Damien O’Connor had not been to France for three decades, and he had only traveled to the country once before.

However, between Oct. 18 and 20, O’Connor, the vice president for evangelization and faith formation at the Knights of Columbus (K of C), joined more than 150 barefoot, standard-bearing faithful in a pilgrimage from Genêts to Mont Saint-Michel, an iconic 1,000-year-old abbey in Normandy.

“In many ways, I was encountering France for the first time,” O’Connor told the Register. “I’ve been blessed to travel quite a bit, and I’ve never seen anything like [Mont Saint-Michel]. It was a profound blessing and an experience that, in many ways, I’m still processing.”

The initiative was led by the K of C’s French members as part of the group’s annual tradition to organize a national pilgrimage and retreat to pray for the Church, France and families, as well to commemorate All Saints’ Day and build fraternity among the Knights. Along with the walk, pilgrims were also engaged in a series of talks, Mass, confession and adoration over the course of the weekend. This year’s theme focused on enduring the spiritual battles of daily life.

“This retreat is very important to strengthen the faith of our members, to discover a new place and to be moved by the spirituality of that place,” Arnaud Boutheon, the K of C’s localization manager, told the Register. “It was like we were students, and I really wanted the men to be trained and, like students, to work on their faith.”

This pilgrimage, like in prior years, also served as a recruiting opportunity for men to become Knights, Boutheon added; indeed, 10 Catholic men joined the K of C during an exemplification ceremony held at the historic abbey.

Built off the French coast, Mont Saint-Michel — dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, a patron of France and protector against demons — is accessible at low tide, and has attracted millions of pilgrims and tourists alike throughout its existence. Yet traversing the sands is not for the faint of heart due to the less-than-ideal weather conditions in the year’s latter months. Nevertheless, the “physically demanding” challenges, as O’Connor describes, offered a poignant reminder to pilgrims that, through life’s difficulties, God does not abandon those who trust in him.

“Normally, the weather there is very windy, rainy and, simply put, not pleasant,” O’Connor told the Register. “Nonetheless, Mont Saint-Michel is nothing short of a beacon of hope, beauty — and quite literally, for us pilgrims, was a safe haven. Although built by human hands, it represents our powerlessness and God’s strength if we simply surrender to him.”

Still, despite the pilgrimage’s “discomfort and suffering” through the miles trekked and elements (albeit sans rain), O’Connor asserts it provided “opportunities to encounter God very clearly.”

“We often pray to God when we suffer, and most people will share how they then experienced God’s answer, often in little ways,” he told the Register. “The truth is, I’m reminded that God didn’t just show up because I was suffering. He was there the whole time. I just decided to open my eyes and heart to his presence.”

Throughout the weekend, and in the march across Normandy’s sand, O’Connor prayed for his family and Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly’s leadership, as well as praised God for life’s blessings.

O’Connor was invited by Boutheon and the French Knights to give a presentation on Cor, a new K of C initiative designed to help Catholic men refocus on Christ, strengthening them in faith and virtue through a brotherhood committed to prayer, formation and fraternity. While he recognized the French Knights are “particularly on fire for the faith,” O’Connor hopes K of C councils will adopt the “important tool to evangelize men in their parishes.”

Aside from introducing Cor, O’Connor and the 150 pilgrims were kept engaged through a six-lecture series given by priests from dioceses across France. The topics primarily focused on how men could live chivalrously and courageously, the tactics Satan employs, advice on discernment, and how to boldly and joyously serve family, friends and those in need. Throughout the weekend, each pilgrim also had a “praying partner” — a travel companion to help one another, evoking the scriptural passage “Iron sharpens iron.” O’Connor’s praying partner, coincidentally, had relatives in Rochester, New York, near where he visited “quite a bit” during his childhood.

For Boutheon, the weekend was “highly emotional” — with pilgrims sharing their vulnerabilities and weaknesses — and a chance for men to break away from life’s busyness and encounter Christ. However, one priest cautioned that a pilgrimage is merely temporary, comparing participants to Peter, James and John descending the mountain after witnessing the Transfiguration. They would have to take the lessons learned over the weekend into their daily lives.

“We need to come back to the real world because, even though [a pilgrimage] is a very strong moment, it’s not the real world,” Boutheon told the Register. “But we take strength: We prayed together; we had lots of moments of silence and adoration. The purpose was really to strengthen us to face the world and serve the world and others.”

The pilgrimage occurred nearly a year before the K of C’s 10th anniversary in France. (The K of C formally established its first councils in December 2015.) However, the organization has had ties to the country for more than a century, when it managed recreation centers, known as K of C Huts, for Allied soldiers during World War I. In the war’s waning years, the K of C also facilitated a pilgrimage to Marian shrines like in Lourdes, a tradition the order continues to do through its “Warriors to Lourdes” program. Even its founder, Blessed Michael McGivney — who is on the path to sainthood — was influenced by French Canadians while attending seminary at the College of St. Hyacinthe in Montreal, according to The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History.

Today, there are 1,105 Knights in France and 35 councils. The K of C’s growth and resonance to French Catholic men is a testament to Father McGivney’s charism, says O’Connor; meanwhile, for Boutheon, the K of C founder’s vision for a fraternal Catholic order has been “prophetic for France, for the coming time to strengthen men, protect their families and to increase this brotherhood through charity and service.” In fact, during the weekend, Father McGivney’s relics were venerated.

In the end, as O’Connor returned home and reflected on his physical and spiritual journey, he wrote to French Knights of his gratitude to their Christian witness, saying: “You, my brothers, were an important reminder to me of what brotherhood looks like and what faith in action truly is. I only hope you understand that, in my opinion, the Knights of Columbus in France are extremely inspiring and men through which all Knights of Columbus around the world should emulate.”

He concluded his letter, stating, “Please don’t ever doubt the impact you can have on others by imitating Christ.”