Sonia Elizabeth Gomez Lopez, 22 December 2025
We have shared a little about Sonia before in this blog, but here she shares her story in her own words, first written for The Good Oil Writers’ Award. Thanks, Sonia!
Life’s challenges have not broken me; they have shaped me as a pilgrim of hope – someone who keeps walking, step by step, towards God’s promises, writes Sonia Elizabeth Gomez Lopez.
I believe in the presence of angels, ordinary people who appear at just the right time to guide, protect or encourage us on life’s pilgrimage. I have met many such angels along my journey, and I am deeply grateful for each one.
I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, into a Catholic family where faith was a daily reality. My father, a man of deep spirituality, was my first guide on this pilgrimage path. He instilled in me a love for the Church, prayer and service. He would take us to Mass every Sunday and on holy days, wake us at 5 am to climb the 3000-foot Mount Monserrate to visit the Shrine of the Fallen Lord.
As a child, I did not yet realise it, but those climbs were more than a family devotion – they were preparing me to walk through life as a pilgrim. His example shaped my spiritual life in ways I only came to fully appreciate after his passing four years ago.
From a young age, I have felt the need to help others. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of one day having a big farm where abandoned children and abused animals could live together, healing each other’s wounds, giving the children love and purpose for the future, and the animals a safe place to recover in peace. That dream still lives within me.
Even now, when I look at the immense problems of the world – war, poverty, injustice, the lack of love and the growing fear of God – I often feel so small and useless. And yet, this very feeling stirs me not to give up, but to try harder, remembering that a pilgrim’s strength is not measured by the size of the steps but by the faith with which they are taken.
After finishing school, I trained as a physiotherapist, motivated by the dream of helping amputees. Though I never found work in that field, God placed me instead on another path of service, caring for critically ill newborns and adults in intensive care.
Yet Colombia’s violence, unrest and instability made daily life a heavy cross. Like Abraham setting out from his homeland, I felt God was calling me to take a risk, to step into the unknown in search of a future filled with hope in another country.
My first attempt to migrate to the US failed, but later in 2007, my husband and I applied to move to Australia. Arriving in Sydney, I felt again like a pilgrim starting over, learning a new language, adjusting to a new culture and beginning work in hospitality.
Eventually, this path led me to Darwin where I faced both new opportunities and deep personal trials. My marriage faltered, and as the mother of two little girls I found myself walking the hard road of separation. Pilgrimage is never easy – it asks us to travel light, to let go of certainties and to trust God for the next step.
One of the hardest stretches of this pilgrimage came in 2019-2020, when a custody battle forced me to leave my daughters in Colombia temporarily while I returned to Australia for surgery. My heart broke as I fought to bring them back.
It was in this desert of pain that God sent me “an angel” on the way: an Anglican Army chaplain (fittingly named Angela) who walked alongside me, offering strength, counsel and hope. Like Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross, she reminded me that no pilgrim ever walks alone.
The divorce, the grief of losing my father during the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggle to keep going could have crushed me. But as a pilgrim of hope, I discovered that surrendering everything to God transforms wounds into wells of grace.
I learned that happiness is not found in what we cling to, but in choosing gratitude, in recognising Christ in every person and in trusting that every step – joyful or painful – is part of a greater journey towards the Lord.
When I applied to join the Australian Defence Force, God opened another road. Through testing, training and sacrifice, I began serving first in the Air Force as a chef, then later in the Army.
Military life was demanding, but again God provided “fellow pilgrims”, people who supported me as a single mother and encouraged me to persevere. Even my struggles became part of the pilgrimage, shaping not only my resilience but also changes in Defence that now help other single parents.
Then came the unexpected call: chaplaincy. At first, I resisted: how could a woman, a migrant, divorced, with an accent, possibly be worthy of such a vocation? Yet God spoke to me in prayer and dreams, assuring me with the words of Jeremiah: “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have called you, and you are mine.” Like every pilgrim, I had only to keep saying yes to the next step. I realised that God does not call the perfect, but He perfects those He calls.
Through my Defence career, I have seen that the journey home for soldiers is often as difficult as deployment. Many carry grief, trauma and moral wounds. As chaplains, we do not walk ahead or behind; we walk beside, reminding them that God’s love is never far. That is the heart of pilgrimage: walking together, bearing one another’s burdens and finding hope, even in the darkest valleys.
Now, having completed my studies, I serve at St Patrick’s Parish, Mortlake, and St Joan of Arc Parish, Haberfield, walking alongside parishioners in times of illness, grief and hardship.
These parishes have welcomed me, reminding me that every pilgrim finds companions along the way, and that faith is meant to be shared. In 2027, I will begin my first posting as a Catholic Army Chaplain, ready to serve those who serve.
Looking back, I see that my life has been nothing less than a pilgrim’s path, marked by loss, joy and grace. I am one small grain of sand on the immense beach of humanity, yet God’s hand has shaped me as a pilgrim of hope, journeying with the Church and with all of humanity towards His Kingdom.
And so, in this Jubilee Year in the Church, I take Pope Leo’s invitation to heart:
“Let us become pilgrims of hope! Peoples, nations, and all creatures need those who choose to move towards communion. Others will follow. Let us return to building bridges where there are now walls. Let us open doors, connect worlds, and hope will spring forth.” (Pope Leo XIV, Rome, 14 June 2025).
This is my mission, my calling and my joy: to walk as a pilgrim of hope, building bridges where there are wounds, opening doors where there is exclusion and trusting that hope always springs forth when we walk with Christ.
This reflection by Sonia Elizabeth Gomez Lopez was awarded third prize in The Good Oil 2025 Writers’ Award.
Sonia Elizabeth Gomez Lopez
A pilgrim of hope, Sonia was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and migrated to Australia, where she serves in the Army. A single mother, survivor of hardship and woman of deep faith, she serves as a pastoral associate in two parishes as the last step of preparation for Army chaplaincy.
Liturgy on the Margins 