Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Way! Also known as Madonna Della Strada. She is patroness of the Jesuits and my own personal go-to when life is full of changes.

Madonna Della Strada Chapel at Loyola University Chicago is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I was lucky enough to spend a lot of my formative years praying in or beside it.

Strangely enough today I find myself back on the road, leaving all that is comfortable and searching for God on the road. I’ve left a great job and friendly community for the unknown, a result of 9 months of discernment through the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. It’s scary, it’s exhilarating, and most of all, it is reminding me that this life is a pilgrimage, an ever-surprising adventure towards the True, the Good, and Beautiful.

Many of us find ourselves, spiritually or existentially, on the road. If we are honest, we are all looking for “home,” whatever that means. We are pilgrims, between jobs, between religions, between churches, between dreams. We seek and hope to find.

If that’s you, say a prayer to Our Lady of the Way today. She’s with you, even if you don’t know where you’re going, and she hasn’t let me stray too far.

Here’s to the road ahead, may it have as many blessings as the road behind.