Pilgrim vs. Backpacker

Rich Evans St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Mountain Top Before arthritis caught up with me, I was an enthusiastic backpacker with a goal of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in one year.  Sadly, that item from my bucket list will not be checked off. ...

North vs. South

Rich Evans St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Mountain Top I live and worship north of the tunnel, as if that should have some significance here in the Diocese of Bethlehem.  We hear that because Diocesan House is in the “south,”  people in that part of the diocese...

Fire and Rebirth

Rich Evans St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Mountain Top On my way home from my sister’s house, I pass through a portion of the Lackawanna State Forest that was destroyed by a raging wildfire about a decade ago.  In winter not a sign of life is apparent;  gaunt black...

A Virtual Pilgrimage

Rich Evans St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Mountain Top The word pilgrimage is certainly evocative as those of us who have had a chance to focus on its import during this time of diocesan discernment have discovered.  We think of journeys, whether to exotic locales or of...

Pilgrimage–why?

Rich Evans St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Mountain Top optimyst@gmail.com Our busy lives might seem fulfilling.  But filling up a life with the constant bustle of work, as housekeeper, gardener, chef, chauffeur, parent and spouse is not the same thing as spiritual...