St. Margaret Mary Church

Who Are We?  St. Margaret Mary's Youth Group! Nestled a little north of the Upper Missouri River Breaks and a mere 79 miles from the Canadian border, is the small agricultural town of Big Sandy in the state of Montana. Within this community of about 600 residents is the even smaller parish community of St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church. For over thirty years, St. Margaret Mary’s Church has had a Youth Group meet to provide a place for spiritual formation, as well as building camaraderie between the children of the parish through religious instruction, social activities, team-building exercises and most recently through religious pilgrimages. 

What Is Our Goal? We are hoping to raise funds to send all of our students on a 10-day pilgrimage to Italy! Our hope is that this upcoming pilgrimage will effectively show the students extraordinary marvels of the Church, cementing the fact that the Catholic religion is the One, True Church and at the same time, liven a deep love and fervor for the faith. 

Where Will The Pilgrimage Take Place? Italy! The pilgrimage itinerary encompasses the Catholic icons of Rome, such as the four major Basilicas including St. John Lateran, featuring the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs, St. Mary Major which houses relics of the Holy Manger and the True Cross, St. Paul Outside the Walls which is the burial place of St. Paul and of course the awe-inspiring St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Some other points of interest in Rome are the famous Roman ruins turned into Catholic Churches such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Also, we will be visiting the Capuchin Crypt and the Purgatory Museum to further expand on lessons learned in class. In addition to these gems, we will be following the footsteps of St. Padre Pio, St. Rita of Cascia, St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and St. Michael the Archangel. Two huge highlights include attending a Papal Audience and visiting the Holy House of Loreto in which the Holy Family resided in Nazareth! This inspirational itinerary traverses Italy in one great loop encompassing 7 Basilicas, many gorgeous Churches, the Vatican Museums complete with a tour of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the ability to witness two Eucharistic miracles, as well as see two incorrupt Saints. Additionally, the trip includes many occasions for prayer and meditation that will build upon the themes the students have been learning in class, only on a grander scale! Students will have the ability to celebrate mass in some of the most remarkable Basilicas, Shrines and Cathedrals and in some cases participate in great candlelight processions with thousands of other pilgrims from around the world! 

When Will The Pilgrimage Take Place? June 2025

Why Are We Going On This Pilgrimage?

Much like all Catholic communities throughout the world, parishioner attendance at Mass has dwindled. We are down to about 50 people and as of 2018 the Youth Group was at an all-time low of only 4 members! However, God’s Providence has blessed the parish and the Youth Group to flourish once again with an attendance of 17 members and a projected 22 members by Fall of 2024. Although their participation in the Youth Group is appreciated, the parish community would love to see these kids and their families attend Mass and participate in the Sacraments! Thus, the primary mission of the group is to provide the youth with a strong spiritual foundation that will last a lifetime! 

With that said, we face a great challenge! Firstly, like adolescents throughout the world, our local kids are bombarded with an overall atheistic society that keeps God out of schools and teaches kids perverse ideas via movies, television, and social media. Therefore, the Youth Group instructor, Judy Yirsa with the blessing of the parish priest, Fr. Joseph Tran stimulated the students with the proposition of going on a life-changing pilgrimage to Italy on a 10-day excursion to enrich their spiritual life and keep them in the faith!

The biggest hope is that students will be reaffirmed in their faith and will remain Catholic throughout their life and will share their knowledge of the faith with others. The stories behind these incredible Saints and miraculous events have converted millions throughout history. Although it is incredibly beautiful to believe without seeing, it would be nice to give these students an opportunity to witness and have personal experiences in these holy places. Today’s society promotes a worldly perspective and, in some cases, a downright atheist lifestyle. This trip will hopefully encourage the students to continue living a sacramental life filled with God’s grace. Likewise, we hope that they will share their special experiences with their family, friends, and neighbors.

The total cost of the trip for our class of 22 students to attend is a whopping $77,000. This price includes airfare, hotel accommodations, all meals, city taxes, transportation in between cities, road tolls, an English-speaking guide, walking tours, as…