Three Hearts Pilgrimage offers beauty through sacrifice

In early October, thousands of faithful from all walks of life, representing 46 states and multiple countries, will leave behind the busyness and comforts of modern life to participate in the annual Three Hearts Pilgrimage.

This rigorous two-day, 35-mile trek begins Oct. 10 and culminates at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abby, a Benedictine monastery in Hulbert. 

Named after the Holy Family, it began as a simple pilgrimage in the foothills of Oklahoma between 13 boys and their fathers from Saint John Bosco Institute in Edmond. Opened to the public in 2020, it has rapidly developed into an internationally known pilgrimage for people of all ages to endure physical hardship as a gateway to strengthen their spiritual lives. 

Marcus Robinson, program director of the Three Hearts Pilgrimage and one of the founding pilgrims, says a small group of fathers initially planned the pilgrimage to counter the negativity in the world by providing something good and virtuous for their sons. Word of the pilgrimage quickly spread, inspiring them to open it up to the public. That first year, there were nearly 500 participants. This year, about 3,000 will make the annual sacrificial journey. 

“It is incredible to see the amount of sacrifices, whether from a physical or time perspective, to be there. You can see an element of beauty and spiritual effect almost constantly from the moment you arrive,” Robinson said. 

Nicola Robinson made her first journey at 13, along with her dad, Marcus, and their family. She said the reward of the sacrifice is evident in the way people help each other, in the number of students from various colleges who organically find each other and lead songs, and in the High Mass that takes place at the end of the demanding journey. 

 “I really love the community around (the pilgrimage),” Robinson said. “They have done such a good job of making everyone bond with each other either through bonfires, singing or just getting pilgrims involved with it. They do such a good job of showing beauty in the sacrifice.”

Despite the rigorous terrain, many wayfarers return year after year because of the beauty and inspiration they said unfolds throughout the event.  

Volunteer organizers spend months planning the infrastructure required to support the needs of the pilgrims. 

David Nolan, campsite director, said that despite volunteers' exhaustion, they continue to oversee the demanding work because they know they are doing it for the greater good. 

Nolan said, the pilgrimage creates an “amazing sense of ability to connect with the heritage of our Catholic tradition.” 

He stressed that the pilgrimage is not a catered campsite with little walking, but truly roughing it, endured for the glory of God, for penance and for sacrifice. 

Pilgrims are divided into “chapters,” groups of 30-60 participants who walk, sing and pray together. 

Peter Samwel, Three Hearts pilgrim and his chapter's security liaison, describes the pilgrimage as more than a walk. He said it's a way to enter the incarnational nature of what people do as Catholics in worship. For Samwel, this pilgrimage is a way to do something physical while looking interiorly. He said walking 35 miles gives one much time to contemplate how to be a better disciple. 

“At the end, walking into the monastery, you would think you would be exhausted, and you are, but this is something you have never experienced in your life,” said Peter Samwel, a Three Hearts pilgrim and his chapter’s security liaison. “It is amazing to be with that.” 

Many clergy accompany the eclectic group of travelers on the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage's spiritual director, Father Stephen Hamilton, said he's honored to be involved for the second year and calls it a “very inspiring event.” 

“Making a pilgrimage is an aspect of our Catholic faith,” said Father Hamilton. "We are on a journey in this life, marked by the fallen nature of humanity but saved by the Lord Jesus, saved by his grace, as his sons and daughters.” 

“Accompanying one another and observing sacramental life together on pilgrimage is a great sign for us, a call to journey from this world to the next, a public witness to the faith that it is not meant to be hidden, but to be as salt and light, a city set upon a hill. People of faith are marching in peace and charity to remind ourselves and calling others to join in that same walk, hopefully bringing them closer to Christ,” said Father Hamilton.

For more information and to register, visit threeheartspilgrimage.org

Eliana Tedrow is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.


Photos: Participants of the Three Hearts Pilgrimage complete a rigorous two-day, 35-mile trek that ends at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abby. Photos provided.