Organizing a Pilgrimage

Yes! The Sisters have daily Mass at 7:00 a.m. that all pilgrims are welcome to attend. If your group cannot make this Mass and is bringing your own priest, you may request to have a private Mass said by your priest later during your visit.

There are many other opportunities for prayer during your visit, such as praying a Rosary or the Liturgy of the Hours.

There are three primary areas to visit: The Chapel, the Shrine (garden) outside, and the gift shop. Click here to view a Monastery map.

Given the Poor Clares are a cloistered community, it is not possible to enter or tour their private quarters or grounds.

Should groups like to see and do more before or after their visit, there are other local holy sites worth visiting, such as St. Anthony’s Parish (3 minutes away) and St. Mary’s Oratory (5 minutes away) in Rockford. These possible additional visits are not coordinated by the Poor Clare’s, the pilgrimage coordinator, or their partner, the Office of Vocations, and must be arranged by the groups themselves.

St. Anthony’s — stanthonyrockford.org

St. Mary’s — institute-christ-king.org/rockford-home

Because the Rockford Poor Clares are cloistered, pilgrimage visits are not guided and tours are not offered. Thus, visits are considered “self-guided.”

Once a pilgrimage group visit is confirmed, the pilgrimage organizer will receive via email a proposed visit schedule along with self-guided materials, such as artistic and historic information of the chapel, as well as instructions on how to join-in prayer with the Sisters. All materials will be provided in electronic form, with the encouragement for each group to print off however many they need for their group.

See example self-guide materials here:

1. Behind the Walls

2. Corpus Christ Monastery and Chapel

When requesting a group pilgrimage, you will note whether you prefer a morning or afternoon visit. Morning visits typically begin with 7:00 a.m. Mass with the Sisters and end by Noon. Afternoon visits begin with Midafternoon Prayer at 2:00 p.m. and end by 5:00 p.m. The Poor Clares ask that groups are not present during the Noon hour. For afternoon group visits, the Poor Clares ask that groups depart by 5:00 p.m.

After your pilgrimage group is officially approved for your requested day and time, you will receive via email the proposed visit schedule and itinerary.

For groups that desire to amend or suggest a different schedule (For example, showing up at an earlier or later time, etc.), they may contact the pilgrimage coordinator who will confirm if the change(s) is(are) possible.

Though not guaranteed due to their regimented life, approved pilgrimage groups may request to meet with a Poor Clare Sister for a short talk and for a time of Q and A. These meetings last between 30 and 45 minutes.

If a group is 15 persons or under, they may meet in the parlor room.

If a group is over 15 persons, they may meet in the Chapel. Due to all-day Adoration that takes place each Friday in the Chapel, a 15+ person group meeting with a Sister is not possible on this day of the week.

Yes, because Pope Leo XIV has declared this a Jubilee Year of St. Francis, it is possible for pilgrims that visit our chapel to receive an Indulgence. More information can be found by clicking here.

Built in 1916, the Monastery has several areas that require the use of stairs. Upon request, there is a single-person ADA stair chair lift with access to the Chapel.

Yes, there is a single bathroom available, which is located in-between the chapel and gift shop in the adjoining hallway.

Depending on the bus’ size, yes, a bus may be permitted to enter the Monastery parking lot. For those buses that are too large and cannot, buses may drop-off and pick-up just outside the Monastery’s main gate.

If clergy (priest or deacon) is participating in your pilgrimage and they are not from the Diocese of Rockford, a Letter of Good Standing must be procured and provided to the pilgrimage coordinator. Concelebrating the Monastery’s 7:00 a.m. Mass or celebrating private Masses cannot take place without this approved letter.

There is no cost for a pilgrimage group.

Poor Clares are what their name implies, poor. Groups are encouraged to make a monetary donation to the Poor Clares for the upkeep of their buildings and grounds, that which protects and uplifts the life they lead within and for the Church.

In particular, the Poor Clares are currently undergoing two major chapel modernizing projects. The first is a chapel lighting project. As you may notice during your visit, the lighting in the chapel is very dim, old, and out-of-date. The second is a chapel sound system project. You may also notice the speaker and mic system is very old, outdated, and often with issue. These new systems will allow the Sisters and all visitors to see the beauty of the chapel and hear the Word of God with a clarity. The Sister’s would be most grateful for any monetary donations put towards these two projects.

Other encouraged donations from the Poor Clare’s Mother Superior are “Whatever fruits or vegetables are currently in season.” The Poor Clares survive off of the land they work and donations of the faithful.