Mama Mary followed us to Texas

Christy Romero | 03/02/2026

“Mary set out in haste for the hill country.“ Luke 1:39

After the doctor gave my husband the green light that he could travel, we had a 3-week window to go somewhere. Our top choices were New York and North Carolina to visit our kids and grandkids, but when the logistics did not work out, we were open to going anywhere. I suggested a beach town a few hours from us that we could just drive to, but since we already live by the beach, my husband thought that maybe we could go to a National Park or to the mountains. God had a different plan for us. After checking out different options, we ended up in Austin, Texas. Definitely not part of our original plan, but what a surprise it turned out to be.

Last year, we planned five trips and all had to be cancelled. I have come to the realization that God is going to do whatever He wants with my plans, so I might as well just submit to His wishes. He knows I love to travel, but I’m just going to allow Him to be the tour director of my trips, and instead of traveling as a tourist, I’m just going to be a pilgrim. That is how I began this unexpected pilgrimage to Austin, and boy, did He surprise me.

Since I am in the middle of renewing my consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph, I had my heart set on finding every possible image or statue of St. Joseph in Austin. And I did. Joseph was in every church we visited, and in a lot of religious art we saw at a museum, but in typical Joseph fashion, He allowed his wife Mary to take the spotlight. The hotel room we were assigned to was number 815. Years ago, this number would not have meant anything to me. But in 2023, I did my first Marian consecration and I consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary on 8/15, the feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. I should have known right then and there that Mama Mary was going to be a big part of our pilgrimage, but it didn’t hit me until my husband opened the night table drawer and found the usual Bible that is placed at every hotel room, but with a rosary next to it. That was definitely a first for us. We have never found a rosary at any hotel room during our travels. There was also a card with this message: “Mary set out in haste for the hill country.” At that moment, I knew that this was not a coincidence. We were in the hill area of Austin, in the Assumption room, with a rosary, and Mama Mary was with us.

Every morning we prayed the rosary before leaving the Assumption room. And every day, she surprised us by letting us know that she was with us. Austin’s main church is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. They have a gorgeous statue of St. Joseph and a beautiful crucifix on the altar, but what is most impressive is the stained glass window behind the altar which depicts the “Assumption of Mary.”

We went to mass twice to this Church, and I was impressed with how many young people were in attendance at daily mass, most of them probably students at the University of Texas (UT), which is just a few blocks away.

I also found out that there was a Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt just a few blocks from our hotel. There is one where I live, just a 30-minute drive from my house. I have been to it a few times. The one in Austin is identical because that was the desire of its German founder, Fr. Joseph Kentenich. He wanted all the chapels built around the world to be an exact replica of the original shrine in Germany. Fr. Kentenich initiated this Marian movement in 1914 in order to teach Our Lady’s virtues to people and transform the world through Marian consecration. How wonderful that we were to find this shrine in Austin, and so close to our hotel. And the icing on the cake, when we got there, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, so we got to be in adoration for a while, thanking Jesus for leading us on this pilgrimage and assigning His Holy Mother to be our guide.

When we allow God to be our tour director, He will pleasantly surprise us. We just have to have our eyes and our hearts open so we can recognize His Signs. Even in a barbecue restaurant, as I was walking to my table, there was a poster board leaning against another table with this message: “Co-redemptrix and mediatrix of all graces.” Yes, that’s my Mama Mary. Even at a barbecue, she was reminding me that She was with me. Thank You, Mama Mary, for journeying with us.

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About the Author

Christy Romero

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My name is Christy Romero and I am a cradle Catholic. I met my husband, Rafael, 46 years ago on a Youth Encounter, and we got married four years later. We have three young adult children who are all happily married, and two grandsons that have stolen our hearts. Even though I have always loved writing, God took me on a different career path. I graduated with a degree in Accounting in 1986, and thirty years ago, I established my practice to help small businesses and individuals with their tax filings. Last year, I decided to retire to spend more time with my growing family, and to dedicate more time to writing. I created a blog to share my meditations ten years ago, and I have a faithful following of family and friends. Now, I feel God urging me to share the Good News of the Church that He established over 2,000 years ago with a larger audience. In the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: “I am just a little pencil in the hand of a writing God sending a love letter to the world.” You can find more of my writings at https://christysmeditations.blogspot.com/