To the Band of Brothers: June 23, 2025
It’s been a few days since we got back from our pilgrimage and I wanted to send out an email to express how grace-filled the whole experience was. I knew it would be. You don’t set up a trip like this with the intention of submerging yourself in the beauty and richness of our Catholic culture in places like we went without God taking advantage and hitting you over the head with grace. Put yourself in the right places at any time and God works His magic.
This was a Marian pilgrimage and there is nothing God loves more than showing His Mother’s beauty. From Spain to France to Portugal, the experience of making our way from one Marian site to another was an encounter, not only with the Blessed Mother, but with her Son. Every step of the way, Jesus was as present as Mary. Simply put, you can’t have one without the other.
While we visited many places, too many to include in one email, I would like to mention some of the highlights.
In Barcelona, we spent a lot of time touring the Sagrada Familia. What an extraordinary place. Just when you thought the great cathedrals and basilicas of Europe were a thing of the past, Antoni Gaudí decided to design and build one of the most beautiful landmarks in modern history. Its beauty and theological prowess are second to none. Every column, stained glass, and decoration is a testament to the greatness of God, His creation, and the Church. Each façade tells you a story only surpassed by the gospels themselves. You can spend months there and not uncover every detail.
Then there was Manresa. We visited the cave where St. Ignatius spent 11 months as a hermit and started working on the Spiritual Exercises. To be at the heart of where the soldier saint began to design his greatest contribution to the world is humbling. Our students were able to celebrate Mass there. As they made their way into the cave, they knelt in prayer and could almost hear the conversations Ignatius must have had with the Holy Spirit. They placed their hands on the cross etched into the wall of the cave, where Ignatius would kneel in prayer.
On to Montserrat we went. This is where Ignatius went to have his confession heard by the Benedictine monks who still live in the monastery. This is where he prayed an all-night vigil to the Black Madonna, surrendered his sword, and vowed to no longer serve the king of Spain but the King of Kings. We prayed in front of that very image and celebrated Mass in her presence. Our students also had an opportunity to pray vespers with the monks and then listen to the famous boys’ choir. So many in attendance were impressed when we joined the choir and sang with them the Salve Regina.
The highlight of the trip may have been Lourdes. We drove through the Pyrenees and descended on that little French village where Bernadette frequently met with the Immaculate Conception. A candlelight procession with the sick was energized by a rosary prayed in so many different languages. The guys were impressed when they heard the Our Father and Hail Mary prayed in Korean, German, French, and Slovenian. Even though they didn’t understand the language, they knew the words and prayed them in English. It was a chorus of praise that not even the choir of Montserrat could surpass.
Loyola was a true blessing. After touring the home of Ignatius, we celebrated Mass in the conversion chapel. This is the place where he decided to surrender himself completely to God. While all Masses are special, this one was of particular significance for two reasons. First, we celebrated the anniversary of Fr. Capuano’s ordination. Second, one of our students was officially received into the Catholic Church and celebrated his First Communion. How fitting it happened in the chapel of the conversion. It is a day we will never forget.
Then there was Santiago de Compostela. The end of the line for millions of pilgrims who do the Camino. We saw how they danced for joy when they approached the steps of that sacred place. We venerated the tomb of St. James, climbed the steps behind the main altar to hug the image of the saint, and then went to Mass where we saw the famous “botafumeiro” or incense burner swing from one end of the cathedral to the other as it released massive billows of smoke up into the air.
And finally, we made it to Fatima. No Marian pilgrimage would be complete without visiting this Portuguese wonder. Our students carried the image of Our Lady of Fatima in procession, led the rosary for thousands of faithful, visited the home of the shepherds, and prayed the Stations of the Cross in the basilica. One has to wonder how it is possible that from three little poor shepherds comes a place of prayer that attracts millions of faithful every year. One can only imagine what is possible from 25 Belen students and their encounter with Mary and how it can impact the world they live in.
When we decided to offer this experience in the summer, the intention was to immerse our students in the impact of our Catholic faith in places foreign to our Miami reality. The word “catholic” is derived from the Greek word for “universal.” To the ends of the earth, we can experience the power of God, His gospel, and the Church. To enrich our students’ lives by exposing them to the culture, history, and Catholic practice of foreign lands is an opportunity to not only appreciate the great diversity of it all, but also to grow in appreciation of our own Catholic faith. I can’t for next year.
Click here to see the photo album.
Click here to see the photo album.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.