Pilgrim from New Hampshire finds spiritual "home" at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

Joachim Musekiwa once wanted to become a priest. He remembers his father was excited about that idea, so he took young Joachim to meet the local bishop in his native homeland, Zimbabwe. The bishop wanted to speak to Joachim’s mother. Unfortunately, she died when Joachim was about 10. So, the bishop wanted to speak to Joachim’s grandmother. She was not so excited about Joachim’s desire, so his path took a different direction.

Joachim later became a diplomat, representing his country in Washington, D.C. for five years. Eventually, he was caught in political strife in his homeland, endured political turmoil, and was separated from his family. Years later, his family was reunited and they eventually made their way to New Hampshire where they now live.

Recently, they happened to see the CNN documentary on Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s path to sainthood.

“We were so touched that we decided that we would go there and pray. We wanted to come together, but my wife is tied up at work. So, I decided to see what’s there, to pray and ask the sisters to pray for us,” Joachim said during his recent pilgrimage.

“I am so impressed with what I have seen. I will have many photographs for my wife so that she can see what I have seen. I have taken a tour of the place and what I have seen is something I have never seen before. It is so relaxed and I am so at peace with myself,” he added.

Joachim has a very deep spiritual faith, but he was unaware of the rigors of the canonization process. “I did not know it was such a long process of becoming a saint. I watched it with a lot of enthusiasm. When I watched it (the documentary), I thought this is real. Is it possible that we go there to pray and that our prayers will be heard?” he recalled.

Sister Jan Craven, coordinator for Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s Shrine, greeted Joachim and helped him with some prayers. When he arrived at the shrine in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, he said, “I had Sister Jan take some photos. I put my head on the casket. I felt at home. I prayed a little bit, then I went to Mass. It was something out of this world. I felt at home.”

His prayer intentions mirror those of many others in today’s society. His wife works too much as a program coordinator for an information technology company, so he’s worried about her health. His eldest daughter has been out of work in the accounting field for years. He also prays for his other daughter and son. Joachim is working on a doctorate so that he can teach at the college level. He wants to bring his family on a return trip.

As he immersed himself in spirituality and peace at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, he studied the history of Saint Mother Theodore and the grounds, and met many sisters who shared conversations with him, he had only one thought to share: “Just pray for me. I have so much faith. I feel like whatever I want, it’s going to be OK. I don’t remember having this feeling.”