Tag Archives: Thomas Schaefgen

Friars on Foot making their way across diocese

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By Andrew Morgan
MADISON – Fathers Francis Orozco and Thomas Schaefgen, O.P., also known as the Friars on Foot, celebrated Mass at Madison St. Francis Wednesday, June 15, at 7 a.m., about halfway through their three-state pilgrimage from one end of their territory in New Orleans to the other in Memphis. Their route began in New Orleans on May 29, taking them around Lake Pontchartrain, and then north through Mississippi. They hope to reach Memphis by June 29.

JACKSON – Sister Susan Karina Dickey, OP, (right) talks with the friars while they eat a light lunch before departing to Madison accompanied by four parishioners from Flowood St. Paul.

JACKSON – Sister Susan Karina Dickey, OP, (right) talks with the friars while they eat a light lunch before departing to Madison accompanied by four parishioners from Flowood St. Paul.

Priests, lay ministers and parishioners have welcomed them at every stop so far, often walking part of their journey with them. Anyone is welcome to walk and pray with them. They also welcome donations of food, water, bandages and especially sunscreen.
Earlier in the week, they spent the night at Jackson St. Therese Parish and celebrated Mass Monday at 8 a.m., followed by a light breakfast. From there they walked to St. Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson, visiting with the only other Dominicans in the diocese. They enjoyed lunch with the sisters and employees before they continued on their way to Madison, accompanied by four women from Flowood St. Paul Parish.
Their mission statement, as found on their website, reads: “We will encounter people of goodwill from many denominations and faith traditions, some who will be glad to see us, most will be curious, some will want to join us, and many will have questions. Direct and personal encounters with the people we meet on the way show an Order and Church that is not afraid to go outside of its doors. Our mission is simple yet far reaching.”
Father Schaefgen echoed this in his homily at Saint Francis, describing their desire to walk in the footsteps of the masters. “That is our desire, to walk in the footsteps of St. Dominic, who walked in the footsteps of the Apostles, who walked in the footsteps of Jesus.” Jesus never walked through Jackson, but he does now, through all of us in his Holy Church.

MADISON – Father Richard Goodin, OFM, records fathers Francis Orozco and Thomas Schaefgan alongside fellow Franciscans Eric, Richard, and Michael. (Photo by Paula Morgan)

MADISON – Father Richard Goodin, OFM, records fathers Francis Orozco and Thomas Schaefgan alongside fellow Franciscans Eric, Richard, and Michael. (Photo by Paula Morgan)

He described how the prophet Elijah was followed so closely by his student that Elisha was covered in the dust which fell from his master’s feet. In many ways, Father Schaefgen remarked, he and his fellow friar hope to walk in the dust of the master. “Our goal is much more to build an awareness of the Order, of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. It’s a different kind of mission, at least in appearances, to Dominic’s.”
Father Orozco explained that such a contemplative experience, albeit a suffering one, could appeal to someone who seeks more than simply going to church every Sunday. “Something else, too, is that this is a very traditional thing. Jesus made pilgrimages and so do many Jewish people,” he noted. “That’s one reason why we’re doing it, going back to our roots as Dominicans. We are here to spread the message of Christ, on foot, on the move and in person.”
The friars enjoyed breakfast provided by Saint Francis parishioners, after which six young men from Jackson St. Richard’s ALIVE youth group arrived with youth minister Amelia Rizor and volunteer Paula Morgan. They joined the friars for their two-hour walk along Old Canton Road to Hoy Road until they reached Highway 59 towards Canton.
Upon reaching a store in Madison, the group was stopped by a passing vehicle on the road. Inside were four Franciscan friars of St. John the Baptist Province who were making their way back to Galveston, Texas. The Franciscans had been following the friars on social media and were delighted their paths crossed. The group parked at a nearby gas station and spent some time chatting. Among them, Father Richard Goodin, OFM, recorded a video for his own YouTube channel. The group said their goodbyes, promising to keep Fathers Orozco and Schaefgen in prayer and went on their way.
“We’re doing something challenging,” Father Schaefgen said. “And I think that is what the youth need to see. See that the faith is something radical and active, and that even just by walking you are following Christ.” Father Orozco added that he thinks it is a challenge that the youth are more than willing and able to embrace.
Keep up with the friars at: https://friarsonfoot.wordpress.com/ or on social media by searching #friarsonfoot.
(Andrew Morgan is a rising sophomore at The Catholic University of America and a graduate of Madison St. Joseph School.)

Friars to make pilgrimage on foot, will celebrate Mass, promote vocations

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By Peter Finney Jr.
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) – The idea of making a walking pilgrimage in the United States took root about four years ago when Dominican Fathers Francis Orozco and Thomas Schaefgen were studying together for the priesthood.
They saw the movie, “The Way,” featuring Martin Sheen, who portrayed a father honoring his late son’s memory by completing the 450-mile Camino de Santiago, the “Way of St. James,” a pilgrimage route across Spain taken for centuries by pilgrims.
“We had both studied abroad in Spain, but we thought, why don’t we do something more local, something in this country?” said Father Orozco, chaplain of the Catholic Student Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. “We looked up places, and there really weren’t any established pilgrimages in the U.S., so we said, ‘Let’s make up our own.’”
From that seed sprouted “Friars on Foot,” a 478-mile pilgrimage on foot from New Orleans to Memphis, Tennessee, which will begin after the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans May 29 and arrive in Memphis June 29.
Folks can follow the two young friars and their travels at the website friarsonfoot.wordpress.com.
Father Orozco, 33, and Father Schaefgen, 32, who is director of the Catholic Student Center at Tulane University, will wear their white Dominican habits and take small backpacks with water and other essentials such as sunscreen, but they will carry no money or cellphones.
“We want to do this very minimally,” Father Orozco told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “We will not carry any money and we will sort of beg. We hope people will provide us with apples and granola bars. We don’t plan to use any money. We will carry ID cards and medical insurance cards in case that’s needed. We’ve compromised with our superior that we will have somebody update the website every time we reach a destination.”
The friars plan to stay overnight at Catholic churches or with Catholic families along the way, celebrating Mass and even giving history and vocation talks about the 800-year-old congregation – the Order of Preachers – whose earliest members were itinerant preachers, walking from town to town.
They will average about 16 miles a day. There are only two stops in Mississippi without Catholic churches – Pickens and West – and on those nights they probably will stay at a local Protestant church.
The friars are encouraging people to join them on the walk, if only for an hour or two.
“We will have a pilgrim rule, and part of it will be to the pray the rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours every day, but that won’t take up the entire time,” Father Orozco said. “If there are people with us, we can talk about whatever they would like to talk about.”
Since walking along interstate highways is prohibited, the Dominicans will take local and state highways. The pilgrimage route will basically track Highway 51 north to Memphis.
The pilgrimage will conclude June 29 at St. Peter Church in Memphis, the National Shrine of St. Martin de Porres.
So what do their families and their fellow friars think?
“As we progressed, the first reaction was the question ‘why’?” Father Orozco admitted. “Then it was just a matter of explaining. In many ways, I’m glad it’s taken four years to plan it because it gave them time to soften up to the idea. We presented this to the province a couple of years ago, and I think the vague response was, ‘These are young guys. Once they’re ordained priests they’ll forget about it.’”
Surprise.
“I bet some of the friars forgot about it,” Father Orozco said. “Some said, ‘I guess they’re really going.’ I had one student tell me, ‘You know, it’s very humid in Mississippi, right?’ By and large, 99 percent are excited about it.”
(Finney is executive editor/general manager of the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.)