St. Paul the Apostle Church - Sandwich, Illinois

(Photo provided)

Destination: St. Paul Church in Sandwich is the only Rockford Diocesan church named soley for St. Paul, whose Jubilee Year is half over this month.
Masses at the parish are held Saturday at 5 p.m.; Sunday at 8 and 10:30 a.m.; Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. There is a Spanish Mass at 12:15 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month.
Vigil/holy day Masses are at  5:30 and 7 p.m./8:30 a.m., 7 p.m. Sacrament of reconciliation is at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Why to go: A focused trip to learn more about your faith or a person of faith is called a pilgrimage. The traveler or student on a pilgrimage — a disciple — tries to achieve greater intimacy with a person or event which has had great impact on the church and the world.
For thousands of years, faithful of all religions have made pilgrimages to shrines. During this Year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has offered special indulgences for travelers to Rome and other sites designated by local bishops. Bishop Thomas Doran has included St. Paul Church as an official pilgrimage site in the Diocese of Rockford. Visitors who attend Mass, go to confession and receive Communion are eligible for the indulgence.
Special events: St. Paul Church can’t promise record-breaking numbers of pilgrims, but does plan special events throughout the year. There are plans for a showing of the “Eucharistic Miracles” display early this year. Call for details.
Access: There are a few steps, but there is also a ramp for wheelchair access.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Absolutely. In the photo, Father Jack Heraty and children from St. Paul Parish welcome pilgrims during the holy year. 
Info: Address: 110 N. Eddy St., Sandwich, IL. 60548. Phone: 815/786-9266.

--Compiled by Elsie Campbell Morrisey 

Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org.

(Observer photo by Amanda Hudson)

Editor's note: The Year of St. Paul is long over, and the indulgence is no longer available, but the church, renamed St. Paul the Apostle Parish in 2009, is still well-worth visiting. The historic pre-Civil War building has been moved, burned and restored -- twice -- since then. The new address is 340 W. Arnold Road, still in Sandwich. Mass times have changed, too. Learn more at the parish Facebook page, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, or on its website, http://saintpaulscc.net/. (Updated Jan. 30, 2015)