“Verso L’Alto” - “To the Heights” - was the theme of this year’s Young Catholic Professionals national conference, drawing on the spirituality of now-Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, canonized on September 7, 2025.   

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Pier Giorgio was known for his piety and charity in his 24 years of life. He was also known in a particular way for his passion as a mountain climber and his spirituality of encountering God’s glory in creation.  

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Pier Giorgio is quoted as saying, “If my studies permitted, I’d spend whole days in the mountains contemplating the Creator’s greatness in that pure air.”  

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With much said and done, it makes sense to me that he would feel this way. I’ve come to feel it, too. 

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I recently returned from hiking the Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage in Spain through which pilgrims journey on foot to Santiago de Compostela, home to the tomb of the apostle St. James. Pilgrims walk the Camino for various reasons - spirituality, self-discovery, athleticism, adventure. I participated with a group organized by the young adult ministry of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. Our pilgrimage was distinctly ordered to the spiritual element, with daily Mass and prayer at the heart. A sense of adventure and self-discovery was part of that spirituality for me, too. 

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When I first heard about the pilgrimage, it sounded like a nice idea in theory, suited for people much more ready for hiking than me. A good friend of mine had done the Camino a few years before, and in my travel-loving adult life, I had it loosely on my radar - on the more theoretical end of my bucket list, so to speak. The more it came up, I couldn’t ignore that the opportunity was being placed in front of me, at a time when I had the ability to take it.  Remembering past wisdom about doing things while we are able, and how that mindset has served me before, I attended the interest meeting - and ultimately decided to sign up.  

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As I learned in preparation for the trip, there are several different Camino routes in addition to the most traveled, the Camino Frances, which is featured in films like The Way.  Our pilgrimage was to take us on the Camino Primitivo, which is regarded as the original Way. The route spans 200 miles, from the city of Oviedo to Santiago, with an average walk of 15 miles per day, sometimes more. Unlike other routes, the Primitivo travels primarily through the mountains - and is considered the most physically challenging of the Caminos due to its elevation and terrain.  

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This description was intimidating from the outside for someone who didn’t self-identify as a hiker. I felt a sense, though, that this was somehow where I was supposed to be, even if I didn’t completely understand it. Beyond the practical details of packing and training walks, I felt that I really didn’t know exactly what to expect when I arrived. In the final days of preparation, my intuition continued to tell me that it was good that I was entering the journey without preconceived expectations of what exactly it would be like - because it meant freedom to show up and find out.  

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It is difficult to describe exactly how that flight across the ocean transported me into a different dimension, yet one in which I still felt distinctly like myself. From the first days of our walk, I found myself drawn in by the misty hills and the peaceful quiet of the countryside. The walking provided me opportunities for prolonged silence - far beyond the typical experience of my outgoing role in my fast-paced work environment - a depth of quiet and stillness that I hadn’t known just how much I needed, allowing me to re-ground and reconnect with my inner contemplative spirit. Experiencing the surroundings at the slow pace of footsteps, aided by a much-needed unplugging from screen time, created a meditative rhythm in which to be present to the present moment, as each new angle of the landscape gradually turned into the next.  

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As I carried my list of the prayer intentions that had been given to me, I could also feel myself lifted up by others’ prayers for me, as I wondered how my body was carrying me for so many miles. It is striking to consider everything we did and all of the miles we walked, because it is so far beyond what I would have typically expected for myself - yet when we were doing it, we were just doing it, and our bodies and minds worked with the present reality before us. Strenuous climbs in elevation, for me, were motivated and rewarded by the sights around us. I continually found myself pausing to take in the landscape, looking out and contemplating what God has made - in the words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, “All this, and heaven, too.”   

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On the fifth day of our walk, our morning was spent hiking up to the top of a mountain summit, which would be our highest altitude of our Camino journey and the spiritual high point for me on the pilgrimage. Standing in the open field, above the treeline, nearly swept away by the gusts of wind, we could look out upon an expanse of mountaintops as far as the eye could see. Going down just a little ways out of the wind, with a large rock to serve as an altar, we had Mass on the mountain - offering our prayers heavenward as we looked out upon the earth. 

