General Assistance
The pilgrimage is a journey of prayer, mortification and detachment, but hardly deprivation.
There are nine Divisions of the pilgrimage organization to assist pilgrims– from brigades to choirs, chaplains to altar servers, first-aid to cooks, drivers to ‘water lilies’, and so on.
For two decades of charity in imitation of their blessed Patron, the pilgrim-servants of the Company of St. René Goupîl (CSRG), for example, have assisted weary, thirsty, hungry and foot-sore pilgrims every step of the way.
Food & Water
CSRGers keep pilgrims supplied with water throughout, in camps and on the road. In the morning, they provide hot water, bread, jam, and fruits to supplement pilgrims’ breakfast food. In the evenings, they provide hearty soups. Pilgrims must make their own provisions for nine (cold) meals to picnic: three each day, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Pilgrims supply their own utensils, cups, powdered coffee, hot chocolate, tea bags, instant hot breakfast cereal, etc.
Gear & Luggage
The Company also transports pilgrims’ luggage & gear from camp to camp each day.
Provisions & Helps on the Road
In addition, the Company follows the walking brigades in vans, transporting those who can no longer walk or (in rare emergency) conveying the sick to hospital. They haul portable toilets as well all along the route. They also provide basic first-aid along the way, at rest stops, and in camp mornings and evenings.
Those pilgrims who cannot meet the physical demands may ride in the vans until refreshed, or may join the “modified pilgrimage”, spending more time in the camps praying, confessing and receiving spiritual counsel from chaplains there.
Camps, Arrival, Check-In
Pilgrims overnight along the way Friday and Saturday in private camps — Thursday, too, if they choose to camp in Wood Park, which organizers also reserve for pilgrims. (Wood Park is the rendezvous point for all pilgrims in Lake George Village Thursday evening and Friday morning. Read about arrival and check there.)
Pilgrim-servants prepare bivouacs along the way that include portable toilets, fresh water, and remote electrical supply. Only families & seniors of the ‘modified events‘ are permitted RVs or large vans, but there are no hook-ups. Most pilgrims bring a personal or family tent. Those pilgrims who don’t bring a tent inevitably find shelter with a generous fellow pilgrim. .
Sunday’s Agapē Supper
Pilgrim-servants prepare an agapē meal & festivities Sunday after holy Mass under the pavilion in the meadow, across from the gift shop, near the entrance to the Ravine of St. René Goupîl.
Pilgrims may no longer camp Sunday night at the Martyrs’Shrine. Pilgrims provide their own transport to local lodgings Sunday night after pilgrimage.
See the blog’s FAQs which drill deep into details.
Shuttle Service
Pilgrims arriving via public transportation* and all those needing to recover their vehicles at the end of Sunday’s events must request (in advance) the shuttle service offered (in 2025) on Thursday, September 25 — the day before step-off.
With your request & confirmed itinerary in hand, CSRG volunteers will shuttle you to the check-in point (required) or – if you choose not to overnight at Wood Park – to other accommodations in Lake George Village. The shuttles pick-up and transport pilgrims from their public transportation terminals*, or — for those driving their own vehicles — from the designated parking lot directly behind the Coliseum Church in Auriesville.
* e.g., Albany Internat’l Airport or the downtown Albany train or bus terminals
Pilgrims may request the shuttle service only after registering.
Click here to request the shuttle
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Finalizing your itinerary
Before finalizing public transportation (PT) reservations, pilgrims traveling via PT must confirm with the CSRGer in charge of shuttling to make sure Company volunteers can meet PT arrival- and departure-times.
Additional answers to frequently asked questions about transportation etc. can be found in the online FAQs.