The Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage is an annual journey where pilgrims retrace some of the steps that Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli made during his time in what would be the Diocese of Madison.
Like all pilgrimages, the Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage is a chance for the pilgrims to step out of their daily lives and routines, in order that they may be spiritually awakened by experiencing God’s love.
With there being two options for the Mazzuchelli pilgrimage this year, their starting points will be different. However, the culmination of the pilgrimage, praying at Father Mazzuchelli’s grave, will conclude both.
Three-day pilgrimage
The three-day pilgrimage, from August 7 to 9, will begin in Dubuque, Iowa, with Mass at St. Raphael Cathedral, which Father Mazzuchelli built in 1835.
Following Mass, the pilgrims will begin their journey by crossing over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin. Continuing along, they will arrive in Sinsinawa in the late afternoon of the first day.
On the second day of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims will begin their day with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison in Sinsinawa.
Immediately following Mass, the pilgrims will begin their walk to New Diggings, where they will arrive in the late afternoon.
On the final day, the pilgrims will begin their day with Mass and then depart for Benton. When the pilgrims arrive in Benton in the late afternoon, they will have a chance to venerate the tomb of Father Mazzuchelli and see the rectory that he died in.
One-day pilgrimage
The one-day pilgrimage, on August 9, will begin in Sinsinawa with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Hying. The pilgrims will then depart for Benton. Along the way, the pilgrims will depart from the three-day pilgrimage group, who will be heading to New Diggings.
Later in the afternoon, the group will arrive in Benton and will have a chance to venerate the tomb of Father Mazzuchelli and see the rectory that he died in.
About Venerable Father Mazzuchelli
Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, was born on November 4, 1806 in Milan, Italy, and he was the 16th of 17 children.
At the age of 17, he entered the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1830.
He was asked by Bishop Edward Fenwick, a fellow Dominican, to come to America and, in 1828, arrived to serve in the Diocese of Cincinnati, Ohio, which at that time covered the state of Ohio, and the Michigan Territory, including what is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Iowa.
Following his ordination to the Priesthood in 1830, Father Mazzuchelli was sent to Mackinac Island, where he served both the Native American and European peoples.
While assigned to Mackinac Island, Father Mazzuchelli was often away at various missions, taking him as far away as Green Bay. He would routinely serve the Winnebago and Menominee tribes, from which he won many converts to the faith.
In 1835, Father Mazzuchelli was sent to Dubuque, an area where he would spend his remaining years, both building churches and converting many. When he arrived in Dubuque, one of the first things Father Mazzuchelli did was build St. Raphael Church, which would later become the Cathedral of the Diocese of Dubuque when it was established in 1837.
Around the same time, Father Mazzuchelli built St. Michael Church in Galena, Ill.
Galena and Dubuque would serve as Father Mazzuchelli’s home base for the next 14 years.
He would establish four more parishes in what is now the Diocese of Madison; New Diggings (1844), Hazel Green (1847), Cuba City (1851), and Benton (1852).
It was in Benton where Father Mazzuchelli would spend his last 12 years.
Establishing these four parishes, however, was not the only thing that Father Mazzuchelli did in his remaining years. In 1847, Father Mazzuchelli founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
Besides the churches he built, the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters would be one of Father Mazzuchelli’s longest-lasting legacies.
For more information, go to https://madisondiocese.org/75