Matthew Kelly defines a pilgrimage as a journey to a sacred place for a sacred purpose. That purpose could be to ask God for a favor, thank Him for something, or it could be a quest for clarity. I went on my first "official" pilgrimage at the age of 62, almost a year after my husband passed away. I went in with no expectations but with the idea of letting God work where He knew I needed work.
Getting there was a journey in itself. In January (before the October Pilgrimage) I contacted the contact person for pilgrimages within my diocese. She had 3 on the books. If someone had told me to sit down and write out my perfect pilgrimage, the one in October would have been very close to what I pictured. There was a problem: the single rooms were all taken but I was to be placed on the waitlist and was first in line. While it remained in the back of my mind, I allowed God to work. I knew that if I was meant to be on that pilgrimage He would find a way. I was open to having a roommate, even if it was someone I didn't know. Risky, I know, but I kept that option open.
Fast-forward a few months. I received a voicemail from a woman in my parish who asked if she could be my roommate. She had to check with her husband to confirm he was okay with her going, but then it looked like I could continue my plans. It was meant for me to be on that pilgrimage.
The Basics
First things first: It was not cheap. My first pilgrimage was on a river cruise with a 3-day extension so yes, I was pampered. The good thing is that almost all of the meals were provided while on the ship. Land pilgrimages are definitely less expensive.
I kept reading to remember you're a pilgrim, not a tourist. I went into the pilgrimage with that in mind. Yes, there were a lot of "touristy" places we missed but that wasn't the purpose of the journey. I had the opportunity to attend Mass in some of the most beautiful churches in the world. It was hard to pay attention in some most of them, but being able to kneel down and glorify God in those beautiful places built through the gifts He gave the builders was awe-inspiring.
Everyone on the pilgrimage has their own reason for being there. It wasn't hard to respect that, but I had to remind myself a couple of times, especially when one woman talked in a very loud voice as we were preparing ourselves for Mass. The focus should be on yourself and how God is able to work in/through you.
Since it is a pilgrimage, you will probably be on a fairly strict schedule. I only had around 1-2 hours each day to play "tourist", and that time was usually used to grab local food. One thing a few people said about the pilgrimage was that they would have liked to have more time in the church either before or after Mass. You will probably find places where you want to return for future trips for another pilgrimage, or to just be a tourist.
Suggestions
- Make sure to take intentions written down to refer to when visiting a church
- Spend time alone (with 140 people, it wasn't easy, but I did find some time to be on my own)
- Take a journal to write down where you went, your impressions of what you saw, and how you felt
- Talk to other pilgrims
- Don't feel like you have to take a ton of pictures. Relax and reflect. Obviously, you'll want to have some pictures to remember things you saw but limit how many you take. It's more important to be in the moment.
- Remember your reason for being on a pilgrimage. Focus on that, not on other pilgrims.
- Read ahead and/or watch movies to gain insight into what you're going to see (Formed has wonderful movies to help with this)
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