Frequently Asked Questions

Attendees need to be at least 18 years of age and no more than 29 years old. Exceptions to the upper limit are to be made at the discretion of the board. 

Single young adults often find little “purpose” directly after highschool or college until they are married or living the religious life. This is an extraordinarily pivotal and malleable time, as young adults are greatly influenced by those around them, all the while making choices that impact the rest of their lives. 

Adelante Pilgrimage serves especially those whose parish does not have a young adults’ group. For many of these young adults who attend mission chapels, they often feel alone in attempting to live a truly Catholic life. Without solid friendships and mentorship, their Faith may suffer as they attempt to live in the world, but not of it. Those who do attend a chapel wherein there is a young adult group will still benefit greatly as we can always grow in virtuous leadership. 

 In order to be able to truly provide spiritual direction, leadership training, and mentorship, 24 pilgrims will be invited to join in 2025.

Anyone who has interest is welcome to fill out the application form!

The 4 Guides who constitute the Executive Board of Adelante Pilgrimage carefully review every application submitted, with direct input from the Chaplain. They weigh a variety of factors when deciding whom to accept:

• Charitable and Catholic attitude
• Demonstrable or potential leadership capability
• Physical capability
• It is competitive to attend Adelante, and a letter of recommendation from a spiritual director or pastor would help your application 
• Steadfast character – both for the pilgrimage and the mentorship program

Exact figures will be released at the time of registration, which is January, 2025.  Rough costs to attend are expected at about $1,200.

Inclusive:

• 13 days of leadership training & spiritual pilgrimage
• All meals and activities for 13 days
• 14 nights of hotel, camp site, or mission stays which have been pre-scouted and verified for safety and suitableness
• Up to 2 full years of mentorship from Guides:
  • Monthly program with check-ins
  • Bi-weekly phone call
  • On-call mentorship and advice as requested

The board is seeking out applicants who have potential for leadership and resourcefulness.

Since Adelante Pilgrimage is a registered non-profit, applicants who may not have the resources available are encouraged to request donations from family members and friends, organizations, and businesses. These donations are tax-deductible for donors. Adelante also offers a limited number of $300 “pilgrim-ships” for those who would benefit from a decrease in registration cost.

Application deadline for Adelante Mission Challenge 2025 is March 1st. Due to the competitiveness of Adelante Mission Challenge, applicants are encouraged to APPLY NOW!

After your application is reviewed, a Guide will reach out to you and schedule you for a virtual interview. A non refundable Security deposit of $300 will be due within 2 weeks of emailed confirmed acceptance.

In short – yes.

It is a challenging 2 week pilgrimage, mostly on foot, oftentimes in difficult terrain. The majority of the nights will be spent camping, whether at established campgrounds or more rugged facilities in national & state parks.

Spiritually, mentally, and physically, pilgrims will be taken out of their comfort zones, and provided with candid direction and time for self-reflection.

Out of this difficulty arises beautiful fruit:

• a camaraderie that lasts a lifetime
• the ability to face more successfully challenges at home, school, and work
• exponential internal, spiritual growth
• advice and skills directly applicable to share with others in home parishes, businesses, religious houses, etc.

The underlying focus is deeply Catholic in nature, provided by the chaplain.

But even this spiritual focus will work together with the temporal focus of forming future leaders for our families, parishes, priories, monasteries, and convents. In addition, it gets the pilgrims out of their “comfort zone” in the setting of a challenging pilgrimage. Lessons learned here will be available for these young men and women for the rest of their lives, allowing them to serve Christ the King - in a Catholic sense and the SSPX in particular - with these skills.

Long term, this provides a yearly crop of young adults, hungry to participate in the growth of Catholic Social Principles and Catholic Action.

The Guides take the baton after the pilgrimage, offering optional mentorship for pilgrims.

A regularly scheduled call / Skype / Zoom takes place to follow up with pilgrims regarding their commitments, reinforcing pilgrimage discussions/talking points, as well as a resource for pilgrims regarding life questions they might have. Topics ranging from, but not limited to, vocations or courtship, family conflicts, and even “mundane” topics such as writing resumes have been advised on for past pilgrims. Mentorship can be especially helpful for newer converts, pilgrims who may have irregular family situations, or for those who wish to discuss matters with a trusted adult other than a parent.