Men and boys were invited to “take the nail” and tread in the footsteps of America’s Protomartyr by taking an overnight pilgrimage to this shrine in the heartland of America.
It was a very beautiful and well attended pilgrimage July 28th-29th, 2023. The 185 men and boys walked 33 miles throughout the night, arriving at the Padilla Cross in Lyons, KS the morning of the 29th for Mass at the foot of the cross.
The Padilla Cross marks the location of a Quiviran Indian village and is dedicated to Fray Juan de Padilla, a Spanish Franciscan priest who journeyed with the Coronado Expedition to spread the Catholic Faith for the salvation of souls. The Quiviran Indians martyred him while he was attempting to evangelize the Kaw Indians in November 1542 (78 years before Plymouth Rock and 104 years before the North American Martyrs), giving him the distinction of being America’s Protomartyr.