Tens of thousands made the yearly pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayó last week. The adobe church is over 200 years old, and the Tewa and Pueblo found the site to have healing properties long before that. Marjorie Morales of Santa Fe was one of many who completed the trek on Good Friday. KSFR caught up with Morales on Highway 285, about halfway through her 26-mile walk. Many visit Chimayó for the healing dirt found at the holy site. For Morales, it was something else.
"It's not about the destination, it's the journey," Morales said. "And I feel that when I'm walking on my own—doing meditation, and just feeling the energy of the earth, the land."
Many walked with family members or large groups. Morales intentionally chose solitude.
"I chose to do this on my own so I can meditate and send my quiet prayers and thoughts out into the universe."
Although El Santuario de Chimayó is a Catholic parish, the site attracts pilgrims of varying spiritual and religious backgrounds. Morales was raised Catholic but left the church when she came out as gay in the 1990s. She characterized her mother as a, "very Catholic, old culture, Filipino lady." Morales said she worried her family's strict adherence to Catholicism would cause them to reject her.
"Surprisingly enough my whole family accepted me," she said. "It was such a beautiful thing to have that support."
Morales last walked to Chimayó 10 years ago, just before her daughter was born. She said she walked then to pray for a healthy child and smooth delivery.
"When my my daughter was born and I had a healthy child I felt the faith in me," Morales said.
This time around, there is no child on the way but it was still family that brought Morales's feet to the path. Her mother is aging and experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer's.
"That's one of the reasons I'm doing this today—to send good thoughts and prayers to my mom."
Morales choked up as she recalled another family member she walked for, a brother-in-law who is dealing with addiction.
"I'm sending him thoughts and prayers to him to help fight his demons," Morales said.
But, Morales said, the strongest motivation for her pilgrimage was not her family, but her fellow Americans. She walked to support healing the political division in the U.S.
"I just wanted to meditate on that and I don't want to succumb to feeling helpless and sad and angry," Morales said. "I am putting out good energy to help myself, my family and neighbors and everyone in this world to find peace again."
Despite the heaviness on her heart and the roar of highway traffic, Morales's spirits were high.
"It's a beautiful day—blue skies," Morales said. "I can't complain. It's been a great journey so far."
