In one photo Rebekah Scaperlanda, 23, stands in a loose hug with Forrest Kline, the lead singer of Hello Goodbye. Then there are photos of hugs with Taylor Hanson and Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of the Flaming Lips.

“I’m not nearly as hip as some of these pictures make it seem,” Rebekah confesses. “I just really love live music and musicians and will do what I can to see them and meet them! Even when I’m strapped for cash I’ll push the budget if there’s a good concert in town. I’ve waited in line multiple hours to be at the front of a show; it’s not so glamorous eating on the sidewalk and fighting a crowd of people, but it’s worth it in the end.”

Rock concerts and cathedrals? Do the two mix? For Rebekah, the answer is a resounding YES!  Whether it’s a Flaming Lips concert or a trip of a lifetime to St. Peter’s Basilica, both have dimensions of going on a pilgrimage.

And her pop media pilgrimages are not limited to concerts. She’s traveled to New York City to check out locations of scenes from favorite movies such as “Gossip Girl,” (Dylan’s Candy Store!) and “Miracle on 34th Street,” as well as journeyed to Newport, Calif., for an “OC” adventure, eating at the “Crab Cooker,” which inspired the restaurant where the TV-show character Ryan worked. She also ventured to Pelican Hill, where the Cohen’s lived on the show, and even has a hoodie from Newport Harbor High School.

“In the opening credits of the show, Marissa jumps on Ryan’s back while he rides his bike down the pier. We visited the pier and my sister Michelle and I tried to reenact the scene–even though we didn’t have a bike.”

The Newport adventure was a trip encouraged by her mom, Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda, a Catholic author of many books including “A Seekers Guide to Mary” and “Edith Stein: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.”

“I’m thankful to my parents for sharing their fervor for traveling and pilgrimages,” Rebekah said.

Making adventurous pilgrimages is in her genes. In the Jubilee Year of 2000, Rebekah’s parents planned an extensive family pilgrimage throughout Europe. Rebekah, her parents and her three siblings, traveled to countries like Italy, Spain and England, attending Mass at such places as J.R. Tolkien’s home parish in Oxford, England, St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, and visiting numerous religious locales in Rome and beyond.

In their book called “The Journey: A Guide for the Modern Pilgrim,” written by Rebekah’s parents Maria and Michael Scaperlanda, her father writes in a chapter called “Making All Travel Sacred:” “We propose that all travel, precisely because it disturbs our daily routines, presents great opportunities for heightened awareness of God and his universe. In other words, even travel to the dullest business meeting can be transformed into a sacred moment.”

In recent correspondence, Maria also explained, “Any vacation or journey can become a pilgrimage with, first, an attitude of discovery–opening our hearts to how and what God wants to show us through his presence in this new place and, secondly, making a point of visiting holy sites, celebrating liturgy with the local church, and finding out about local saints and shrines. This is something our family really has enjoyed doing.”

Traveling is not always without discomfort and pilgrimages are not the exception. “They can be physically taxing,” said Rebekah, recalling miles walked while carrying backpacks or waking at 4 in the morning to attend Easter Mass with the pope in St. Peter’s Square.

“Pilgrimages mirror life—they’re a journey. You have ups and downs, days when you want to give up but in the end you get to experience the journey.”

Be sure to check out upcoming blog entries by Rebekah and other young adults on today’s pop media culture.

Read more about pilgrimages by purchasing a copy of “The Journey: A Guide for the Modern Pilgrim”.