CYE's patrons, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Fr. Mann decided that, among the 13 youth and young adult summer trips in 2009, one would be an "extreme" expedition to Wyoming Catholic College. It would serve as a launching point for a back country hike across the Southern Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains.
Fr. Mann's friend, Andrew Barnes, who recently returned to the Catholic faith, spent months planning the route and preparing both staff and expeditioners alike for the trek. An Eagle Scout and former Philmont Ranger, Barnes was in his element as guide for one of the two 14-member groups, dubbed "Alpha" and "Omega."
On a recent Cursillo retreat, Barnes said he heard Fr. Mann talking about going to the Wind River Range. "I mentioned that I had been there before," Barnes said. "Fr. Quinn said ‘I've been praying for a guide, and now I have one!'"
Kaukauna native Matt Grode, another friend of Fr. Mann, came from Idaho to guide the second group. Grode had been on one of the first CYE expeditions several years prior, and had kept in touch with CYE despite his travels.
"I think it's providential that I'm here," Grode said. "When Fr. Quinn called me about being a guide, I was working in Texas and didn't have enough vacation. But soon after, I got a job in Idaho, with enough time off to make the trip."
Among those on the expedition were most of the 2009 CYE summer staff, each with a different reason for being there. James Feind, a student at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., was looking for an alternative to the typical summer job and heard about CYE from a cousin. What he didn't expect to experience was "the beauty of a community oriented in Christ with a mission. A real mission."
Staff member Laura Johnson, 23, of Green Bay, wanted to immerse herself in a Catholic community. She said what makes CYE unique is not the destinations, but the journey.
"It's been a really amazing experience," Johnson said. "It calls you so much out of yourself. You feel God stripping away all the dead things in your life that are not necessary ... in order for God to be more evident."
Staff member Mark Petri, 21, of West Bend, learned about CYE from Mundelein seminarian Patrick McConnell. At first he couldn't see himself in the staff member role, but said he let God decide for him by submitting an application. "It's been the best summer of my life," Petri said.
The focal point of the Wyoming pilgrimage was the four-day trek through the mountains, which would prove to offer many challenges. Combating constant swarms of mosquitoes, filtering water from lakes and streams, and tending to blisters and other minor injuries were daily tasks. Through it all the group, in true community fashion, came together to share supplies and provide support for those who were struggling.
Not all the expeditioners who set out on the second morning were headed over the 10,800-foot pass. Some hikers were already feeling the effects of altitude sickness (headache, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath), so Fr. Mann, along with expedition director Chris Thelen, gave up their chance at completing the route and escorted three expeditioners back to the trailhead, where they were able to get a ride back to the city of Lander from Steve Sawtell, head of maintenance at Wyoming Catholic College. In Lander, they rested for the night before heading from the opposite trailhead to meet up with their group the next day.
From then on, they were no longer "Alpha" and "Omega." They were all one. Petri noted, "It was a rewarding experience of living in community. (There was) water to filter, tents to set up, food to prepare. Some people felt bad because they couldn't carry a big pack. But all the big things couldn't be done without the little things. Everyone had their part."
During the expedition, Fr. Mann reminded the pilgrims, "What you do on the trail has a ramification not only on you but on everyone else on the trail. It's the same thing in life. On this trip, we didn't have as much (formal) prayer as we had hoped. I think though there was a different kind of prayer."
Johnson recalled, "I thought this trip would be a good time for prayer and time for myself but God had something totally different in store. We always look for God in the quiet but I think God truly appeared within the conflict and the struggles and the suffering we endured...God was there amidst all the chaos."
Mitch Nonn of St. Pius Parish in Appleton said, "Backpacking trips are a microcosm of our faith journey. There are peaks and valleys, ups and downs. And the little things you do to prepare will help you with the big things."
On Sunday, July 19, a weary group pulled into the parking lot of CYE's Base Camp on Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton. During their Wyoming trek they were able to experience the goal of CYE: To form and foster a community of young adults who support each other in their faith journey. As Thelen noted, "CYE is like a family to me. It's not just a one-time event. It's something you stay connected to."
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