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This vista stood before me, so vast, so ancient, and so far beyond my comprehension, and yet still just one tiny portion of the world that God created and continues to sustain.  

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And He allows us to look upon it - to be partakers in it - we, the people He has created and continues to sustain.  

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Encountering God in His creation opens our eyes to realities far beyond ourselves. In doing so, we more deeply encounter what lies within ourselves, too. It is an experience of the supernatural - while also a striking intersection with the natural. In the wisdom of God’s designs, it makes sense that entering into harmony with nature - fresh air, water, physical activity, natural light - refreshes the spirit as it brings us into alignment with how God has made us to thrive. These natural elements together are mysteriously elevated into something of the divine, transcending what our reason could grasp on our own. Breathing in God’s life, we become more attuned to His voice - calling us to a sense of wonder at His glory, and our own place in it.  

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I had prayed for moments of wonder that would inspire me on this pilgrimage. For me, part of this wonder was in the many connecting threads of providence that had led me to the top of that mountain. So much of my adult life has unfolded into gifts that I would not have been able to predict, but have become my reality. The previous summer, I had stood on a stage performing as Maria in The Sound of Music, in fulfillment of a years-long dream that I had assumed might never happen, but nonetheless came to be. It arose in the midst of my real-life career role as a music teacher and choir director, finding great purpose and joy in teaching students to sing. But even identifying as a singer has come through years of growth out of crippling performance anxiety that has gradually dissipated over the slow course of time and repeated exposure - to the point that I now marvel at the opportunities I’ve received, and how I freely use my voice as a natural part of my daily work and life. My past struggles with singing have been a core influence on my approach to encouraging students - and encouraging them, in turn, has helped me to take my own advice and pursue more performing myself. 

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There are other layers, too. Earlier that same year, I had taken a chance on a solo trip to Salzburg, Austria. Traveling has long been a life-giving activity for me, but it has taken time and practice to overcome self-consciousness and embrace traveling on my own. Having decided to do it anyway, I had visited the token sites of The Sound of Music, and also spent time praying for the intercession of the real-life Maria von Trapp, a woman of deep, deep spirituality herself - in her words, “to find out what it is the will of God and to do it.”  It was a sacred time with what felt like a valuable prayer intention for God’s guidance in my life. While praying in Nonnberg Abbey and taking fun pictures in town, I had no idea that shortly after returning home, I would learn of the opportunity to audition for the show, and a few short months later would be on the stage. 

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After finishing the show, I took a mini-pilgrimage to Maria’s ultimate family home in Vermont, where I was able to visit her grave, as well as a grotto where she used to pray. The Von Trapp family had settled in Vermont in part because the mountains there reminded them of home. I found the scenery there so peaceful and captivating, that ever since then I have found my own spirit drawn to the mountains, too. 

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(When I’d been on the verge of signing up for the Camino, but anxious about the physical demands of a mountainous route, I heard a voice in my head saying with a smirk, “.… I thought you wanted to Climb Ev’ry Mountain?” .… And so I obeyed.) 

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There are so many other connecting pieces I could point to, as I’ve seen new doors and windows open over these past years of young adulthood. Each new step along the way, however tentative or vulnerable at first, has gradually expanded the bounds of my comfort zone and my perception of what is possible, and God has taken those efforts and brought beautiful surprises. I was certainly never someone you’d say would be hiking the “most physically challenging of Caminos” - yet there we were, at the top of the mountain we’d just climbed. 

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In moments of clarity, I can see the story continuing to expand and deepen in a fuller and fuller circle. Standing at that summit felt like the fulfillment of a desire that I wouldn’t have fully known was there, but somehow still made sense. What moved my heart was ultimately not just about the mountain, but about the ways that God has blessed and guided my life. It called me to gratitude at how much God has already fulfilled, and to pray for the fulfillment of whatever He has in store for me next.  

