David Heimann, 33, is the son of Ralph and Rita Heimann, parishioners at Ss. Peter and Paul. He is a pastoral associate at St. Ignatius Parish in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago's north side, who received permission to take a sabbatical and head off on his journey of a lifetime.
When Heimann first mentioned the dream to his spiritual adviser, he was told to forget it. When the dream kept coming back, Heimann decided to do something about it. He set up a not-for-profit organization, Ad Sodalitatem, to raise funds to finance the trip and established contacts in 38 countries around the world who served as his guide when he was in their regions.
Heimann's 2007 journey began with a trip across the United States, during which he visited multiple parishes, including three parishes in the Springfield diocese - St. Boniface, Edwardsville; Ss. Peter and Paul, Collinsville; and St. Jerome, Troy.
On Heimann's Ad Sodalitatem homepage http://adsodalitatem.org, visitors can read the blog, which Heimann wrote each day during his pilgrimage.
"I came to realize during my journey that true holiness comes from the miracle of Christ's body in the Eucharist, wherever it is celebrated. The beauty of the Eucharist is not in how much gold is around our tabernacles, but how we have surrounded our hearts with the sanctuary of love we experience in the Eucharist. You can go to a poor village in Zimbabwe and still experience the same love. It was always there," he said.
On June 12 Heimann returned to his home parish to give a talk about his pilgrimage.
"His presentation was wonderful. He has a great message," said Jennifer Lohmann, head of RCIA at Ss. Peter and Paul. "He has his computer set up so it rotates the globe, and he zooms into places he has visited. We had 80 people show up, and for a summer month, we were just amazed how many people turned out."
Heimann said he felt solidarity with the people he met. "Even when you don't speak the language, you know what is going on in the Eucharist celebration. The Eastern church has a heart to the church, and the European and American have an intellect."