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All of this here is to say that God weaves beautiful stories in His plans for each of us. I see the Camino journey, and its place in the overall picture, as a lesson in not placing limits on what God can do with our lives.  

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It is so easy to look at others’ pursuits and assume, “That’s something ‘other people’ do; I could never do that.” But I have seen that great things can become much more real than we think they are, when we are willing to open ourselves to the possibilities of what God might want to give. 

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Even as believers in God’s goodness, we might need to be reminded that we have permission to dream and aspire - not only “permitted”, it is good, it is how God made us. Amidst all of the beauty of the created world, it is human beings who are created in the image and likeness of God and destined for eternity. He desires to bless us with an abundant life that reveals His goodness to others.  

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Whether it is a professional pursuit, a personal passion, or our ultimate vocation, there is great power in embracing this reality and opening ourselves to possibilities - which often begins with being honest with ourselves about how we dream of encountering and impacting the world.  

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Maybe there is a talent lying dormant that you keep finding yourself yearning to use. Or maybe there is a completely new venture you’ve always wanted to try, but it feels crazy to say it out loud. Maybe you are considering a career move that would light up your spirit, but you fear leaving behind what you know and love about your current work. Or you feel a heartfelt longing to go on a pilgrimage, but it feels like too much to ask for when there are so many other things to do. 

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What would you desire to do with your time and abilities if there was no risk of failure - or if you simply weren’t afraid?   

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The devil hates the cultivation of our happiness - and he attempts to use every obstacle, doubt, insecurity, distraction, and mindless scroll to keep us away from it. Mindlessness keeps us stuck, but action brings clarity. In my own experience, I have found that when I am feeling stuck in paralysis or avoidance, taking one small action helps to reorient my inner compass and remind me what it feels like to walk in greater freedom. 

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We don’t have to take these steps perfectly. I believe it is all the more powerful to recognize that our journeys do not unfold by our own efforts alone. Because it is the Lord who directs the course, we don’t need to be bound by what we think we’d be able to do. We just need to be willing to show up. We are carried forward by prayer, by others’ prayers for us, and ultimately by God’s grace and providence. Our natural efforts, however small they may be, can be raised up in the supernatural, transcending what we could do on our own - and God can continue to expand our horizons more and more. 

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This process might evolve over time as we journey on. One professional season might transition into another. A professional career might give way to the calling of full-time parenthood. A providential opportunity might unlock a newfound passion that we wouldn’t have predicted for ourselves. None of these paths will be immune to times of dryness or difficulty - but when we seek to cooperate with grace, He will work out His purpose in us in His time, whatever that may be. 

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So pray for openness to see and receive the opportunities God is giving in your own life. Be prudent and wise - but sometimes wisdom lies in saying “why not”, trusting in the Lord, and seeing where it leads. The more we live in this way, the more we may find ourselves surprised by what it brings.  

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For putting this mindset into practice, a few suggestions come to mind: 

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• Take some time to write or journal honestly about hopes and aspirations. For some journaling prompts, I love the reflection questions found in the book Your Blue Flame by Jennifer Fulwiler, which has been deeply impactful to my own perspective.

• Take one concrete step to try something new, before you have too much time to overthink it. This may or may not be anything seemingly grand. Maybe it’s registering for a new conference, attending an interest meeting about a pilgrimage, joining a group hike, attending an open mic night, or signing up for an exercise class to boost your energy in the midst of the work week.

• Put it on the calendar and tell a friend about it so that there is some gentle accountability to go and do it. Show up, without preconceived expectations, and see where it leads you.

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God’s creation and revelation call us to believe what is possible in the world and in our lives. In the Scriptures, we hear, “We are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” (1 John 3:2)  This speaks most fully to our ultimate destination of heaven, but also to our journey here on earth. We are God’s beloved children now, already; and we get to find out how He will continue to shape us into who He has created us to be. 

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Pier Giorgio is a saint, not because he hiked the highest, but because he sought to encounter the glory of God and let it elevate his life heavenward. In our own unique journeys to be modern-day saints, may we be encouraged to take steps forward, trusting that God will lead us upward the rest of the way. 

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